Mudflat hiking ( da, Vadehavsvandring, nl, Wadlopen, West Frisian: ''Waadrinnen'', german: Wattwandern) is a recreation enjoyed in the Netherlands, northwest Germany, Denmark, England and France. Mudflat hikers are people who, with the aid of a tide table, use a period of low water to walk and wade on the watershed of the mudflats, especially from the Frisian mainland coast to the Frisian islands. The

Wadden Sea The Wadden Sea ( nl, Waddenzee ; german: Wattenmeer; nds, Wattensee or ; da, Vadehavet; fy, Waadsee, longname=yes; frr, di Heef) is an intertidal zone in the southeastern part of the North Sea. It lies between the coast of northwestern conti ...

, a belt of the North Sea, is well suited to this traditional practice. Belts of this shallow sea lie off the mainland of the Netherlands, between Friesland and the Frisian Islands; off the coast of northwestern Germany; and off the coast of southwest Jutland in Denmark. In the Netherlands, mudflat hikers can walk from the mainland to

Terschelling Terschelling (; fry, Skylge; Terschelling dialect: ''Schylge'') is a municipality and an island in the northern Netherlands, one of the West Frisian Islands. It is situated between the islands of Vlieland and Ameland. Wadden Islanders are k ...

, Ameland, Engelsmanplaat,

Schiermonnikoog Schiermonnikoog (; fry, ) is an island, a municipality and national park in the Northern Netherlands. Schiermonnikoog is one of the West Frisian Islands, and is part of the province of Friesland. It is situated between the islands of Ameland a ...

, Simonszand, and

Rottumeroog Rottumeroog () is an Desert island, uninhabited island in the Wadden Sea and is part of the Netherlands. The island is one of three West Frisian Islands in the province of Groningen (province), Groningen. It is situated between the islands of Rott ...

. Other mudflat hiking routes are known but are not recommended, either because of their inherent dangers (the correct path is difficult to follow and/or there are insufficient margins of error in timing the trip) or for the minimization of ecological disturbance, or both. In Germany, mudflat hikers can walk to the East Frisian Islands of Norderney,

Baltrum Baltrum ( nds, Baltrum) is a barrier island off the coast of East Frisia (), in Germany, and is a municipality in the district of Aurich, Lower Saxony. It is located in-between the chain of the seven inhabited East Frisian Islands. Baltrum is th ...

Langeoog Langeoog ( nds, Langeoog) is one of the seven inhabited East Frisian Islands at the edge of the Lower Saxon Wadden Sea in the southern North Sea, located between Baltrum Island (west), and Spiekeroog (east). It is also a municipality in the distric ...

Spiekeroog Spiekeroog is one of the East Frisian Islands, off the North Sea coast of Germany. It is situated between Langeoog to its west, and Wangerooge to its east. The island belongs to the district of Wittmund, in Lower Saxony in Germany. The only vi ...

, Minsener-Oldoog and Neuwerk. The North Frisian Halligen

Süderoog Süderoog (; da, Sønderog; North Frisian: ''Saruug'' or ''Saaruuch'') is one of the ''Halligen'', a group of islands in the North Frisian Wadden Sea, off the west coast of Schleswig-Holstein in north Germany. It belongs administratively to the pa ...

Südfall Südfall ( da, Sydfald) is a small island in the Wadden Sea off the west coast of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, one of the ten German ''Hallig'' islands. It has a permanent population of two people. It covers an area of and is administratively pa ...

, Oland, Langeneß, Gröde, and Nordstrandischmoor as well as the island Föhr can also be reached from the mainland. There is also a connection between the islands Amrum and Föhr. For this specific route, a guide is mandatory. In Denmark, mudflat hikers can walk to Mandø, Fanø, and Langli. The same activity is occasionally practiced in England, most commonly making use of abandoned sub-tidal carriage roads once used by horse-drawn traffic. The best-known example is the crossing of Morecambe Bay, where guided walks along the 11km route are led by the current holder of the ancient office of

King's Guide to the Sands The King's Guide to the Sands, or, during the reign of a female monarch, Queen's Guide to the Sands, is the royally appointed guide to Cross Bay Walk, crossing the sands of Morecambe Bay, an ancient and potentially dangerous tidal crossing in n ...

. Another is

The Broomway The Broomway, also formerly called the "Broom Road", is a public right of way over the foreshore at Maplin Sands off the coast of Essex, England. Most of the route is classed as a byway open to all traffic, with a shorter section of bridleway. ...

in Essex. Both routes pose severe potential dangers and walkers are usually led by experienced guides. In France, it is possible to hike across Mont-Saint-Michel Bay in Normandy. As elsewhere, it is strongly recommended to do so accompanied by an official guide.

Regulation

In Dutch waters, mudflat hiking is only allowed with an appropriate license or under the supervision of a licensed guide, and only on recognized routes. In the Netherlands, Dijkstra's Wadlooptochten

Pieterburen Pieterburen is a village in the northeastern Netherlands, located in the municipality of Het Hogeland, Groningen. History Around 1300, a dike was built north of the present village. During the 14th century, a settlement appeared on a mudflat ...

, Wadloopcentrum Fryslân in Holwerd, Wadloopcentrum Pieterburen

, Stichting Uithuizerwad Uithuizen, Wadloopvereniging Arenicola

Groningen Groningen (; gos, Grunn or ) is the capital city and main municipality of Groningen province in the Netherlands. The ''capital of the north'', Groningen is the largest place as well as the economic and cultural centre of the northern part of t ...

, Wadgidsengroep Noord Nederland, and the Fryske Waedrinners are organisations for the training of mudflat hiking guides and the preservation of the sport. Though the tides change in very regular cycles, anyone can easily misjudge the situation and find themselves quickly surrounded by the rising water on all sides, far away from the beaches. A guide should be hired to prevent any mishaps.

References

{{commons category, Mudflat hiking Frisian Islands Hiking Dutch culture German culture Danish culture