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It’s Wednesday and we are heading south. Camping at ‘t Hoog at Helvoirt was much easier to find than either of the last two campsites. We arrived shortly after noon and had a choice of pitches. One near to a kiddies’ play area, the other near some older caravan folks.  Needless to say we didn’t overlook the swings.

We treated ourselves to a brief lunch and then headed off on bikes to the town. Only we headed for the wrong town, eventually finding the right “centrum” a few more miles from where we had been headed. We meant to head for the centre of ‘s-Hertogenbosch, known as Den Bosch, but we had  instead headed in the direction of Vught, which is next to Den Bosch.

Good job we’d set off early. A visit to the tourist info office resulted in us being provided with a map and printed instructions on how to get back to the campsite. Result.

After a good walk around the town and a visit to the local worshipping house, we enjoyed a few drinks and an hour or so ‘people watching’, before heading back to the campsite in the correct direction,  courtesy of our new map and instructions.

Our neighbour at the campsite struck up a conversation. Well, we were the only Brits on site, and the only ones in a Moho.  On hearing that we would only be staying one night she pointed out that we were camped next to the largest set of sand dunes in Europe and that they were a delight to cycle around. This persuaded us to stay an extra night, well it was only €18 per night, and another very well maintained site….the only “fault” being that our pitch was too close to the trees for us to be able to watch the footie…so, England’s demise was witnessed only on radio.  On the croissant front, we found  4 for a Euro, at the local EMTEE store.

Anyway, we spent the following day in the sunshine cycling a round trip of about 25 miles through the dunes and stopping to enjoy a lunch and a beer to break the day. The dunes were quite magical.  Picture the New Forest, plus some lakes, plus miles of warm, golden sand..oh, and all that safe, off-road cycling.

These were no ordinary dunes, we had in fact, camped right next to the Nationaal Park de Loonse et Drunense Duinen, nicknamed the Brabant Sahara. The park extends to around 10km by 4km and is criss crossed by cycle paths.

What a place! We were so glad our neighbour had suggested this trip. The evening was spent enjoying some more cold beers, in the rural quiet. We were  off on our travels, next day.

 

Click on the photo for more sights from our stay here.

Well we decide to avoid going to Amsterdam- we didn’t fancy a Big Touristy city (yes, we know, we are tourists!)  and instead head off southwards towards Utrecht. We find a small farm campsite a few miles outside of Utrecht from where we can cycle to the city and take a good look around. Camping Vliert was very difficult to find and we nearly gave up, however it was well worth persevering with that damned sat-nav.

Once there, we have an agonising wait for Mr Farmer to come to reception, then a further wait for Mrs Farmer, who does speak English, to confirm that we have a reservation..phew! Camping Vliert is really neat; with good pitches and excellent facilities, including undercover bike storage, and it offers fresh farm produce for sale at the gate. We duly indulge ourselves with fresh plums and eggs, but bought  cherries elsewhere. The nearest Lidl, at Houten,  is only 1.3 miles away and sells 4 croissants for €1.16 so its a quick dash on the bike each morning for breakfast. Houten also has a branch of Boots, but Fiona resisted the temptation to try to use her staff discount card.

Oh dear. The skies are grey when we emerge on  Tuesday morning so we take waterproofs with us when we cycle to the city. And we need them. Mid afternoon the skies open and its wet for a time, but all clears up by the time we are finished and we enjoy a cycle back to camp in the dry.

Utrecht is a maze of narrow interlinked streets,  dominated by its 367ft tall Dom Tower and its Sint Martin’s cathedral; it was also very crowded and has the near mandatory canals. Maybe our experience of Utrecht was spoilt by the rain.

Moving on from Delft,  we arrive at a very small campsite on a farm outside Gouda. OK, it was 6 miles from Gouda, and only accessible via a single track road which was perched on the top of a dyke. Needless to say,  our stress levels were tested to the limit during that 6 mile drive.

On arrival at the campsite we were told that there was nobody at reception for the whole weekend and that we should find a pitch that was not reserved and settle in. This we did. On speaking to some other, very friendly, campers, this was quite normal…a very “hands-off” style of campsite management.

Camping de Mulderije was out in the sticks; no street lighting, no noise apart from the odd tractor. The nearest village with a shop is about 2 miles away so it’s on the bikes to get something for dinner, stopping at a farm shop on the way back to buy some cherries.

Although small, the campsite lacked nothing in the way of facilities apart from somewhere to dump our dirty water. The showers were hot and the toilets were nice and clean.

Across the fields,  we were entertained by a resident kestrel almost permanently hunting above the adjacent fields. We also saw buzzards, herons and even a stork flying above the fields, and rabbits (hares?) darting about. We also spotted some hot air balloons flying in the distance. What a treat and all this for the princely sum of €17 per night.

On the Sunday we cycled the 6 miles into Gouda. There was very little traffic on the road apart from bicycles. Bicycles,  bicycles everywhere, frequently with 1 or 2 small passengers aboard. The occasional bike with a kiddies car seat complete with infant in its front carrier.

