Explore Oostkapelle on foot

Follow in the footsteps of the former Middelburg elite. This walk takes you through De Manteling and Oranjezon, two beautiful nature reserves on the coast of Walcheren. A route along an old estate, through special forests and of course through the dunes. Especially on a beautiful day it is tempting to take a dip on what has already been awarded several times as the cleanest beach in the Netherlands. The route starts and ends at the edge of the pleasant village of Oostkapelle. You can see d\\\'Arke here, a corn mill from 1858. Through the village you walk into the Oranjezon nature reserve. The dune area belongs to the young dunes that were formed between 1200 and 1700. It is a varied area. A lot of marram grass and sea buckthorn thickets grow on the coastal strip. More inland you will see species such as hawthorn, eglantine and blackberries, but also deciduous and pine trees. During your route you can come face to face with deer or fallow deer. In autumn, thousands of migratory birds feast here on an abundance of berries. From Oranjezon you walk into De Manteling, a nature reserve that lies between Domburg and Oostkapelle. De Manteling is rich in old country estates of the former Middelburg elite. From the seventeenth to the nineteenth century they spent their summers here. And with good reason: De Manteling is a wonderfully varied area. You will hear the familiar lamentation of seagulls, but also the refined song of nightingales. Hardly anywhere else in Europe do deciduous trees grow so close to the coast. But with a price: many trees are no higher than one meter. Their wings are clipped by the cutting westerly wind and the drifting salt. Towards the end of your route you will pass Landgoed Duinbeek, whose history dates back to at least 1350. The former hunting lodge was razed to the ground in 1572 by Geuzen. It was not until the beginning of the eighteenth century that another building was erected. This monument, built in classicist style, is privately inhabited, but it is clearly visible from the road.