ARNHEM & GELDERLAND 

The highlight of the visit to the Arnhem area was the Netherlands Open Air Museum at  Bocholt. It was set up in 1912 and has houses and farms from all over the country. You can feed the fish from a double draw bridge that once was on the Amstel before wandering down a village street to visit an almost comically crooked fisherman’s cottage.

We learned about the workings of different windmills and hopped aboard the old  tram that ran round the recreation of ancient farms.  

At Didam near Arnhem I saw the sign ‘Schotse Golfba’  -   ‘Scottish Golf ‘ and  thought we had found something of 'home, away from home.'  It wasn’t quite that,  but it was a ‘hoot.’  Imagine squeezing a golf course into a football pitch and making one of the bunkers a sand based volley ball court.  Have nine holes with each hole being played at the same time  well this was the scene that greeted us. It was like living cartoon , balls were flying in all directions and the only safe shelter seemed to be in the lee of a little wooden hut to which the barman from the nearby hotel cycled carrying glasses of beer in one hand while steering with the other. 

Half a dozen Dutchmen  hacked away round two small bushes, the only place you could possibly loose a ball within quarter of a mile.  It would have taken considerable skill to get one there if they had been aiming. Every one was very merry.

A lady laughed as she tottered by and ducked to avoid her friends shot. She recognised our accent and between giggles called  “It would be easier without my high heels.”

They were certainly not dressed for the game as we know it. This was an impromptu event, part on an evening out.

There is something about the Dutch that I warm to and like very much.  

We were in an area Northwest of Nijmegen called Gelderland where there were lots of trees, and gently undulating fields. Our holiday village bordered the vast Monterland Nature Reserve whose 5000 acres were criss-crossed with rambling paths and trails. 

We explored little towns where everything was ‘spic and span’ some even had a token windmill for decoration.  (You can see them all turning if you time your visit for National Windmill Day.)  

We went through a village where a waitress from a hotel crossed the road to bringing coffees to folk sitting under the chestnut trees. It all seemed very relaxed and healthy. It was a sunny Sunday morning and everyone seemed to be out for a run on their bike and there were cycle paths alongside even the smallest of roads.  

We eventually found Bronkhorst, which is one of the smallest of the villages in the Netherlands and dates back a thousand years. There were some buildings with beams in the outer walls. 

It survives, and prospers now as an artist’s colony.  It's a place where you can buy home made cheese or paintings, visit a windmill, a dairy farm and surprisingly a Dickens Museum. 
The latter, which is full of  Dickens memorabilia is presided over by 
Sjef de Jong, a tall bearded fellow dressed in black. He appears in the character of Scrooge and adds much to the atmosphere of he place. He is the current secretary of an international Pickwick Club, which was founded in 1870.  

Within a twenty five minute drive at Heerenberg there is a castle and can you have a pair of  Clogs made at Doetinchem. While north of Arnhem at Burgers Diernpark there is a Zoo with a desert bush safari plus an aquarium and, what is claimed to be,  the world’s longest underwater observation tunnel.

The area is  also close to the German border and  it is possible to drive to Oberhausen to visit 
CentreO, Europe's largest shopping complex or the nearby ‘Warner Brothers Movie World’ a cinema based thrill park. If you like to drive fast there is no speed limit on the German Autobhans,   but if, like me, you want to opt for the quiet life all you need do is  to rent a bike and explore the gentle countryside.

We stayed at the Stroomboek Bungalowpark near Didam who offered bike rental for £3 a day, £15 a week At the end of the park are four different cycle routes that you can follow  through pleasant woodlands and little villages.

Fact File

Stroomboek Bungalowpark in Hoseasons                               
brochure tel 01502 502 680  http://www.hoseasons.co.uk 

P&O  North Sea Ferries from Hull: 01482 377177  
http://www.ponsf.com

 Netherlands Board of Tourism      www.holland.com