Mid June 2015 – Haarlemsche Jacht Club to Amsterdam

As predicted we stayed in Haarlemsche Jacht Club for quite a while, which turned into 10 days.  A holiday within a holiday.  Arriving on the 3rd of June and not leaving until the 14th.  Michael’s sister Annette and husband Julian were due to arrive in Holland in their campervan on the 10th of June and we wanted to find a nice place for them to stay for a few days and relax into their holiday, before departing on their own adventure.

We only came to this club because an English couple stopped their bikes in Haarlem town when they saw we were an English boat.  They told us about the Jacht Club and told us what a lovely spot it was, how friendly the members were and that there were free bikes to use and good wifi.

As it is a members club it does not appear on all the charts.  It is in the Standing Mast-route book, but not on the latest charts for the area.  It’s previous location is mentioned in the Busby and Broad Pilot book, which confused us a little.  The large bridge at the end of the Haarlem town canal is not in the pilot books either.  After the big bridge, aim right and follow the land around to the right, there is a sign for the Jacht Club and the lake opens in front of you.  The club is on the right.

Info:  Haarlemsche Jacht Club cost 14.50 Euros per night, all inclusive.  The showers are a good standard and have proper shower heads and regulator taps for the temperature (bliss).  There is a bar but no restaurant.  You are encouraged to borrow the on site bicycles, they have more than a dozen.  Beware they are European bikes which require you to back-pedal to brake.  They have locks and chains so it feels OK to leave them in town.  The town centre is a 20 minute bike ride.  There are 3 supermarkets within walking distance, we would recommend the ‘Dekamarkt’ 25 minutes walk over the bridge and the ‘Voram’ supermarket on the road into town, which is a 40 minute walk.  I think it would take an hour to walk into Haarlem centre.  Don’t let that put you off, taking the bikes is fun.

It’s lakeside location makes it a peaceful spot despite the aircraft going into Schipol.  Julian was in his element with the bird-watching.

6th June – Saturday

We took the bikes into Haarlem.  Another excuse for more Turkish Pizza.

Everyone rides ‘Mary Poppins’ bikes with baskets, crates and children carriers.

There are cycle lanes next to most roads and some are fully separated with a curb.  Cyclists have their own crossing buttons too (above) and small traffic lights to indicate when it’s your turn to cross.

7th June – Sunday

We walked to Ikea around the side of the lake and then on into a small village, which had a thatched windmill.  We think they hold open house days for the old windmills to keep them going.  The living space inside this one was fascinating.  The owner had all mods cons, just somewhat curved.

We were just saying that there should be a pub round here when we were caught by this sign.

Rounding the corner we found a lovely riverside cafe ‘Bij van Alemma’.

Would be rude not to.

We also moved the boat today as being on the end pontoon on the lakeside, meant lots of lapping as boats went by and when the wind increased.  A club member was taking his boat away for 2 weeks so we were allowed to move to his mooring. 

The next two days were spent sprucing ourselves and the boat up for our impending visitors and a big shop.

10th June – Annette and Julian arrived.

How lovely to see family from home after 2 months.  We all piled in the van and went to town and to the supermarket.  As we have not had transport, it was a surprise to find out how expensive it was to park in town. 3.90 euros per hour.  2.60, a little further out of town.  Bikes seem to be more welcome than cars.

11th June – Julian’s Birthday

First we had an epic bird-watching walk, and just happened to end up at the cafe again.  Then a lakeside BBQ.  Lovely day with lots of greetings from home for the Birthday boy.

12th June – Friday

Annette and I cycled around the lake to the furthest windmill, and ice-creams in the cafe.  Then spent the rest of the day lounging and Annette put me on the right track with the crochet book she bought for my last birthday.

13th June – Saturday

Back to the Market in the campervan.  We parked a little further out this time.  Julian managed to spend some birthday money in the ‘Liquid Gold’ whisky shop.  It is a third cheaper than in the UK.

Mick also bought a new set of charts for the Markermeer and Ijsselmeer, to supplement the electronic charts on board.

A lovely last night get together in the van before we went our separate ways.

14th June – To Amsterdam

We left early to catch the lock.  08.00 to 11.30 to make the 9 mile trip.

This lock has a concrete side on the pontoon.  You have to moor up and then walk to the lock-keepers cabin (far right) to pay the 3.50 euro toll to a very smiley lady lock-keeper.  The first toll we have paid so far.

