Paal 17

You can easily reach several Texel dune areas from Paal 17 and a little further along at Ecomare. To the north, you walk straight into the Seetingsnollen, the narrow strip of dunes with tops up to 25 metres high. Behind the dunes is Het Alloo, a marshy lowland on the inner dune edge that is home to unusual plants and orchids. Heading south, it is only a short distance to the Bleekersvallei and the Ploegelanden. Curlews and gulls breed in the non-calcareous dunes behind the foredune. Staatsbosbeheer (Dutch Forestry Commission) takes good care of the open area here. The inner dunes a little inland offer mixed forests, beautiful heathland and grassy paths cutting across meadows.

• The Hoge Nol Circular Walk (orange) skirts around the foredune and the dune top that gives the route its name. In the lowlands of Het Alloo, there is a bird-watching screen at the edge of the forest where you can spy on meadow birds in the flower-filled grassland.
• The Paggapad (black) is a trail that follows the footsteps of Kees 'Pagga' Gorter, the last islander to live in a turf hut. His nickname possibly derived from 'pagan', or heath dweller. The route connects one such old heathland to the beach, via grazed grasslands and the wooded Gortersmient.
• The Alloo Nature Trail (red) leads through dunes, forest and, above all, along the banks of Het Alloo dune stream. The walk cuts across the grounds of the Maartenhuis, a residential community for people with special needs. You will find a butterfly garden and the charming De Windroos restaurant here.