The Loonse and Drunense Duinen National Park is one of the largest drifting sand areas in Western Europe. The wind can blow undisturbed in many places in this desert area, creating an ever-changing landscape of heathland, forests and, above all, a lot of sand. The dunes were formed some 10.000 years ago. Until the fourteenth century, trees were cut down by people who used the wood as fuel. The barren plain became covered with heathland, where farmers let their livestock graze. This intensive grazing and the stripping of the soil depleted it, giving the sand free rein. For a long time, the sand was a major problem for the inhabitants. Villages and fields were at risk of being buried. The s...