The 20 hottest European beaches for 2010
Yes, it’s still nippy out. But don’t despair, here are Europe’s finest expanses of sand, where the sun shines and sea shimmers
20 Holland: Terschelling dunes, Frisian Islands
The Frisians are little more than a string of sand bars along the northern coast of Holland. On Terschelling, 20 miles of hourglass-fine sand and marram grass dunes offer a surprising sense of wilderness for such a densely populated country. Huge skies, low-tide mudflats and biblical sunsets will all return you to your senses, while a network of mountain-bike tracks makes getting to the remotest beaches easy, even at the height of summer, when all-night beach parties and wild camping make this island popular with Holland’s hippie youngsters.
Best for: cyclists, nudists, party freaks.
Details: ocean views abound at the Terschelling Stayokay Hostel (00 31 562 442338, www.stayokay.com/terschelling), about half a mile from town and right on the dunes, with dorm beds from £20pp. There’s a beach bar, too. Take the train to Amsterdam through Eurostar (0843 218 6186, eurostar.com), then change for Harlingen, where a regular ferry crosses to Terschelling in two hours (£32 return; www.doeksen.nl).
Yes, it’s still nippy out. But don’t despair, here are Europe’s finest expanses of sand, where the sun shines and sea shimmers
20 Holland: Terschelling dunes, Frisian Islands
The Frisians are little more than a string of sand bars along the northern coast of Holland. On Terschelling, 20 miles of hourglass-fine sand and marram grass dunes offer a surprising sense of wilderness for such a densely populated country. Huge skies, low-tide mudflats and biblical sunsets will all return you to your senses, while a network of mountain-bike tracks makes getting to the remotest beaches easy, even at the height of summer, when all-night beach parties and wild camping make this island popular with Holland’s hippie youngsters.
Best for: cyclists, nudists, party freaks.
Details: ocean views abound at the Terschelling Stayokay Hostel (00 31 562 442338, www.stayokay.com/terschelling), about half a mile from town and right on the dunes, with dorm beds from £20pp. There’s a beach bar, too. Take the train to Amsterdam through Eurostar (0843 218 6186, eurostar.com), then change for Harlingen, where a regular ferry crosses to Terschelling in two hours (£32 return; www.doeksen.nl).
