ALLAN ROGERS HAS A
DUTCH TREAT

BOATING IN FRIESLAND.

 

There were cows everywhere. That I had expected, but what I found slightly incongruous was to see a large seagoing ship, seemingly ploughing her way through the middle of the landscape.

 

There are canals in Friesland. It is known to the Dutch as ‘the land of the lakes’ Even the new houses are provided with feeder canals and moorings.

So it seemed all very natural when we got rid of the car and tried our hand at a holiday afloat in a hire cruiser.

(At Sneek, there is a hire cruiser base operated by Crown Blue Line, you can make bookings or get a brochure by contacting Blakes Tel: 01603 739 456 - http://www.boatingholidays.com

We cast off and thought that we hadn’t a care in the world, that was until we saw a rather low bridge looming ahead.

We need not have worried, the Dutch have their priorities right, and cars give way to boats! Barriers come down and bridges are opened.

If there is a charge for the service it is collected in a wooden clog (Klompenn) that is lowered down to you on the end of a fishing line.

Navigating through the countryside, the land that seemed so flat when viewed from up on the road began to assume many more features. Windmills and church spires became visible for miles.

We tied up at Joure to go shopping and came back with unfamiliar varieties of black bread and meats and cheeses peppered with cloves and caraway seeds.

It might be the fresh air, but being on a boat makes you more aware of what is happening around you. It was interesting to look up at the different shaped gables and roofs as you passed through little towns.

There was time to wonder at a people who buy ‘ready made’ straw nests so they may invite ducks to share their balconies and yet still manage to keep their windows sparkling clean.

Throughout Friesland there seemed to be a passion for bells. The next day we slid back the window to greet the morning at the town of Growe and sure enough the sound of them echoed through the cobbled lanes.

We had tied up between a three masted sailing ship and a house with a wooden stork above the window. (A sign to announce that the Dutch population had just been increased)

In the late afternoon we headed north from Growe on the Prinses Margrietkannal to moor at the edge of an island in Princenhoff, an area left to nature.

Birds flitted between the trees and at the end of the day as we sat on the deck sipping wine we watch the water turn to gold in the sunset.

The next day we wended or watery way followed by a flotilla of greedy ducks and a bad tempered coot. It was all very rustic and rural, quite atmospheric. The one bit of atmosphere we could have done with out was provided by a farmer working a field by the canal. Just ahead of us and matching our maximum speed he was towing a wagon that sprayed foul smelling slurry.

We could have laughed at our misfortune but dared not to open our mouths. We were quite glad to reach a bend in the waterway and head for nearby Sloten.

We liked Sloten, with it’s thatched roofs and windmill with sails that flailed around against the sky.
It is an ancient little town and it has stayed ‘little’ because it is completely surrounded by water.

In the old town hall we visited a museum of Friesland dresses, fans, magic lanterns and most noticeable, ‘grand father clocks’ In the midst of all that ticking, time seemed to have stood still.

It was quite a contrast to return to Sneek and sample modern town life again. There was time to wander through the precincts and sure enough, yet more bells.


The pleasant sound of a carillon was still ringing when we got into the car and headed for Rotterdam and the ferry home.

One final tip, if you arrive back at the Europort in good time to catch the ferry, do visit Rosenberg.

You will find it about three miles before the Car Ferries Terminal. It has all that’s needed for a proper parting, a windmill to picnic under and a supermarket for the final shopping, full of Dutch cheeses and very cheep beer.

We enjoyed our time a float on the Dutch canals and were able to watch with an experienced eye when the big car ferry was neatly brought into dock at Hull – Yes, we thought, we couldn’t have done that better ourselves.

FACT FILE
P&O Ferries http://www.poferries.com/
Blakes Holiday Boating 01603 739 456 http://www.blakes.co.uk/
Crown Blue Line: http://www.canalboatholidays.com