Walking and cycling in Zeeland

Walking with cows in the Van Haaftenpolder (at a distance)

You can cross the Van Haaftenpolder near Oud-Vossemeer, but you have to share the nature reserve with a bird-watching screen with a herd of cows. That makes a walk towards the salt marshes and swallowing a bit exciting.

At various places on Tholen and Sint Philipsland you can walk in nature reserves that are managed by Staatsbosbeheer. The Van Haaftenpolder is the part of Tholen that is closest to Sint Philipsland and belongs to the territory of Oud-Vossemeer. The polder itself was created in 1852. In the early XNUMXs, plans were made to enlarge the nature reserve around the Stinkgat, the name of the former Eastern Scheldt creek, at the expense of agricultural land. Boer Gaakeer had to give way. His agricultural lands were bought by the province. His son Wim still lives in the parental home with his family.

The visitor to the nature reserve does not come across the house alone. It is on the other side of the polder. In total, the area where the cows can go about their business is about fifty hectares.

Hollandereweg
The car can be parked at the end of the Hollaereweg. There, near the provincial road, is the fence and gate. A sign from Staatsbosbeheer points out the 'rules of the game' to passers-by. For example, there would be a hiking trail that must be followed, but where it is is unclear. It is important to keep a minimum distance of 25 meters from the cows. There is also something exciting about walking in the meadow with the animals. When we enter the nature reserve they are still fairly close. In the area on the left a dike has been planted with trees, which continues to the salt marshes and mud flats. The cows are then at the height of the bird viewing screen. As soon as they spot us, they look at us curiously. Cautiously we move further away and look for it a little higher. We feel safer on the dike.

sheltered
We walk further towards the bird watching screen. Approximately from the dike a grove has been created so that there is a sheltered walkway to the screen. Presumably also to provide safe access to the site.

The animals also do not notice when we enter the grove from the dike. Once at the end, the bush is less dense and we and the animals can see each other well. The same curious looks again. We're much closer than just now, but there's still a barbed wire in between. It turns out that the cows are even more afraid of us than the other way around. When we try to get a little closer, they are taken aback and run away through the water of the Stinkgat. Now they can be seen very well through the birdwatching screen.

Curlew
The fact that the Van Haaftenpolder is also visited because of the birds is apparent from the list on the website observation.nl. Black horsemen, curlew, egret and a ruff. They have been spotted one by one in the past week. Bird lovers already know where to find this place.

It is also not a bad place for hikers. Walking around is difficult because it depends on where the cows are. The fastest route to the seawall is not bad either. You then end up at the salt marshes and mudflats of Sint-Annaland. The salty air tickles the nose. It's quiet there. You really only hear the sounds that flying birds make.