We then moored to wait for the road bridge which only opens 3 times a day.

After the road bridge we emerged onto the North Sea Canal and turned right for Amsterdam.  This section of the canal is very industrial as you make your way into the city (approx 5 miles).

Approach to Amsterdam Marina.

Marina Office complex and Restaurant.

Info: The next picture takes Amsterdam Marina almost to the top of our marina list.

What a wonderful site, complete with Opaque window with a button to clear the glass once you are in the bath.  It won’t be a surprise that the rest of the marina is top quality too.

The marina office is located at the bottom of the slope on the left of the building.  20 Euros per night, free wifi and electricity.

There is a free ferry to Amsterdam Central station which departs on the hour and half hour and returns on the quarter hours.  The ferry terminal is located behind the ‘Botel’ which is a floating hotel.  The red letters are also hotel rooms!

People and cycles use the ferry along with these small cars, which are also allowed to drive in the cycle lanes.

Another form of transport waiting to surprise us.

We had a good walk around on the first afternoon and then a full day out and walk around on the second day.

We found the Albert Cuyp market located behind the Heineken Brewery, which is worth a look if you like markets.  It is open every day except Sundays.  I went into the Handbag and Purse museum (a great girlie experience, fascinating and beautiful), while Mick had a wander.

Central Station known to many with its gothic frontage.

But did you know it had a state of the art waterfront facade behind.

Finally, examples of signage.  The first so blunt it speaks for itself, but made us laugh.

The second explains how the bargee’s get their cars off the back of their boats shown on the left hand blue image.

On our way next to Volendam Edam into the large inland seas.

Early June 2015 – Gouda to Haarlem

27th May – Wednesday

It seems so easy to say, Gouda to Haarlem, but it was a long and tiring day.  We started at 10.00 and arrived at 18.30, but during those 8 and a half hours we negotiated 19 bridges.

Typical bridge Mooring site.  Before the bridges there are places where you can moor your boat whilst you wait for the bridge to open.  They consist of wooden piles with heavy duty planks between, most also have cleats for the ropes on the planks.  You will see they are not jetties and are not recommended to walk on.  Some have an intercom system to the bridge keeper, but you have to have positioned your boat correctly in order to press the button.  The process of mooring and untying, looses its appeal after the 3rd bridge.  However, it is not always necessary to moor up.  If you are going through a small town and there are a number of boats in convoy, the bridge keepers appear to synchronise and open the bridges as you approach.  Some of the larger bridges however have very strict timed openings and you have to wait (no time-fudging here).

By big bridges we are talking this type (above).  The railway bridge exiting Gouda and the first of the day, hence why we departed at 10.00 as this bridge opens at 10.27 precisely.  It is a railway bridge which lifts in the middle followed by a swinging road bridge.  Crikey!!  A train crossed 30 seconds before the bridge lifted and another soon after we exited.

I won’t bore you with all the bridges of the day but these are some of the more interesting ones.

From a distance we thought this looked like an old coal mine, the bridge is raised on steel wires.

 

These are the nodding dog ones, which look like oil wells (on Southfork).

Double road bridge.  These really make you get you skates on as they open for traffic one way and then the other and they close very quickly after the last boat passes.

Pizza Restaurant Barge, with full sized clay oven on the back.

The picture above gives an idea of the width of the canal through small towns.  Approx 30 metres, making you feel like you could almost touch the houses and businesses on each side.  Eg. Lisse.

Between bridges there was some lovely country side and masses of market gardening, with expansive greenhouses.  We saw a number of small ferries near the towns too, something else to watch out for.

We chose not to enter Haarlem town itself that night as the thought of more bridges was too much.  We stopped at the Haarlemsche Jachthaven for one night.

Info. At only 12 Euros there is little margin for complaint and the harbour master came to collect the money after his dinner.  There are no facilities except what can only be described as a workman’s toilet.

28th May – Thursday – Into Haarlem Town.

After a few false starts trying to telephone and VHF Radio the bridge controller we were allowed through the first bridge at 09.00.  There is nowhere to moor up outside the bridge so we went in circles for a while.  There are convoys which run through Haarlem throughout the day and we managed to go the opposite way when the first convoy passed.  It was then a waiting game for the next bridge until we realised that the bridge keeper was pedalling from bridge to bridge and entering his hut to open the bridges.

This is a modern bridge-keepers hut on the 3rd bridge.

