Wijdenes is a village in the Dutch province of North Holland. It is located in the municipality of Drechterland and the region of West-Frisia. The village was first mentioned around 1312 as Widenesse, and means "wide headland". Wijdenes started as a peat excavation settlement in the 12th century. In 1282, a castle was built near the village by the count of Holland, but it was destroyed in 1296 by armies of West-Frisia.