Schiermonnikoog, our smallest inhabited Wadden Sea island, is a National Park and actually a sustainable holiday destination in itself. You leave your car on the mainland - you even have to - and that's your first green step. So on Schier, you don't have to make any effort to be more sustainable. And that feels great. Sas has collected four great tips that will not only make your stay on Schiermonnikoog unforgettable, but also just a little bit greener.
Holidays on Schiermonnikoog
Schiermonnikoog is small but nice. The island is less than sixteen kilometres long and four kilometres wide. That means you can easily do everything by bike - and let that be the most fun and sustainable means of transport. As soon as you step off the boat, you can hire a bike. Got a lot of luggage? Then take the bus to the village first and arrange your bike there. It's also possible! From then on, your holiday can really begin. The great thing about Schier is that you don't have to do endless research to prepare for your holiday. No endless to-do lists or highlights you have to tick off. Everything is neatly arranged. Just book a table at a restaurant and you are done. And yet... we have collected four great tips that will give your stay that little bit extra.
By the way, did you know that Schiermonnikoog - like the rest of the Wadden Sea - is on Unesco's World Heritage List? This means that the area is unique in the world and must be protected for future generations. A double reason to enjoy it with a green outlook.
4 tips for Schiermonnikoog
Whether you are on Schier for the first time or already know the island a bit: there is always something new to discover. From a drive to the tip of the island to eating from your own garden - these are our four favourite tips for a greener yet cosy stay.
1. Board the Balgexpres
For a special outing, get together with Natuurmonumenten the Ball Express: a tractor with a cart behind it that takes you all the way to the eastern tip of the island. There lies the Balg - an empty, rugged stretch of beach that can only be reached by this ‘beach train’. Along the way, you will see nature in all its glory: birds, shells, maybe even seals. And once there, it's all about looking around, breathing and enjoying the peace and quiet. No roads, no buildings, just beach and sea as far as you can see.
Outing on Schiermonnikoog: exploring the beauty of the Wadden Sea with the Bellows Express. Photo: Jilke Hellinga.
2. Relax at De Berkenplas
Less than five minutes' cycling from the village, you suddenly find yourself in the middle of nature, on a dune lake surrounded by forest. The Birch Lake is a lovely place to take a break. This eating and drinking spot is located on a recreational lake in the middle of a Natura 2000 area, a European protected nature reserve full of special plants and animals. You can hear the birds, the frogs and mostly peace and quiet. There is a good chance that, while having a drink, you will see a spoonbill or other beauty fly by. The terrace is spacious and beautifully situated, overlooking the water.
Children can also have a great time here, by the way. There is a raft with which they can haul themselves to the other side and in the sand there are water pumps to splash about endlessly. You on the terrace, them on the adventure. A top plan.
De Berkenplas is a restaurant with a large terrace on a dune lake where you can linger all day with nice weather.
3. Pick your own meal at The Garden next to the Branding
For fresh fruit and vegetables cycle to The Garden next to the Branding, Schiermonnikoog's self-picking garden. You can harvest your own fruit, flowers and vegetables here. The garden is always open and works on trust: you pay what you can spare. If the garden is closed, you can leave cash or there is an ATM. It is also a nice place to just walk around. The garden looks beautiful in spring and summer, full of colour, fragrance and fluttering insects. An oasis of calm, where you soon feel like an islander. What's extra nice: the picking garden is also a social project. Residents of Schiermonnikoog on a small budget receive a bag full of fresh groceries from the garden. And that coffee grounds from the island restaurants? They use it to grow oyster mushrooms, which you will then find on your plate at various restaurants on the island. Cool!
Shopping in Schiermonnikoog's picking garden. This one is always open!
4. Enjoy local delicacies at Wad Anderz
Looking for a more sustainable restaurant? Then sit down at Wad Anderz, the restaurant right on Schiermonnikoog's harbour. Here you look out over the Wad while enjoying a menu full of local ingredients, with an emphasis on local fish. Think cockles, mussels and other salty surprises. There are also a few vegetarian options on the menu - sometimes even with vegetables or oyster mushrooms from The Garden next to the Surf. The atmosphere is relaxed, the staff super-friendly and the view of the drying seabed at low tide is spectacular. You are literally on the border of land and sea here. Life is good.
Eat at the restaurant with the most beautiful view on the island, that's what you do at Wad Anderz. Fun fact: the mushrooms from the picking garden can be found in an appetiser.
The best of Schiermonnikoog?
Whether you come for a day, a night or a long weekend, Schiermonnikoog has everything for a relaxing and greener mini holiday. It is precisely because the island is so manageable that you can really unwind there - and soon discover how easy it is to live a little more consciously, even on holiday. Cycle, taste, pick and marvel. And who knows, you might even spot a seal along the way. Do you have another great tip for Schiermonnikoog? Let us know about it! We love good ideas and will gladly add to our green-on-Schier list.
Discover more of the Wadden
- Also see: on holiday in Dokkum, discover the Wadden mainland!
- Also see: the best thing about Terschelling.
- Also see: Vlieland with kids.
- Also see: the best thing about Texel.
Photo credits: thegreenlist.nl. Bellows Express: Jilke Hellinga.
