People on warm and windy in inland dunes on a summer day in park ‘Loonse en Drunense Duinen’ in the Netherlands.
About the picture
This photo shows a special place in the Netherlands called the Loonse en Drunense Duinen. It’s where forest and sandy ground come together. The ground is light and loose, and you can see some tree roots sticking out—proof that the sand is always shifting. A few trees, mostly with green leaves and some pine trees, stand strong in the wind. Their shadows stretch across the sand under a bright blue sky, showing that the sun is high and the weather is warm. The mix of soft sand and green trees creates a strange but beautiful scene, typical of this rare inland dune area.
About the history of the Loonse and Drunense Dunes
The Loonse en Drunense Duinen in the Netherlands have a remarkable history shaped by wind, sand, and human activity. Around 10,000 years ago, during the last Ice Age, cold polar winds blew vast amounts of sand into the region of Brabant, forming thick layers across the landscape.
Over time, ancient forests grew over the sandy plains. But from the 14th century onward, people began cutting down trees for firewood and agriculture. As the forests disappeared, the sand was no longer held in place and began to drift freely. This led to large areas of shifting sand—what was once seen as an environmental crisis is now a rare and protected landscape.
One of the most striking features of this area is that many trees are only partially visible. Due to centuries of sand movement, the lower parts of the trees—including their trunks and roots—have been completely buried. Only the tops of the trees remain above the surface, like green islands rising from a sea of sand. These trees have adapted to survive in this unusual environment, and their hidden forms tell a silent story of resilience.
In later centuries, efforts were made to stabilize the dunes by replanting trees and managing grazing. Today, the area is protected by Natuurmonumenten and is part of the Van Gogh National Park. It’s a designated Natura 2000 site and is often called the “Brabant Sahara” for its vast, desert-like appearance.
More recordings here today / More in this erea
Date/time: September 7 2025, 3:43 pm
Weather: 27c, sun, wind ESE 26-45 km/h, 1012 hPa, humidity 38%, visibility 45 km, dew point 13c, sun intensity 632 W/m2, Clouds 12 km high.
Location; sand drift Loonse en Drunense Duinen, van Gogh Nationaal Park, Drunen, Noord-Brabant, Netherlands (Holland), Europe. GPS 51.65050 5.15706
Gear chain: Sennheiser mkh30/50 MS with pointed South, in Rycote cyclone small, windjammer > Sound Devices 302 >Tascam dr-100 Mk2. Noise floor 37.9 dBA (whistling leaves), Decoded Mid-side to STEREO. Post edit; Blimp EQ correction, 80 Hz low-cut 12 dB/oct.
Original MS-track 96/24 available for motivated pro's and artists.
If any of these sounds have been of help, and you are feeling charitable, please do consider donating to Freesound to help keep the site running (a link is also on the home page). Any donations are greatly appreciated!
YOU ALWAYS HAVE TO CREDIT/ATTRIBUTE me (klankbeeld) and freesound.org in your work if you use this sound.
Please do it like this if possible: https://freesound.org/people/klankbeeld/
This sound may NOT be used in (royalty free) stock material. Don't put my raw sounds/files on youtube or anywhere else. You can use them in creative way as a part of art-form, but not "re-distribute" as (royalty free) stock material.
Thank you.
To hear, you first have to listen
Type
Flac (.flac)
Duration
0:00.000
File size
37.1 MB
Sample rate
0.0 Hz
Bitrate
0 kbps
Channels
0
Comments
