Castricum aan Zee Strand, Netherlands Live Cam

The terrace of a beach pavilion at Castricum aan Zee fills the foreground, with thatched shades standing over the tables. Beyond it the sand runs down to the North Sea.

Pavilions like this one are put up for the season and taken apart again before the winter storms; nothing permanent is allowed to stand on the beach. The webcam belongs to the pavilion and looks along its own terrace and the shoreline past it.

Dunes rise directly behind the camera, and the North Holland Dune Reserve beyond them carries walking and cycling paths for miles. Castricum station is half an hour from Amsterdam, which is why the sand fills completely on a hot day.