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Nowhere in the Netherlands is the landscape so well preserved as in the National Landscape Noardlike Fryske Wâlden. The small-scale bocage landscape bordered by alder canals and dykswâllen is a unique area in the Netherlands. In this landscape there are dozens of hidden gems of nature, such as pengo ruins, which were formed in the permafrost soil during the coldest period of the Weichsel ice age. Walking with the Swaddekuier is a wonderful adventure in the nature and culture of this National Landscape.
Start location
The start location of the Swaddekuier is located at the Parklaan in Buitenpost.
Start times
40 km from 07:00 AM – 08:00 AM
20 km from 08:30 AM – 10:00 AM
10 km from 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Swaddekuier 2022 has as theme “the diversity of the landscape of the Northern Frisian Woods.”. It is no coincidence that this theme was chosen in 2022. The scenic landscape of alder canals and dykswâlen holds perhaps the best secrets of Fryslân. The residents of the area can attest to this and the guests who come to the area every year experience it.
The special values of diversity have been established in studies commissioned by the association for agricultural nature and landscape management, De Noardlike Fryske Wâlden. As a very special result of the investigations, six species of bats were identified in the area that like to hunt in the lee of the linear landscape elements in the area. Species ranging from the common pipistrelle to the very rare bicolor feathered mouse.
It is not only the bats that are special in this beautiful landscape. Every year special birds breed in the wooded banks. The common redstart is one of the most special breeding birds, but the warbler, the bramblewren, the garden bird and the mockingbird also like to breed in the fields lined by wooded banks. Research has shown that they are five times more common in this special landscape than elsewhere in the Netherlands.
Landscape maintenance by the farmers in the area has meant that the diversity throughout the area has revealed new species of animals and plants. The dike walls with a base of nettles and blackberry bushes are an invitation for new guests. For example, the sooty shrike, which is on the red list and until recently only occurred in southeastern Drenthe, has been a loyal guest in this landscape for a number of years now. The mockingbird, which has declined in numbers nationally in recent years, has increased by a factor of five in the forest area.
Anyone who takes the time to experience the landscape in all its diversity will soon discover that the area is also rich in a large number of special plants, ferns and mosses. Dense hawkweed and the rare apple moss are at home on the dike walls and on the shady parts of the dike walls you will still find the rare double foliage.
The area is very rich in butterfly species. For example, a survey in the area counted no fewer than 437 different species of moths. And if you dive a little deeper into the matter, it turns out that the area is home to a wide variety of dragonflies, butterflies, beetles, mosquitoes, flies, bees and ants. The thistle butterfly is one of the beautiful butterflies that feels at home here. A diversity in the Northern Fryske Wâlden that is very special and unique in the Netherlands.
It is the farmers in the area who take care of the maintenance of the linear plantings in the alder canals and on the dike walls. They are responsible for the diversity in the area and make agreements about the diversity objectives in the area. All these managers feel responsible and make concrete plans every year about preserving the diversity in the Frisian forests. Perhaps the best kept secret. The diversity of the Frisian forests. Worth discovering this secret.