Gouda is a pretty town, it has a City Hall that dates back to the 15th century; the Thursday cheese market that we missed, and more canals. It looks like every town in the Netherlands has its canals.

Next morning, having still failed to find anyone to pay our site fees to- no answer at the farmhouse door, which was wedged open, we put the cash in a makeshift envelope, and parcel taped it to the inside of a drawer in reception. Happily, they emailed us later to thank us for the cash.

We left Zierikzee for Delft on Thursday morning, arriving shortly after lunchtime and headed straight for the campsite to book in, set up and head off into town. Hmmm, Delftse Hout campsite is a bit noisy and there are far too many small humans running around. On the Thursday evening, there was a Europop kids’ disco, but it did finish by about 7.30pm. The campsite does offer easy and quick access to the city, which is a big advantage.

An hour or so after arriving, we are on our bikes, on the 5 minute ride into town. And what a town it is. Delft is a medieval city,  once the seat of William of Orange, of ‘King of England’ fame; it has not one but two large old churches in the city centre, and it was the birth place of the artist Vermeer but we didn’t manage to see his ‘Girl with the pearl ear-ring’ painting. The city is ringed by canals and is mostly pedestrianised and is a real pleasure to wander around with its numerous eating places and small and varied shops. The scorching weather added to its allure. We were tempted by some of the Delft pottery, but I think the price labels had the decimal point in the wrong place. We visited both the New and Old Church in the city centre, and our tickets also gave us a free coffee at a local cafe, a nice bonus. Early evening, we discovered a really “buzzy” square, where a few beers and ciders were enjoyed..did I say it was only a 5 minute bike ride back to the campsite? Just as well….

Delft is one of those unmissable places, and we would love to return there one day.

Click on the photo to see a selection of photos taken on our meandering around Delft.

We’ve now extended our stay here in Zierikzee to 5 nights…well, if it suits us, and there’s enough to see and do, why move on? We have another site booked at Delft, but that’s not  till Thursday, and what better place to spend the interim.

It’s now time to spend a couple of days exploring the coast by bike. It appears  we weren’t the only ones with this idea…but it’s a very civilised affair, everyone is very polite, and when, on the odd occasion,  we encounter a road (i.e motorised vehicles) cyclists are still very much in charge.

Our journey includes cycling  over dikes and along the coast road, stopping for some photos – the area is a haven for birds- we spotted a few herons, and geese, even a family with their goslings, who we shooed off the path…some cattle dipping their hooves into the shallow waters inland, sheep sharing an area with geese (who muttered “mutton and foie gras” as we passed them? ).

The Dutch are clearly very proud of this natural environment, and there are several noticeboards (with English translations, phew!) giving info about wildlife, and how the landscape/ seascape evolved. We can’t stop to read them all, we have places to go….Eventually, we decide we’d gone far enough, and (after a quick beer at a seafood restaurant) we started the return journey. Argghhh…..the wind was definitely against us this time….we battled it, then did a bit of “inland” cycling, on the wide cycleways alongside the N57 road. Then, back to the coast, and to Zierikzee, where a second beer was on promise. After a bit more people- watching in the bar, we headed back to camp….I was, by this time a bit “giggly”..I blame the heat!

Back at camp, it’s a bit breezy…woohoo!

Early showers tonight..apparently Andrew wants to watch something on TV  ?????

We suffered a few hours of really stressful TV on Tuesday night. On Wednesdays,  a ‘flea market’ is held in a field right next to the campsite so off we went to see what was up for grabs. Lots of vinyl..”ooh, I’ve got that one!”..toy collections, old hand tools, even a stall selling those hideous “reborn baby dolls”  Oh, and we’d never seen so many manual  coffee grinders in one place. We bought nothing. It was well worth €1.50 entrance fee, just for the atmosphere.

There were also loads of toys including the huge display of Thomas the Tank Engine models show in the adjacent photo.

On Saturday morning we left  Middelburg and headed up the N57 for Zierikzee, crossing the spectacular East Scheldt storm barrier which is a 6km half-open buttress dam (look it up). This was the easiest ever campsite to find..no diversions sent to frustrate us, and within an hour, we were checked in at Camping Kloet, which is part of a working farm, and the main rule here is NO DOGS! Quite a brave rule, given that there are so many dogs travelling with their owners. The young man at reception was helpful, and spoke good English..further visits to reception, he hasn’t been there, so we have to attempt to speak to the older farmer, in German…Ich spreche nur ein bischen Deutsch.

Our pitch here is well sheltered by high hedges, which is useful in this baking heat! On arrival, there was a choice of 2 pitches, the other being quite exposed, and close to the children’s play area…no contest. The area here is part of a National Park, and the town itself has some lovely little side streets, and quite a busy harbour area.

