Oosterschelde National Park

The Oosterschelde is the largest national park in the Netherlands and almost all of it is water, the tidal estuary of the Eastern Scheldt, declared a park in 2002 and ringed by Schouwen-Duiveland, Tholen and the two Bevelands, with the Zeeland Bridge striding across it. Its shoals feed enormous numbers of birds and give seals somewhere to rest. Since the storm surge barrier closed in 1986 the tidal range has narrowed and the sandbanks no longer replenish naturally, so Rijkswaterstaat now replaces the sand by hand. The variety of sea life makes it the best-known dive site in the country, alongside sailing and birdwatching.