Walsoorden lies right on the Western Scheldt. For a stay focused on the riverside landscape, passing ships and coastal history, there are several specific points of interest: an open-air grandstand with views, a shipfinder on the landing stage and structures with different historical connections. This lets you choose whether to focus on nature, ship watching or cultural history.

The Western Scheldt and the riverbank

The Plaat van Walsoorden is in the vicinity of Walsoorden, in the middle of the Western Scheldt, and is part of the Westerschelde en Saefthinghe Natura 2000 area. This extends the view beyond the town to include a specifically named landscape. Its proximity adds a natural setting connected to the Western Scheldt itself to Walsoorden’s riverside location. If you see the landscape and waterside structures as different aspects of a stay, the Plaat is a distinct nearby point of interest.

Completed in December 2024, the Westerschelde grandstand can be used as an open-air stage. Its elevated seating offers views of the beach and the Veerstoep. A shipfinder on the landing stage shows which ships are passing by. The grandstand directs your attention to two named spots on the shore; the shipfinder adds information about passing ship traffic. This gives you a clear choice between views of the beach and the Veerstoep and an interest in ships on the Western Scheldt.

In summer, people often swim or bathe in the shallow water at the old landing stage of the former ferry route between Walsoorden and Hansweert. This activity is seasonal, and tidal conditions also apply. If you want to include swimming in your stay, take both into account and check local conditions before your visit.

Structures and coastal history

Beaufortsluis is a listed national monument (Rijksmonument) in Walsoorden and also a hydraulic structure serving as a weir and culvert. It therefore combines a specific heritage designation with a technical classification. The structure offers a point of interest in the town’s cultural history alongside the open riverside landscape: it draws attention to water engineering and its different forms.

In Perkpolder, the remaining Scharrendam is another example of coastal engineering. Built in 1841, the groyne was originally one kilometre long; the surviving section measures 500 metres. Its current length is therefore exactly half its original length. Unlike Beaufortsluis, which is described as a weir and culvert, the Scharrendam can also be understood through this comparison of lengths. The two structures thus offer different points of emphasis: the technical type of the hydraulic structure in one case, and the length of the surviving section of groyne in the other.

The heart of Walsbay is an old madder barn dating from 1778. This is 63 years before the Scharrendam was built in 1841. The comparison places two specific structures in chronological relation without obscuring their differences in form: the madder barn is at the centre of Walsbay, while the Scharrendam is described as the remaining section of a groyne. Coastal history thus offers both a dated point of reference in Walsbay and a clear comparison of lengths in Perkpolder.

Transport history also has a specific connection here: Perkpolder harbour was formerly used as a landing stage for the ferry to the opposite shore. This adds a historical function to the story of ship traffic. The harbour recalls the former ferry landing; the shipfinder on the landing stage in Walsoorden shows which ships are passing by. This lets you distinguish the former use of the water as a transport route from today’s ship watching as two separate topics.

Discover more destinations

Discover more destinations: Hengstdijk, Lamswaarde, Heikant, Hulst, Kloosterzande, Terhole, Graauw, Vogelwaarde

For the main travel overview: Hulst.