Dordrecht - Mid July 2022

5th July – Tuesday – Steenbergen to Dordrecht

We followed the canal out of Steenbergen past these floating shed/holiday home/fisherman’s hideouts.  They can make anything float here.

We also pass through a pretty lock which is where the bridge was on our way in.  We were just unlucky that it was closed on the way in, but it was open today.

First large bridge and lock of the day is the Volkeraksluisen which takes us from the Volkerak to Hollands Diep.

We set off at 08.00 and arrived at 13.40 at the waiting pontoons at the Dordrecht Rail Lift and Road Bridge, Spoorhefbrug en verkeersbrug.  Due to lift at 14.00.

The all lady crews on the traditional Dutch boats led the charge as the lights changed and we all scurried to get under the bridge before it closed.

The rail bridge is lifted high into the air and the road bridge parts in the middle.

We arrive at Nieuwe Haven in Dordrecht shortly afterwards.  We were requested to wait at another waiting pontoon until the small bridge is due to open at 14.30.  Make sure to tie ropes loosely as there was wash from the large vessels passing in the main channels, which make the boat buck against the mooring.

Fleur (2nd from left) in her mooring at Nieuwe Haven, overlooked by the Grote Kerk (Big Church), whose bells chime day and night.   We are in the old district in the new harbour built in 1410.

Dordrecht is the oldest town in Holland and the town was formed into an island after the St Elizabeth’s flood of 1421.

6th to the 10th July – Enjoying Dordrecht

There is a lot to see in Dordrecht, we have only been briefly before so were looking forward to seeing what was on offer.

Groothoofdsspoort Ornate City Gate, around the corner from Nieuwe Haven.

Dordrecht is called the Venice of Holland with its maze of interlocking canals and bridges.

Damiatebrug (Monument Bridge) constructed in 1855-57, wrought iron draw bridge.

Thursday 7th July – Van Gijn Huis

We had a change of plan due to the weather and instead decided to visit the Van Gijn Huis.  Home of Simon Van Gijn, Banker, Lawyer and collector.  It is the recommended place to visit on Tripadvisor along with the Grote Kerk.

From the Café in the Main Hallway we see the beautiful garden and a more impressive aspect of the house.  It is a historic step back in time 100 years.  He lived here from 1864 to 1922.  And it feels like he just left.

There are many sumptuous rooms, like the drawing room above.

The Hall with its rich woodwork and precious wall tapestries, used for receptions since 1730, and maintained by each successive householder.

A glimpse into the domestic side of life on the second floor in the Mangling, Pressing and Drying room.

On the top floor in the attic is a large display of children’s toys, dolls houses etc.  Donated after his death in the 1930s for display, ironically Simon and his wife had no children.

I would recommend a visit here if you like stately homes.  At 12.50 euros it is a good 2 hours entertainment.  A beautiful collection of objects in a large ornate Town House.

Friday 8th July – Kinderdijk

Kinderdijk is a UNESCO World Heritage site, where 19 windmills were built in 1740 to line 2 water basins, the Overwaard and the Nederwaard.  These windmills were designed to drain off the excess water from the polders into the two water basins and then into the River Lek.  All but 3 of the 19 windmills are inhabited today.  Water has been managed in this area for 1000 years.

Mick found a timetable for the Blue Amigo Waterbus to take us to the windmills at Kinderdijk, from Merwekade, near the City Gate every half hour.  Modern, sleek and fast.

Waterbus number 20 takes us to Ridderkerk  for 4.50 euros each, single trip. Approx 20 minutes.

The next ferry, which waits for the big one, takes us to Kinderdijk.  2 euros each.  Old, quaint and slow. 

The first thing you see is a large souvenir shop.

What is harder to spot is this sign, which we only saw on the way out….

Keep the souvenir shop on your right and walk down the lane to buy tickets at the new Tourist centre and café.  16 Euros per person including ferry rides around the windmills.

