With the rise of the ‘staycation’ this summer, De Heide in Heerenveen has had a makeover
Translated by Thomas Ansell
The Gemeente Heerenveen expects that the Heidemeer lake and its accompanying sandy beach will be extremely busy this summer, as the ongoing Coronavirus outbreak makes overseas holidays more and more difficult.
The Heidemeer sits in the middle of a recreational area called ‘De Heide’, and is located just to the south-west of Heerenveen, in the southern portion of Friesland. “The area has a large beach, and the lake also has grasslands that are lovely to lie on”, writes wethouder Hans Broekhuizen. As reported by the Omrop Fryslân. “Lots of people will stay home, but lots of young people want to go out, and this is the idea place. But we have to make sure that its facilitated properly”, added Broekhuizen.
From July 1, groups of up to 8 may visit the beachside area again, as long as they keep up a 1.5-metre distance. Broekhuizen: “we’re working on, along with our network of young people, getting a number of people stationed that can give direction and advice where needed.” The young peoples network in Heerenveen is called Casa; “and we’ve re-named it the ‘Casa a la Playa’. It’s somewhere that we can control access, give information, and make sure that there’s places for rubbish and toilets/showers. We’re putting more of those in too.”
Space will also be made for three food-trucks. Broekhuizen: “that’s another way that we can make everything a bit nicer. Previously there was just a kiosk.” The Gemeente has decided that the trucks will be rotated on a 2-week basis. All the extra facilities will be available til 1 September.
