Spelleplekke

You walk through a relic of low medieval dunes that were grazed for centuries by cattle of farmers and fishermen.

The area to our left is called the Spelleplekke and is located on the former village of Nieuwe Yde, which has now completely disappeared. Yde is related to the English word 'to hide' and owes its name to the fact that the boats could be 'hidden' from storms and bad weather. This toponym can be found from northern France to Zeeland, for example in the names Lombardsijde and Raversijde.

The New Yde was located on the edge of a wide sea inlet, the Vloedgat. The village, which was first mentioned in 1277, experienced its greatest prosperity at the beginning of the fourteenth century. Then the Flood Hole began to silt up. The construction of the Groenendijk accelerated that process and sealed the fate of the village. The last remnants were buried in the sixteenth century by advancing drifting dunes. Archaeological finds at the beginning of the last century, especially masses of spelden ('spelle' in the dialect), provided the naming of that place ('plekke').

The National Fisheries Museum exhibits an interesting selection of the finds at the Spelleplekke, including fish hooks, coins, pottery and of course the pins!
In this special grassland we find yellow rockrose, a typical plant of old dry and calcareous dune grasslands.

Agentschap voor Natuur en Bos