The other day, it was still August, I was on my way to my favourite summer bike path: the Scheveningseweg. When I got there I was amazed that the trees already showed some signs of autumn. The colours made me smile, but I wondered if it was an early autumn on The Hague road to Scheveningen. Today, the 1st of September, on the official day of metereological fall, I found some answers.
It’s my favourite route to the beach. The Scheveningseweg starts at the Peace Palace in The Hague, passes the World Forum and International Zone and ends at the fishers village. I call it the The Hague road to Scheveningen, Constantijn Huygers, the 17th century designer of the road had an even better name. He called it Zeestraet -Sea road- . Construction of the road would have two main advantages: the fishers women didn’t have to carry their fish from the Scheveningen fishers village to the Hague city centre through the loose sand and the wealthy Hague people could easily make the trip to the beach. Historiek even calls him a city marketeer, Huygens aim was to make Scheveningen more attractive to tourists.
Now, over 17 million local, Dutch and international tourists find their way to Scheveningen. The easy access by bike or public transport ( & car) over the Scheveningseweg definitely helps. Besides, it’s an immensly beautiful road. In spring and summer the bike path is covered with a canopy of trees. Take the tram to the North Sea beach and you’ll hear the branches of the trees rattle against the vehicle.
Ok, but back to the early autumn on The Hague road to Scheveningen. Nature Today can’t pinpoint a particular reason for these early signs of autumn. The early colouring of the leaves is most probably the result of the high temperatures in March followed by a couple of frost nights at the end of April/ beginning of May. The frost might have caused damage while to the plants & trees which were at their growing climax. It was extremely dry till Mid-June and afterwards we had a wet to extreme wet summer. These differences in moisture and temperature could have played a part in an early autumn on The Hague road to Scheveningen, the Scheveningse bosjes just next to it and well, anywhere in the Netherlands.
Does autumn make you happy?
More on entertainment and tourist attractions in Scheveningen in the Hague Festival Challenge: Traditions of Flag Day
Festivals in September in The Hague in September events in The Hague
