So nice we had to visit it twice and in doing so we travelled across the Oosterscheldekering (East Scheldt storm surge barrier), a 9km dam built to protect much of Zeeland from flooding.
The Oosterscheldekering dam is half open so allows tidal water into the eastern Scheldt, and when needed, can be fully closed to protect the eastern Scheldt coastal areas from tidal and storm surges. It also serves as a road and cyclepath between two of the Zeeland islands.
We arrived at Middelburg for the second time on a very hot Friday lunchtime having decided to stop here on our return journey to Calais. We chose to stop at Middelburg because it’s only about 3 1/2 hours from Calais so not too far to drive, and its also a very scenic area so we intend to get out on the bikes and have a good look around.
We stayed at the same campsite as before, but this time we were not so happy with the campsite management. The site was more than half empty, OK, it was about 20% full at most. We selected a pitch and settled in. On our return from the town we found that someone had been allocated the space right next to us so blocking our view with their van. An immediate visit to the campsite reception followed; the word ‘stupid’ was used a couple of times to describe their pitch allocation policy, and we basically informed them that we were moving to a different pitch. Grrr.
Our Saturday morning was spent wandering around the shops looking for the last few bits we needed and for a final look around the town.
On a baking hot Saturday afternoon we headed towards the north to have a look at the sea-side. There are marked cycle paths all the way making cycling safe and easy. The lack of any hills also helped. We passed this field of cornflowers and had to stop to take photos.
After an hour or so of cycling in the heat we arrived at the small town of Veere and stopped and have a look around. The Eyewitness guide said very little about Veere, but it was very hot and I needed an ice-cream.
As we entered the town we heard the sound of ‘local’ music and headed in its general direction. The music accompanied a ‘ring driving’ event, which is a traditional Zeeland competition.
We spent the rest of the afternoon watching the competition so never made it to the far north of the island. Maybe next time because we will be back.
Ring driving participants dress up in very specific period costumes, their horses are decorated with ribbons and their traps are festooned with flowers.
Competitors use a lance to try to hook a suspended ring as they race along a course. There are four rings suspended along the course and competitors are awarded points for each ring they manage to hook.
Apparently, the tradition goes back to the middle ages. It was good fun to watch.
We spent the rest of the afternoon watching the competition so never made it to the far north of the island. Maybe next time because we will be back.
We ventured out on the superb cycle paths again on Sunday morning. This time we headed for Domburg, north west of Middelburg, and it was scorching again. We stopped briefly at the beach at Domburg before heading to Veere where we stopped for another ice-cream and a wander around. Then it was back to Middelburg for a well deserved cold beer in Markt square, well, we had cycled 24 miles in the blazing sunshine and both felt that we deserved the break.
