Hallum - Sint Jacobiparochie | Klooster Claercamppad pilgrimage trail: Stage 6

This stage of the trail leads across reclaimed land between the villages of Hallum and Sint Jacobiparochie. The work of reclaiming the land of the Het Bildt region went on for centuries and was eventually completed in 1754. There are no mound villages on this stretch. Just places along the way on the straight dikes that surround the polders.

The first part of the walk takes you past the site near the hamlet of Hallumerhoek where the Mariëngaarde monastery once stood. The monks who lived there worked out how to grow crops on the salt marshes of the Bildt polder behind the Vijfhuisterdijk dike so the monastery’s landholdings gradually increased. 

The young sea clay soil here turned out to be perfect for farming. Substantial farmhouses were built along the south side of the long Oudebildtdijk or ‘Old Bildt dike’ and simple working-class houses were built along the north side.

The dike was constructed by dike builders from the provinces of Zeeland and South Holland, many of whom settled in the area. So the people of Het Bildt speak a mixed dialect that you may be able to hear when you listen to them. At Zwarte Haan on the Wadden Sea dike you pass a monument to the workers who made a major contribution to the draining of the salt marshes.

You continue along the sea dike, between the sheep, to the village of Sint Jacobiparochie. This stage of the trail ends at the Groate Kerk church. This is the starting point of one of the pilgrimage routes to Santiago de Compostela. People who want to set off on the pilgrimage can spend the night at the refuge at the church.

This circular walk is part of the Klooster Claercamppad pilgrimage trail.