The circular ferry takes you on a relaxing trip past all the windmills and back again.  There is another hop-on hop-off ferry to take you to the museum windmills.

From the ferry.

They are impressive.

On the bridge to the museum windmill.  It was a beautiful day.  Would have been no fun yesterday.

One of the lived in windmills.

Blokweer windmill.

Inside has been left as a 1950s house.  On the wall above the door was a very modern video explaining how the whole site works.

 

The barge beside the Blokweer also had three video screens explaining the history of the area.

The pole shows the water heights during the worst floods.

The Nederwaard Museum Windmill is the 2nd largest in Holland.  It was working and all the mechanism were working like clockwork or rather Windmillwork.

Another cosy interior.  This is the first floor and lots of step ladders took us up to the bedrooms on the second floor and the working cogs in the attic.

The Stoom Pump House, Steam.  Replaced the windmills in the 19th and 20th centuries, when the process was electrified.

This is a sculpture of the event during the St Elizabeth Flood in 1421 which lead to the name Kinderdijk.  A girl named Beatrice was adrift in a cradle on the water and a cat also on the cradle moved around to keep the cradle steady until they were rescued.  Kinder is the word for child.

Currently under construction is the next chapter in the story using huge Archimedes’ Screws to move the water into the River Lek.

If you come here, pick your weather, we had a glorious sunny day, phew.

All week we have been parked near this bridge.  Which separates the 2 halves of the Nieuwe Haven.

The harbourmaster cycles round from the office and opens the bridge as required.

For the rest of the time it is an endlessly entertaining steam of people.  We have seen children and adults jumping off.  2 weddings and photographers.  Bicycles, Prams, Scooters.  Little children running up and down the ramps giggling.  Dog Walkers.  And a 1,000 selfies.

9th and 10th July – Sat and Sun – The Hoffestival

2022 marks 450 years of the formation of the Netherlands.

Big bear the day before the festival.

Big bear being thoroughly played with.

The Hof is the place where the first assembly of the 12 Free States were held.  Today there was an orchestra in the courtyard.

A ladies group embroidering Doves.  Later children made a mural, there were bands and performance artists and later a Jazz band.

In the same square is the newly opened Het Hof museum which is dedicated to the four values of freedom, tolerance, connection and diversity.  Normally 7.50 euros to enter, today it was free.

The museum walks through the changes to the city.  The trade and its consequences.  Artefacts which bring the story to life.  Images from conflict and peace.

Ending in a very clever news report while you wait to go into the final room and a video presentation.

The new reports are imagining what the freedom talks would have looked like on the news today, with the gathering factions.  Mass disturbances around the country.

In the large room the modern clothes on the video are subtly replaced with traditional dress as the meeting gathers and the assembly thrashes out the new order.

The assembly room.  Revealed behind the video wall, was quite moving after the telling of an epic tale.

We were just in the right place at the right time today.  Excellent.

We watched another Orchestra and Choir near the big church and a Choir in the Hof church.

Picture from the boat on a still evening.  Grote Kerk.

On Sunday I went into the big church (4 euros inc audio guide).  The leaning tower should have been 108 metres high.  However, during construction the tower started to lean and it was left without a spire.  There is a world renowned organ and the largest bell in Holland inside the church.

Sailors Info

Harbour Masters Office.  All the harbourmasters were very helpful.  We were guided into our tight spot near the bridge.  And left very slowly, with excellent manoeuvring from Mick

92 Euros for 6 nights, if you stay for 7 you pay for 5.  We still only paid for 5.

Wifi OK.  Facilities were traditional but spotless.  50c for a shower or 2 x 50c depending which cubicle you used.  Free electric. 

5 minute walk into the centre of town.  Many shops and Restaurants.  Antique shops in the old town.

Albert Hein supermarket off the main square Statenplein.  Market day Fri and Sat.

Next stop Willemstad.

