Bergerheide / Hamert

Heather, sand and quiet in De Maasduinen

The Bergerheide near Wellerlooi is one of the quieter spots in Nationaal Park De Maasduinen. No busy car parks, no tourist crowds. Just an open landscape of heathland, pools and drift dunes, a fifteen-minute drive from the Maas. Het Hamert is the adjoining area, and together they make up a varied terrain that has a lot to offer photographically.

When to go

August is the most striking month. The heather is in bloom and the purple colours the landscape in a way you can capture with any focal length, from wide to long. A 70-200mm lets you compress the heather and the dune edges together nicely. With a wide angle, lying on the ground, you get the flowering shrubs as a foreground with an open sky above.

September and October are just as interesting. The bloom fades, the colours shift to browns and ochres, and the morning dew sometimes lingers long above the pools. That early morning light, low and warm, catches the dune tops and draws long shadows across the sand. That is when the texture of the drift sand really becomes visible.

Light and composition

The pools are relatively sheltered, which means reflections work well when there is little wind. Early in the morning is when you are most likely to find calm conditions. Point your lens low across the water surface and look for a branch or heather shrub as an anchor point in the foreground. The light after sunrise is soft and diffuse here, filtered by the tree edges around the pool.

On the drift dunes themselves, sidelight works best, in the early morning or an hour before sunset. The ripples in the sand are then strongly defined. With a 50mm or 85mm and a low viewpoint you emphasise the depth of the landscape without too much distortion.

Practical

You park at the car park on the Hamertseweg near Wellerlooi. From there you walk into the area via well-marked paths. The terrain is managed by Staatsbosbeheer. Commercial photography requires a permit, for personal use that is not necessary. Keep to the paths during the breeding season, roughly March through July. Dogs must be kept on a lead in many parts of Het Hamert. Take your time: this is a place you only really get to know once you have been there a few times.

Sources and further reading

• Nationaal Park De Maasduinen
• Staatsbosbeheer
• Gemeente Bergen (L) – natuur en recreatie