Schoorl is a village in the Dutch province of North Holland. It is a part of the municipality of Bergen, and lies about 8 km northwest of Alkmaar. Until 2001, Schoorl was also a municipality of its own. Schoorl is a village in between the polder area of North Holland and the Kennemer dunes. The village is about 8 km (5mls) long and never wider than 2 km (1mls). The village is heavily protected by the highest and widest dunes of the Netherlands, which reach about 54 m (164 ft) above sealevel right behind the center of Schoorl, and are more than 5 km (3mls) wide.