De Om Loop, Steenbergen and Bonus Bergen Op Zoom – Late June Early July 2022

28th June – Tuesday

Off we go to De OmLoop, ……..no we hadn’t heard of it either.   We were meeting Jane and Adrian on Colne Rose and their friends Luke and Karin on yacht Sally, who are from Belgium.  They met as they both have the same type of boat, a Cromarty 36, which they love deeply. 

De OmLoop is only 8 miles from Middelburg and took about 2 hours, navigating only one lock at Veere to enter the Veerse Meer.

The entry into De OmLoop was very narrow and we could be forgiven for being a bit nervous, but we trust Jane and Adrian.  De OmLoop is a small island off the Veerse Meer with two sets of pontoons.  They are free to use for any passing sailor and are very well managed.

We went past the pontoon and turned round so that we were facing the right way to leave the following day.  It is possible to go all the way around the island in the boat so there was no need to panic.

Jane waved us in from the shore and walked around the small island as we turned and moored up.  It was so nice to see them both after the last 3 years.

After settling in I found Jane in the shade under a tree, sewing.  Crafters unite.  We then chatted for ages with not much sewing.

Our peace was only disrupted by 2 sets of paddle boarders from the nearby youth camping centre, having a riotous time. How many people can you get on a paddle board?

We gathered under the trees at 6pm for an impromptu Jacobs Join.  Jane had the Cobb Cooker going and produced some lovely savoury, meaty treats.  Mick gave us a couple of tunes on his Ukulele and Sunny the dog entertained us with a very nifty tick or two.

Karin had taught him a trick with a children’s stack of rings.  She threw the rings, then told him which colour ring to bring back, then he placed them very carefully back into the holder.  He was also inexhaustible with a Frisbee and a stick.

We are usually marina dwellers, but this idyllic night may have swayed us in the future.

We woke to still water, deep reflections and sunshine.

All the little islands around here have waste and glass recycling bins and a public loo.  A person comes around regular by boat and empties them.  What a delightfully civilised country this is.

29th June – Wednesday

At 10.00am we bid our farewells and set off to Steenbergen.  Another of Jane and Adrian’s recommendations and another new destination for us.  The 33 miles took us 6 and a half hours.

I like to look out for unusual craft.  Looks like a great boys day out.

This is a floating auditorium.  They were watching rowing races from the tiered seating.

Our first Lock of the day was the Zandkreeksluis which takes us from the Veerse Meer into the Oosterschelde.  We just got there as the bridge was due to open.

Approaching Zandkreeksluis.  This one is nerve wracking because it also has two bridges.  The traffic does not stop on the roads above, but is redirected as the bridges are opened individually.  The lock is between the bridges.

We enter on the green light and tie up against the side of the lock.  The first bridge and lock doors close behind us.  We then wait until the water level changes, adjusting our ropes as the water level goes down.  Then the second bridge opens as the lock doors also open, and we troop out in order, no overtaking, when the green light shows.

After a couple of hours crossing the Oosterschelde, our next lock was the Krammersluis which takes us from the Oosterschelde to the Volkerak.

This lock also has a large bridge above it.  Note the lorry (above).

We moor up to the concrete sides to await the water level change.

The digital readout at bridge level indicates todays height from the water to the bridge.  Our mast in 16.5 metres, so we have 2 metres clearance.  The water levels change from day to day, as the water is managed from one body of water to the next.

We had been warned that the canal to Steenbergen was narrow and that there were over hanging trees, which could snag the mast.

The canal into Steenbergen is lined with houses and boats.  Including these four lovely Octagonal houses/flats.

A family of ducks came to greet us as we arrived at 17.00.

30th to 4th July – Thurs to Monday

We stayed in Steenbergen for 6 nights.  Highlights follow.

The village church, as described by the volunteer.  It is massive. 

