The Hoge Berg

De Hoge Berg is a beautiful walking and cycling area located between Den Burg and Oudeschild. Here you will discover the Old Land of Texel, with sheep pens, tuunwallen, farms and lots of sheep and lambs.

Origin

The Hoge Berg is an Ice Age boulder clay outcrop that lies 15.3 metres above sea level. During the Ice Age, glaciers from the north brought with them a solid mixture of boulders, gravel and loam, which was pushed up by the ice. This area is called the Old Land of Texel.

Tuunwallen and sheep pens

The Hoge Berg landscape is characterised by (old) farms, sheep pens, tuun walls, gullies and lots of sheep. The various plots of land are outlined by tuunwallen: 'walls' of piled up sod. This method was used because there was no point digging ditches in this sloping area and wood for fences was scarce on the island. In many pastures, you can still see a sheep pen: a small, asymmetrical agricultural shed. These sheds served as storage for hay and other feed for the island's sheep. Almost all of them face southwest, the prevailing wind direction, and provide shelter for the many sheep in the meadows. The Hoge Berg area has been declared a landscape reserve to preserve this beautiful cultural-historical landscape, found nowhere else. In 2019, the area was declared an Icon Landscape of the Netherlands.

Lambs

In the Netherlands, the Texel sheep breed is called 'Texelaar', abroad it is called Texelsheep of Texel. You can find them all over the world. A Texelaar has a characteristic head and is a medium-sized, well-built sheep with wool characterised as fine and well-stacked. Some 14,000 sheep live on the island, with thousands of lambs added in spring. Many of them live on the Hoge Berg.

Nature

The Hoge Berg is a landscape reserve with many meadows and historical sites. Technically, it may not be a nature reserve, but nature flourishes there in abundance. Insect reserve De Zandkuil is an area of about one hectare, set aside for dozens of special insect species that nest there. More than 50 species of digger bees, parasitic wasps and other insects live there. Many special butterflies also live there, such as the lesser firefly. The garden walls in the area are also of great ecological value, due to characteristic plant growth. Flowers such as grassbells, oak ferns, English grass, mouse-ears and sandbells grow there. They give the garden walls beautiful colours and attract insects. This rich insect presence, among other things, makes the Hoge Berg an ideal nesting place for meadow birds. Farmers consider breeding birds in the fields as much as possible. You will see (and hear) plenty of lapwings, oystercatchers and godwits.

Het Bossie

The highest mountain on the Hoge Berg is 'Het Bossie'. A small forest also known as Doolhof and adjacent to De Zandkuil. In spring, many snowdrops, crocuses and wood hyacinths bloom here. From the highest point, on top of the 'seven pancakes', you have lines of sight towards, among others, Texel's roadstead.

QR codes

To enrich the visitor experience on the Hoge Berg, an innovative project has been launched: QR codes have been placed along the walking routes. You will find them on the wooden signs with field names, on the fences along the plots in the landscape. You can scan these codes with a smartphone, after which you get instant access to information about the specific point where you are standing.

Walking route

Do you want to go hiking through this beautiful area? Then download the free walking route The High Mountain.

Activities

Various activities are organised in the High Mountain area. You can join a walking excursion De Hoge Berg Struun, view the landscape from a covered wagon on a Huifkartocht by Puur Texel, or learn all about the Texel sheep on the Hoge Berg during the family excursion Op pad met de schapenboer. On the edge of the area, you can cuddle lambs at Schapenboerderij Texel.

More nature reserves on Texel