From IJzendijke to the Western Scheldt

In IJzendijke, the Veste still bears witness to the fortress that the town once was. During the Eighty Years' War, a redoubt with four strongholds was built, which was expanded from 1604 into an almost impregnable fortress for the State troops against the Spaniards. The last fortifications were demolished in 1843, but a small part was restored in the twentieth century. At Hoofdplaat you reach the coast of the Western Scheldt, the mouth of the Scheldt. The water is never closed off, in order to keep the port of Antwerp accessible. The Western Scheldt is partly navigable and furthermore consists of a system of channels, sand flats, mud flats and salt marshes that are rarely flooded. You will find rare habitats for flora and fauna, marine mammals such as seals and porpoises and large numbers of birds. The area is also a migration, breeding and breeding area for fish.