Picking oysters in Zeeland: these are the places you should go!
Oops, oysters on the menu... Delicious of course, but with some bubbly you'll have spent a few euros in most restaurants before you know it. But what if it could also be done for free? R in the month? Pick oysters!
To do this, we take you to beautiful Zeeland, where many fish, shellfish and crustaceans are caught and farmed. Due to the long coastline and many beaches on the North Sea and the Oosterschelde, there are countless places where you can freely pick oysters. Grab your wellies, bring your bucket and of course don't forget your knife and gloves. We have the best (free) spots listed for you picking oysters in Zeeland
first things first, because there are a number of rules that you must adhere to while picking:
- You are allowed to pick ten kilos per person for your own use, so you are not allowed to sell the oysters.
- While picking, do not stir, scoop or scrape the bottom.
- You are not allowed to go onto the mudflat (that is the area that becomes dry at low tide), not even to walk to the oyster beds.
- Avoid plants or seaweed while collecting so that they are not damaged
- Part of the beach cordoned off? Of course, no collecting oysters here either.
Are you sure where you can pick? Check the wild picking guide, here are all the places where you can pick game.
Originally it is a fishing village Yerseke also called the capital of oysters, an ideal destination for oyster picking enthusiasts. Yerseke is located directly on the Oosterschelde, where you can walk straight onto the beach and have oysters at your feet.
Want to see how the professionals do it? Then visit Oystery Yerseke. Here you can take a tour of the historic oyster pits, visit the experimental garden, follow an oyster workshop and sit down for a tasty lunch with, of course, crustaceans and shellfish.
Still time left? Visit it Oosterschelde Museum, where you will learn everything about the development of mussel and oyster culture
Another great tip is Wilhelminadorp, located in the municipality of Goes, with approximately 745 inhabitants. From Wilhelminadorp you walk along the Westhavendijk or the Oosthavendijk to arrive at the Goese Sas, which is also located on the Oosterschelde. You have to go into the water a bit before picking (so you need wellies for that). With a bit of luck you will also come across Porpoises: just pick and spot.
Finished picking and still not filled up enough by the oysters? We know where to go. Hotel Katoen can be found in the former city archives of Goes. Here you can enjoy a delicious lunch and if you haven't had enough of beautiful Zeeland, you can also spend the night here.
More Zeeland tips? We got you, you must have this list.
Then we come to the last picking spot on the Oosterschelde, namely The Oesterdam. The name says it all: the Oesterdam breathes oysters and is therefore certainly one of the best places to pick oysters in Zeeland. It is a dam in the Oosterschelde, which runs between Tholen and Zuid-Beveland. Just like the many other long beaches in Zeeland, the Oesterdam is also a long beach. Please check when the lowest water level is before you go, You can pick the oysters from two hours before to two hours after low tide.
For the last picking spot we leave from the Oosterschelde to the Western Scheldt, namely Scheldeoord.
While you put together your own meal, you can also enjoy nature here in peace. Oh yes, and before we forget to say: you can't smell a good oyster! So you open it and smell a sulfuric odor? Then you might as well skip it. On to the next one and start slurping. Add a glass of bubbly for yourself, you don't get to pick your own oysters every day, make it a party.
