Mudflat Hiking

Thursday, January 18, 2018

A new recreational activity –Mudflat hiking is turning out to be one of the favourite among the residents of Netherland and Germany.

The participants or the mudflat hikers walk or wade on the watershed of mudflats or sandbars when there is a low tide in the sea. A tide table is being used to facilitate the success of the hike.

Wadden Sea is one of the last remaining natural large-scale inter-tidal ecosystems, rich in biodiversity with more 10,000 species of plants and animals dwelling in the region with microscopic organism, birds and fishes.

It usually remains underwater in the southeastern edge of the North Sea along the coast from Denmark through Netherlands acting as a shallow belt of mudflats.

The Wadden Sea is ideal for this practice, although other routes exists but are not preferred due to inherent dangers or for  minimization of the ecological disturbance.

Mudflat hiker in Netherland can also walk from the mainland to Terschelling, Ameland, Engelsmanplaat, Simonszand and Rottumeroog.

Mudflat hiking is mostly preferred barefoot and is now growing popular because of the good feeling it offers. One can feel the smooth texture of the mud along with picking up organism like prawns, starfishes, and crabs left by the moving tides. Some mudflat hikers are excited by seeing the organism.

Commonly practiced in Denmark, the Netherlands and Germany by a large number of people where the coastline is made up of mudflats and a number of islands. Whenever the tide becomes low the coastline favourable grounds for mudflat hiking.  Twice a day the tide becomes low around 15 km of the shore is left bare and muddy for the activity.

However, there are certain limitations to mudflat hiking, some approve it as fun while others find it difficult as they get stuck in water channels, slide or fall.

Sinking the feet 30 cm in the clay makes the act tiresome, leading to cramps in the leg muscles.

For some the activity has also turned out to be life threatening if the level of tide is not determined beforehand.

It is also seen that sometimes the hikers get caught up between water due to the rise and fall of the tides.It is always preferred to be accompanied by a guide so that the hiker is not exposed to any kind of danger.

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