In an age of relentless pace, the quest for a slower, more mindful travel experience is leading many to the serene landscapes of the Netherlands. One such destination, De Alde Feanen National Park in Friesland, offers the perfect antidote to modern life, especially during the quiet winter months.
A Landscape Forged by History
A short 20-minute drive south-east of Leeuwarden lies the 4,000-hectare wetland expanse of De Alde Feanen, or 'The Old Fens'. This unique landscape is a legacy of medieval peat-cutting, now transformed into a richly biodiverse haven of lakes, ponds, and canals. Awash with reeds and rushes, the park is a sanctuary for over 100 bird species, alongside otters, pine martens, and roe deer.
While spring and summer draw crowds of visitors, the park undergoes a profound transformation after the peak season. The waterways, once bustling with kayakers and boat trippers, fall quiet. Museums shutter their doors, and the familiar sight of nesting storks vanishes as they begin their migration south. This natural winding down creates an atmosphere of profound peace, making it an ideal location for a restorative winter break.
A Cosy Cabin and Embracing the Cold
Seeking a place simply 'to be', one traveller and her son found their perfect base at a cosy upcycled cabin named De Ooievaar ('the Stork'). Owned by Jurjen Veldboom, the cabin features a galley kitchen and wooden sleeping platforms, creating a snug, boat-like atmosphere. Its pièce de résistance is a large picture window, offering a front-row seat to the wintery landscape, where deer can be seen bouncing through the alder trees.
The local philosophy of 'opfriezen'—a playful term meaning to embrace the cold in Friesland—was put to the test. An evening session in the site's sauna, followed by stepping out into a dark night illuminated by a gibbous moon and countless stars, proved to be a deeply uplifting experience, turning the cabin into a vision of a twinkling gingerbread house.
Cycling and Mindfulness in a Winter Wonderland
To explore the vast park, the pair hired e-bikes from Hollema in the gateway village of Earnewâld for €25 per person per day. Their gentle 50km route looped through the eastern corner of the park and out to the forests around Beetsterzwaag. Cycling along flat, empty paths crunched underfoot with seashells was a meditative experience, with vast skies overhead and the whimsical sight of cows being transported on a ferry.
A key development in the park is the recent launch of a mindfulness walking trail. As explained by project coordinator Jannie Slot, the 5km route is designed to help visitors disconnect from screens and reconnect with their surroundings. Although currently available only in Dutch or German, the trail encourages walkers to listen to the wind through the reeds, practice gentle yoga poses inspired by nature, and observe the landscape more deeply. At dawn, the path reveals an ethereal bronze glow on the water, a truly magical sight.
From the top of an observation tower, the soul of the national park is laid bare—a sprawling tapestry of golden brown reeds under vast, starry skies. It is a place that teaches a vital lesson in slowing down, a sentiment echoed by the park's own frogbit plant, which retracts below the water in winter, waiting patiently to re-emerge in the spring sunlight.