He was then the same person how asked us if we were staying and directed us to a mooring in Gravestenenbrug, under the trees near the black and white windmill.

The boat moored under the trees in Haarlem, 5 minutes walk from the centre.

Info:  Haarlem Gravestenenbrug is located between the 3rd and 4th Bridges.  There is a toll to pay for passing through town, but if you stay for one night or more the charge is waived.  As the cost is the same price as one nights stay we would highly recommend a stay.  We liked it so much we stayed for 6 nights, as a week was half the price of 7 individual nights and therefore 6 nights cost only 58 Euros.  There are 2 Albert Heijn supermarkets and another called Voram, a short walk up river.  There is free town wifi in the main square, also Macdonald’s and the Apple store.

The showers are to be found across the 4th swing bridge, then turn first left and walk almost to the windwill.  There is a small ‘Douches’ sign on the white door.  It costs 1 Euro for a token to enter the showers, which have two cubicles with shower and toilet.  The shower costs 50cents but lasts for 12 minutes (which is indicated on the coin machine).  This and a lack of wifi are the only draw backs to this location.

The harbour masters office is located just after the 5th bridge in a porta-cabin.  They were very helpful and gave us guides in English and a map.

____

Haarlem itself makes up for any inconvenience with conveniences.  Speaking of which, in Holland a visit to the loo costs 50cents and most restaurants are fine about it.  Macdonalds is only 30cents, as are some larger stores, expect to pay.

The town square on a non-market day.

The town square on market day.  Saturdays and a small market on Mondays.

Mick with our Turkish Pizzas.  Very thin pizza bases filled with chicken or doner meat and salad and sauces.  The stall owner cleverly positions bench seats and a table next to the stall for you to eat your pizza and catch his next customer.  Highly recommended.

The market was lovely and had stalls for all tastes including an English Pie stall (we didn’t for the record).  The town square is buzzing and the shops are concentrated along a couple of streets, but there are some small streets which are gems and fun to find.

We would highly recommend a stay in Haarlem, don’t just rush through, it has a lovely laid back feel to it.

Finally Mick is having trouble with the local transport, or bicycles to be more precise, if we end this trip without either of us being hit by a bike I will be surprised. At one point he was cornered by a couple of jay-walking pensioners, a bike and a disability scooter.  We have had close calls with a unicycle, a family bike with 3 children on board, motor-scooters, which travel in cycle lanes, and numerous other bikes of various shapes and sizes. They are surprisingly fast and creep up silently behind you then frighten the living daylights out of you with their very loud bells.

3rd June – Wednesday

We moved to Haarlemsche jacht club for better wifi so that I could watch the centenary AGM of the WI on a live webcast.

The flag I made for the centenary out of a WI tea-towel, it was a substantial item and thudded more than fluttered.

Mid Webcast.

Haarlemsche Jacht club is a little bit of paradise, more of which later, we may be here for some time.

Late May 2015 – Willemstad, Dordrecht and Gouda

20th May – Willemstad

We managed to park between the ‘box’ posts successfully here.  I climbed across to the boat next door and attached the bow lines from the jetty.

Willemstad to another very pretty town, which is set in a star shaped moat and city wall.  The windmill is picture perfect and on our first morning it started working.  I could not have been more pleased if Windy Miller himself had walked out, as we could watch it from the boat.  Less romantically you can pay 55 Euros for lunch and a tour, which is why, I suspect, it was working.

The town harbour is effectively a different marina to the one we stayed in, which is located behind the windmill. 

Info:  Marina was 19 Euros per night with free electricity, wifi, water and facilities (which were in a floating barge and of a high standard).  There is a ‘Jumbo’ supermarket on the road leading from the windmill and a bakery at the end of the same road.  The chandlers on the harbour-side was very high quality with everything you could possibly require.  The garage on the main street was accommodating to boaters with trolleys and diesel cans as there is no diesel pump in the marina.  2 euro coin is required for a trolley.

22nd May – To Dordrecht

Bifurcation Buoy.

We really like these red and green horizontal striped spherical buoys, used when two buoyed channels intersect.

11:00 am start for the 14 mile journey.  Timed for the railway bridge at Dordrecht ‘Spoorhelbrug’. 

View from the waiting pontoon before the Railway bridge.

The railway bridge has very strict timed openings which were 12 minutes past the hour and it closes at 20 minutes past.  So all the small vessels wishing to pass through wait on a pontoon located up a small channel on the right of the main channel, where industrial barges also moor up opposite.

