Friese Kustpad, LAW 5-4: Stavoren - Lauwersoog, 131 km

The Frisians cultivate an image of stubborn, independent minded people. They have their own breed of horses, strong, big and black. They have their own language, largely incomprehensible to the rest of the Dutch population. And they have a long coastline. The southern part of the Frisian coast was cut of from the Northsea by the construction of the Afsluitdijk in 1932. This trail bring you to a series of small towns along the coast wich used to prosper because of their relation to the sea. These days prosperity is linked more to tourism. The northern part of the coast is still connected to the open water of the Wadden sea, a unique landscape wich recently was added to the World Heritage list. So there is a lot of seascape to admire. The landscape on the other side of the dikes retains much of its traditional character. Even if farmers have started to use wind turbines as an additional source of income, and some keep their cattle inside on a permanent basis, on summer days the famous Frisian cows can still be seen grazing the green, green meadows. (DB)