We don't know any different: a landscape without dykes and our never-ending struggle against the impeding waters. Luckily, our ancestors paved the way for us. Dykes were built and mills helped keep areas dry, and as a result, the Kop van Noord-Holland came into being. It’s an area we are immensely proud to enjoy.
The Westfriese Omringdijk is a giant in every sense of the word. The 126-kilometre dyke has meandered through the landscape for centuries. No better place to cycle than on this very monument. Another Dutch Waterland icon is the Afsluitdijk, a man-made creation that transformed the salt waters of the Zuiderzee into the freshwaters of the IJsselmeer and Markermeer.
Experience what it's like to be atop a dyke with high water on the one side and low country on the other.
Read moreOver the course of 80 years, this 30-kilometre icon of the Netherlands has been serving its purpose to keep the sea at bay. The dyke has connected Noord-Holland with Friesland since 1935.
Read moreA UNESCO World Heritage Site, and with good reason! Water, silt and sand streams back and forth with every tidal current. See this one-of-a-kind heritage site with your own eyes.
Read moreThe Wadden Sea stretches out into the Kop. In Den Oever, you can join a coastal mudflat excursion or step aboard a fishing boat for a day of coastal mudflat fishing or seal spotting.
It goes without saying that the nautical history ties in with all that water. Visit our maritime landmark Den Helder, where you can come to learn all about our history with water in the Navy Museum, Rescue Museum and the old Rijkswerf Willemsoord. The Kop van Noord-Holland is not just land, but a marvellous combination of water, land and dykes.
In the Kop van Noord-Holland you can experience cycling adventures on dykes, sail your boat through the canals and stroll over the most beautiful dunes, all the while taking in the views along reed belts, polder mills and the most welcoming villages. The brand new network on the water, also known as the sloop network, helps you navigate.
Canoeing, boating, sailing, surfing, kitesurfing, paddleboarding; whatever you desire, it's all possible at the Kop!
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