Lock, the Zwin and Retranchement

Samphire, sea lavender, beach culture, salt marsh and sea beet, which provide a relatively small salt marsh with beautiful colors in the summer. In the 75-hectare nature reserve Het Zwin you will find cheerful birds who like to build their nests there. The redshank and the avocet make themselves heard high in the trees, together with the oystercatcher. The little egret does not seek out the area to breed, but it does like to visit the shallow salt marshes in search of fish. The cute small scale, interspersed with the open expanse of the Kievittepolder makes a bike ride through Het Zwin a special affair. Mill Retranchement in the town of the same name is also more than worth a visit and a short stop. The wooden Retranchemente Mill was built in 1818. There has been a mill on this site since 1643, but it was only built after its predecessor was blown over. The corn and hulling mill is covered with shale and has a radius of more than twenty metres. The open post mill can still be used functionally and a volunteer miller regularly puts it into operation to grind grain.