The mudflats, Kampen’s picturesque east

A wonderland for anyone eager for knowledge, point of attraction for the adventurous, a part of the German national park, a fascinating world of its own, a canvas for spectacular cloud paintings, a living space for much, much more wildlife than one thinks is the Watt vor Kampen.

The mother-in-law from Bavaria, who returned distraught from a walk, excitedly describing how far away the sea was, that it had completely disappeared or was simply far off, was of course invented by a Sylter. What is true though is that nowhere is the change of the tides, the endless play of ebb and flow so clearly visible as on the mudflat side of the island, below the Watt vor Kampen. For 30 years the Watt vor Sylt – a unique coastal landscape – has belonged to the national park. It dries and is flooded again in a six hour rhythm from ebb and flow. Only at the first amateurish glance do the mudflats look the same and unchanged. Actually the mudflats and its coast continuously reshape the currents. Whoever has observed the coastline and sandbanks over years will sometimes note dramatic changes. Here a piece of sandy beach or “edge” as the islanders like to call the bordering reed meadow profiles disappears, there bright shiny sand returns. Silt deposits are washed away. Narrow channels drift away, sometimes forming suddenly real, tiny islands that gleam far off in gaudy green, when they are occupied by presumptuous plants. Wildlife is what is otherwise still going on in the mudflats: exotic, mysterious, fascinating, sometimes of an archaic-strange beauty mussels, shrimps, crabs, mudflat worms, snails, fish and algae. No child can fail to be excited at the prospect of digging for mudflat worms and no child’s heart does not beat harder when grabbing a crab. For endless numbers of types of bird the mudflats are a delicious buffet provided by nature. A paradise for all ornithologists. A continuous inspiration and challenge for nature photographers. This exotic wide world is best experienced barefoot with silt squelching between your toes in summer during a guided tour of the mudflats. Or with thick wellies and an even thicker pullover, jacket and hood when it gets cold. And take heed when islanders warn against wandering off on your own. This is because only experienced guides know the safest paths through the mudflats, silt holes and narrow channels. Sea fogs suddenly springing up are also a danger.

Roaming over the mudflats: please ask for dates from the tourism service. Dates change daily as they must of course depend on the tides.