Loosdrecht Webcam – Harbor on the Loosdrechtse Plassen

The Loosdrecht Webcam looks across the harbor of WSV Het Witte Huis, a watersport club on the Nieuw-Loosdrechtsedijk, toward the open water of the Loosdrechtse Plassen in the Netherlands. A wide lens takes in the club’s paved slipway and blue boat crane in the foreground, a sheltered basin that mirrors the masts, and pontoons where small sailing dinghies lie under blue covers. Keelboats fill the jetties further out, and past them the lake runs to a low, wooded shore. A floating terrace with tables and chairs sits on the right, beside the glass front of the club building. In summer the pontoons are full of masts, and in winter the hardstanding can fill with hulls under covers, lifted out by that same crane.

About Loosdrecht and the Loosdrechtse Plassen

Loosdrecht is made up of two villages. Nieuw-Loosdrecht covers a small, densely built strip along the dike road where this club has its harbor, and Oud-Loosdrecht is mostly villas by the water. Loosdrecht was a municipality of its own in the province of Utrecht until 2002, when it became part of Wijdemeren in North Holland. The club, at Nieuw-Loosdrechtsedijk 242A, is about 7 kilometers (4.5 miles) west-southwest of Hilversum and 11 kilometers (6.8 miles) north of central Utrecht. Its members sail Finns and Pampus-class boats, row, and paddle pedal canoes from the same harbor.

The lakes were made by people, though not on purpose. Peat was cut here for turf fuel from the 16th century, and in the 17th and 18th centuries a dredging tool called the baggerbeugel let diggers lift peat from below the water table. That left flooded trenches between narrow strips of uncut ground, the legakkers. Not every digger kept to the rules, storm waves wore many strips away, and the trenches slowly joined into open lakes. The main chain is simply numbered, Eerste Plas to Vijfde Plas, and the system also takes in the Vuntus, the Breukeleveense Plas (or Stille Plas) just south of this harbor, and the Loenderveense Plas, which supplies drinking water and is closed to recreation.

Between 1959 and 1977 artificial islands such as Robinson Crusoe, Markus Pos, Geitekaai and Meent were built for water sports and to break the waves on exposed shores. The lakes are the core of the Oostelijke Vechtplassen Natura 2000 area, and much of the land belongs to Natuurmonumenten. The water stayed clear until the 1960s, when farm nutrients and decaying peat began building the soft sludge that keeps it murky today.

Weather and Climate in Loosdrecht

Loosdrecht has a mild, damp climate with no dry season. Open-Meteo’s reanalysis for 2015 to 2024 puts January highs at about 6.5 C (44 F) and nights around 2 C (36 F), and the national weather service KNMI gives a January mean of 3.6 C (38 F) at its De Bilt station beside Utrecht, with only about 67 hours of sunshine in the month. Flat gray light is common on the Loosdrecht Webcam in midwinter. In a hard winter the lakes can freeze thick enough for the Ronde van Loosdrecht, a natural-ice skating race held only in some years. Spring warms slowly, with April highs near 13 C (56 F) and May near 18 C (64 F).

Summer is warm rather than hot. July and August highs average about 22 C (72 F), with nights around 14 to 15 C (57 to 59 F), and KNMI’s July mean at De Bilt is 18.2 C (65 F) with roughly 214 hours of sunshine. Rain falls in every season, about 71 millimeters (2.8 inches) in January and 85 millimeters (3.4 inches) in July at De Bilt. Autumn cools steadily, from highs of 19 C (67 F) in September to 15 C (59 F) in October and 10 C (50 F) in November, and October is the wettest month in the reanalysis.

Things to Do Near Loosdrecht

Kasteel-Museum Sypesteyn is the main sight on land. French troops destroyed the original castle in 1673, and Henri van Sypesteyn (1857 to 1937) rebuilt it in stages between 1912 and 1927 on what he believed were the old foundations, as a museum for his family’s portraits and collection. Its rooms hold 18th-century Loosdrecht porcelain, and the garden, laid out on an island, has a pergola, a box parterre, pleached limes and an orchard.

Walkers can follow the European long-distance path E11, known locally as the Marskramerpad, along the southern side of the lakes. The southern Kievitsbuurten keep a well-preserved maze of legakkers and are closed to motorboats. Every year since 1995 the Watersportdag Loosdrecht has brought more than 60 local businesses and organizations together for a day that draws thousands of visitors to the lakes.

Similar Webcams You Might Like

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Frequently Asked Questions

What can you see on the Loosdrecht Webcam?

The harbor of WSV Het Witte Huis: the slipway and blue boat crane up front, a calm basin, pontoons of dinghies and keelboats, a floating terrace on the right, and the open lake beyond. A caption in the bottom left corner shows the club’s name with the day, date and local time, so it is easy to tell the picture is current.

Which harbor in Loosdrecht does the webcam show?

The club harbor of WSV Het Witte Huis at Nieuw-Loosdrechtsedijk 242A, the camera the club links from its own website. It is not the KWVL club’s camera, and it does not show the big cluster of marinas on the north side of the Eerste Plas at Oud-Loosdrecht.

Where is Loosdrecht located?

Loosdrecht is in the municipality of Wijdemeren in North Holland. This harbor is about 7 kilometers (4.5 miles) west-southwest of Hilversum and 11 kilometers (6.8 miles) north of central Utrecht.

Does the webcam show a beach or swimming spot?

No. The camera faces a working club harbor, and there is no beach in the frame. On the Loosdrechtse Plassen, the Vijfde Plas is the lake set aside for swimmers and surfers, with no fast boating allowed.

Can you go boating on the Loosdrechtse Plassen?

Yes. Motorboats are allowed on all of the lakes except the Loenderveense Plas, which is closed to recreation. The southern Kievitsbuurten and parts of the Vuntus are off limits to motorboats, and the Vijfde Plas has no fast boating.

What is the weather like at the Loosdrechtse Plassen?

Mild and changeable. Winter highs run about 6 to 8 C (43 to 46 F) and summer highs about 22 C (72 F), with rain in every month.

Is the Loosdrecht Webcam live at night?

Yes, the stream runs around the clock, and the current YouTube broadcast began in April 2019. After dark the picture depends on the harbor lights: a January frame taken at 5:50 pm showed only fading dusk and a line of lamps along the far shore.

Source: NetcamViewer Live Webcams and WSV Het Witte Huis