Castricum aan Zee beach, Netherlands Live Cam

Towels, windbreaks and parasols cover the sand at Castricum aan Zee from one edge of this view to the other. The North Sea runs flat and grey along the top of the frame.

The Dutch coast here is one continuous beach with no bays to break it, so on a hot day people spread out along the waterline for kilometres. This camera belongs to a watersports school and pans slowly across the shore.

Behind the dunes lies a nature reserve grazed by Highland cattle, with roe deer in the scrub and paths through it. The dunes also filter drinking water for the province, which is why building on them is forbidden.