Vuurboetsduin: the highest point in Friesland

A mountain of sand

The Vuurboetsduin lies directly above Oost-Vlieland and, at over forty metres, is the highest point in Friesland. This also makes it one of the highest dunes in the Netherlands. No rock, no ridge: windblown sand, anchored by marram grass and time.

The name comes from 'vuurboet', the old word for a beacon fire — an elevated hearth used to warn ships, long before lamps and lenses existed. Fires were thus lit at this spot for centuries for the shipping sailing in and out of the Vlie.

The lighthouse

At the summit stands Vlieland's lighthouse, the Vuurduin. The tower itself is eighteen metres tall — low for a lighthouse, but the dune beneath it puts the light over sixty metres above the sea. It is the cheapest way to build high: let the sand do the work.

The tower is not always open to visitors; details regarding opening times can be found on site or at the VVV.

The view

From the edge of the dune, you can see at a single glance why Vlieland is an elongated island. To the north the North Sea and the beach, to the south the mudflats with the navigation channel, to the east the harbour and Terschelling, to the west the forest edge and beyond that the Vliehors. In clear weather, you can make out Texel.

The finest moment is half an hour before sunset, when the sun sinks across the mudflats and the light falls low across the dunes. In stormy weather, it is impressive and unpleasant at the same time: there is nothing in between.

Practicalities

From the village, a flight of steps leads up. It is a short but steep climb; you can leave your bicycle at the bottom. The steps and paths lead through the dune, which is partly stabilised by planting.

In the vicinity of the dune, Vitens extracts drinking water from the dunes. That is the second, less visible function of this mountain of sand: it does not only hold back the sea, it also provides the water in the tap.