It was heavily damaged during the war.  A famous Dutch Architect Pierre Cuypers (he designed the Rijksmuseum and Central Station) designed it, and it was completed by his son.  His grandson carried out the rebuild.  What a legacy.

On Thursday we walked to the war cemetery we had been told about.  It is special as it has the graves of  Wing Commander Guy Gibson and his navigator Squadron Leader J.B. Warwick.   Gibson was the leader of 617 (Dambusters) Squadron, RAF Bomber Command.  Who carried out the raid on the Mohne, Eder and Sorpe Dams in May 1943. 

The plaques on the gates tell the story.

They are buried here because their Mosquito aircraft crashed near Steenbergen on their return from a raid near Munchen Bladbach in September 1944.

Friday – Grand Day Out to Bergen Op Zoom

In the early 1950s my mum and dad did a European camping holiday with friends in an old post office Bradford Jowett van.  I remember my mum talking about it with fondness, and as we were so near we decided to visit.

We caught the 10.08 bus from the Bus stop across from the fire station on Molenweg. 

From Lidl turn left onto Stadshillen.  Continue, crossing a road and veer right, keep on Stadshillen to the crossing with Molenweg.  You will see the Jumbo Supermarket.  Turn left and the bus stop is across the road from the Fire Station.  Buses 110 and 310 leave regularly.  14 Euros for 2 people return.  The journey takes 30 minutes.

We first went to the VVV Tourist info centre which happened to be in the Het Markiezenhof, The Marquess’ Court.  The former residence of the Lords and Marquesses of Bergen Op Zoom since 1485. 

Viewing the ground floor is free, which is a very clever ploy to make the visitor want more.  So we paid our 20 euros (for 2 inc Audio Guides in English) and proceeded up the spiral staircase.

The building and courtyards are very impressive.

The first floor held a collection of old masters on loan from the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, and a strange but interesting exhibition regarding objects from the city with a mystical slant. 

The top floor was filed with children’s toys, big models of fairground rides and amusement games.

 

A press of a button made them move and music play.

A highly decorated Barrel Organ

After 2 hours of Culture-Vulcering, we went in search of lunch.

Crocquettes and Chips and a Chicken open sandwich in the town square.

Then another 3 hours walking to wear it off.  The VVV gave us a walking tour of the town which kept us amused.

Lots of pretty streets and shops.

In what was a walled city.

We got back to the boat weary after a good and interesting day.

We had dinner at Z’Onder Zeil, the pub restaurant on the marina.  Steak and Spare Ribs.

Saturday was more relaxing, I went round the shops while Mick tended to the boat.

Meal at Foe Hoi which we thought was a Chinese.  It turned out to be a buffet with a difference.  Pick your own starters.  Then a Grill Course, where you chose your own meat and veg and they were cooked like a Tepanyaki.  Then the Wok course, again cooked to order.  The chef blanched the veg and meat together before cooking them in the wok.  TOP TIP.

Sunday was my birthday, lovely gifts and cards from home and chocs, macaroons and Croissants.

The third night of my No Cook birthday weekend took place at Brasserie De Kai.  Seafood Pasta and Schnitzel.  Salads for a fortnight now.

On Sunday we walked to the Henricus Fort. 

 

Where 450 people lived, protecting the town.

The lookout platform gives a good view of the full aspect of the fort.  One of the mechanisms of defence was to flood the surrounding area, but as it made the ground un-useable for agriculture, it was only used as a last resort.

Sailors Info

Steenbergen is a small town, with a good marina, many restaurants and a good High Street, with some high end shops.

Albert Hein, Lidl, Aldi and Jumbo supermarkets are all near the marina.

The marina appears to be quite new.  The pontoons, the harbour masters office and facilities are all modern and very well kept.  The harbourside pub/restaurant Z’Onder Zeil is recommended.

Wifi OK.  Showers and electric are free.  96 Euros for 6 nights.

The local people and the harbour master were very welcoming and we really enjoyed our stay.

We will definitely return.