Paelstone pan

At the foot of the impressive Spanjaardduin lies 'Paelsteenpanne'. A damp dune valley with a unique mix of rare plants and animals. Here you find yourself in an oasis of peace, far away from the inhabited world. High dunes shield the area, allowing nature to thrive freely.

In winter, the valley is completely underwater. Read: feast your eyes on richly covered slopes full of water plantain and golden samphire. Even the reed orchid, a rare orchid, thrives here. And in the surrounding sea dune, sea bindweed grows. Small pink flowers that boldly claim their spot among the many marram grasses.

What else can you spot? Colorful dune violets and wall pepper. A spicy yellow flower that likes to settle on slopes. Gorse thrives here as well. The many mosses provide a fairy tale-like backdrop.

In addition to rare coastal plants, you will also encounter a host of little creatures here. Do you hear a grasshopper chirping? You might confuse it with a grasshopper warbler. A protected songbird that hides in the dune scrub to breed. Other winged friends also like to take a break here: the long-eared owl, willow warbler, blackcap, nightingale, bullfinch, and redstart.

Butterflies also feel at home here: from the Icarus blue, brown blue, black and yellow skipper to the lesser-known heath butterfly and small pearl-bordered fritillary. They all flutter around here.

Natuurpunt Middenkust manages the area. Their task mainly consists of controlling invasive species and mowing grassland. In this way, they lend a hand to nature and allow rare species to develop.

Toerisme Bredene