On the hour the charge for the bridge started and two very large barges arrived to go through too.  The railway section rises to the top of the structure and we all went through, big guys first. 

Dordrecht church from the canal.

We had to dodge between two large barges to gain access through the Boombrug bridge into the marina.  The first two marinas we tried were full so this was third time lucky.  Arrived at 15.30 and paid the lady quickly, as she was off home.

Info:  No info to provide regarding the marina in Dordrecht as the only facility was electricity.  On the positive side it only cost 14 euros for the night.  It is more a small inner city canal than a marina, but there were security gates to access the pontoons.  Local people burned the midnight oil in the houses nearby as it was Friday night.  There is an Albert Heijn supermarket in the new shopping plaza, which is behind the V&D store from the first square you find from the marina.  It took some finding. 

The pontoon we were allocated was meant for a much larger boat.  The very large posts were 5 metres further out into the canal than the end of the boat.  Fortunately there were pontoons also.  With a little help from our neighbours we managed to hook on the bow line and then reverse the boat to the large posts in order to be able to get a rope on them.

Dordrecht is billed as one of the oldest towns in Holland.  The big church in the picture was closed.  The streets where alive with interesting characters, who gave the city an edgy feel.  There are some really interesting antiques shops, and they were using many of the old empty church meeting halls as vintage outlets too.  The market was near the new precinct, Market day must be Friday as they were packing up when we found it.    We had a really good look around whilst trying to find the supermarket so did not feel the need to stay another day.

23rd May – Saturday – To Gouda

We left Dordrecht at 09.30 after calling the operator to open the BoomBrug bridge.  We both did a double take, as just after we joined the main channel we saw an Ark. 

Dordrecht Ark.  Apparently the second and larger of two built by a Dutch millionaire after having a flood dream.  It’s worth a google, as my picture does not do it justice.

Road Bridge 1 mile after Dordrecht, ‘Verkeersbrug’ at the 10.15 opening. 

Located just after the road bridge Oceanco yacht builders with super-yacht ‘Vibrant Curiosity’ in for a refit.

The weather was cloudy and misty and later in the morning we were drenched and needed full wet weather gear.  Two coats, two tops and large wet weather trousers, and soaked.

We did not fancy another night in Dordrecht and this is the price you pay.

18 miles to Gouda arrived at 14.45.  The first canal from Dordrecht was quite commercial, industrial units lined the canal banks. 

Rotterdam in the distance.

However the second half of the journey was along a smaller section of canal with houses on either side, most of which had a mooring attached (as below).

Some of the houses had davits or slipways to lower their vessels into the water from the gardens.  This section was more like the canal journey we were expecting after the wide busy channels.

The next lock ‘Stormvloedkering’ is a storm defence sluis, which opens approx every 20 minutes if there are boats requiring entry.  Again an impressive piece of engineering for the flood defences of the country.

The final obstacle of the day was a small lock prior to entering Gouda.  Then a short trip to the Gouda Marina which is located in a very small canal just outside town between a car wash and a B&Q (Praxis) and retail park.  People tend of avoid the town centre marina as there are 3 bridges to negotiate and this marina is only 20 minutes walk into the town centre.

Info: Gouda Marina costs 14.20 euros per night.  Free water and electricity and 0.50 cent for a shower, which is housed in the floating club house.  (The mirror is located behind the club house door with the plug socket in the corridor between the loos).  Basic but very clean.  Market day is Saturday, the famous Gouda Cheese markets are on a Thursday, but not every Thursday. 

The marina is a members club and is a little reminiscent of Steptoe’s Yard, and the club members have sheds with tools, deck chairs and all the necessary items to keep the club running.  The members take turns to be Harbour Master and everyone is very friendly and welcoming.  We received a tourist pack in English and a map of the town.  Lidl is on the map supplied only 10 minutes walk away.  There is an Albert Heijn in the town square (well hidden). 

Gouda has an impressive town centre, with many beautiful buildings.  A circular canal system surrounds the town centre and there are numerous small canals and alleyways to explore.

Town Hall in the main square.  Available for weddings.  At 2 minutes past the hour and half hour small characters appear on the right of the building as the clock chimes.

Gouda cheese shop.

Entrance to the museum.  There are many ornate doorways to see as you walk around

Historic Harbour filled with old traditional barges.

Sunday breakfast special treat after days of Muesli.

We are going to stay here for a few days, it has a nice feel to it.