We popped in to the Stadhuismuseum, partly to escape the  heat..and it was  €15 well spent…we found out lots about Zierikzee, in particular its history of producing red dye from the madder root. and there was an exhibition of  some stunning paintings by a modern Dutch artist, Theo Voorzaat, which have made us want to research him a bit more.  In town, later, we tackled a Dutch menu for some lunch…ending up with some prawn and beef croquettes, which are apparently a Dutch speciality..it’s easier just to order beers…we did have some of those too, all in aid of hydration, of course. Further cycling round town, and around the harbour area, ensued…wonder if there’s an offence in The Netherlands of “slightly drunk in charge of a cycle”?

Back to camp for bread, cheese, pate and salad…yip, Fiona’s turn to cook! Washed down with a 1litre bottle of Rose, purchased from the local  Lidl, for the princely sum of €3.30. This Lidl is a bit of a find…it’s even open on Sundays…10am till 5pm..and there’s currently an offer on freshly baked croissants…5 for €1!

Click on the photo to see a selection of photos taken while wandering around Zierikzee in Zeeland, Holland

So, having found Belgium, and been delighted by it, we continued on to  the Netherlands, as per Plan A. ….Andrew had a couple of campsites earmarked, and, after a spot of diversionary routes around the town, we arrived at a small campsite, where no-one was at reception, nor was there any response to ringing the bell, so we toodled off to option 2. This turned out be a site run by the council, and what a place! OK, it was a tad “open to the elements”, i.e. damned breezy, but the facilities were top-notch- Villery and Boch toilets, no less, and everything was spotless. The campsite also had a fresh bakery delivery  each morning..the cheapest and best croissants so far, this trip!

We biked into town, with some help from a local, who spotted us with a map…”follow me” she cycled ahead, giving us a potted history of her town as we followed…how nice was that? We soon found out her civic pride was very understandable. Middelburg is a very charming town, with a lovely feel to it. There are several  grand buildings, including many  residential, and as our informal guide had told us, they had been flattened in WW2 and rebuilt to the original style. The central Market Place is a hub of activity, though sadly we  narrowly missed the weekly market there. We were able to do our own tour of the town, by bike, punctuated by some stops for liquid refreshment…well, it was still very hot!

You may recall, Andrew had spilled beer on his shorts in Ghent, well, he added to his laundry toll in Middelburg…some ice cream melted from his “Totally Nuts” ice cream cone, onto the same shorts, and…oh, the indignity, a pigeon shat on his shoulders in the Market Place. It was still a fantastic place to visit…we will go back one day, and he’ll get his revenge on that pigeon!

Click on the photo below to see some of our Middelburg photos…g’wan, you know you want to!

A Day of….Cycle, Train, Walk, Bus, Bus, Train, Cycle..oh, and of course plenty of beer.

Wanting to see Brussels but not wanting to move to a  closer campsite and travel in from there, we decided to stay camped in Ghent for an extra day and do a day trip to the city. Trains for Brussels departed every  15 minutes from Gent-Sint-Pieters railway station, which was only about 10 minutes by bike from our campsite. We bought the tickets the previous day and on Wednesday morning we cycled to the station, locked the bikes and caught the next train. We were in the big city by 11 o’clock and after a swift look around the Cathedral we boarded the Brussels city sight-seeing bus. We probably spent around 2 hours on the two bus tours, one taking us through Northern Brussels via the European Parliament and Commission building complexes, the other taking us out to Atomium, the Royal Palace and the Basilica.

We found old Brussels by ourselves after the bus tours had finished, and marvelled at the old buildings in the Grand Place. One attraction we were keen to see for ourselves was the  famous Manneken Pis statue. We walked miles in the scorching heat looking for it, but we knew it would be worth the effort. Eventually we found it. Err, no,  this statue was a real disappointment. It is a stumpy 2ft tall at the most, and certainly not worth the walk. Oh well……

Ghent or Gent, it’s all the same place, a really neat old city in the Flanders region of Belgium, about 40 miles east of Bruges. We arrived at the Blaarmeersen playground (stadium) amidst an international yoof  football tournament  and the place was absolutely crammed with football teams. Thankfully, Sunday, our arrival day, was the last day of the tournament  and by mid afternoon the thumping music had stopped and it was much quieter. Our chosen pitch was good, and the facilities were well maintained, though there was some road noise. Families of bunnies invaded every day…they were quite confident among us humans. Andrew’s threats of an air-rifle seemed lost in translation.

We ventured out on bikes mid afternoon to take a look at the city in the afternoon sunshine. As elsewhere in Belgium, cycling is the way to go, and it was very easy to find the city centre, where we also found a secure, covered cycle park, which was well used. Sitting outside a bar, Andrew managed to lose half his beer onto his shorts, thanks to a sudden gust of wind..as in it was a very breezy day, not a reference to Andrew’s digestion!

Talking of which, we’d arrived almost out of food…forgot the Continental “shops closed on Sundays ” convention…oops…so we found (via Google Maps) a Lidl, and we stocked up with – beer and wine (of course) and a range of other items, it’s amazing what a pannier and a rucksack can hold!

Ghent’s best kept secret is…..their Tourist Information office…we wandered, following the “i” signs…never quite finding it..eventually, we stopped for (another) beer, and asked the waiter…”under the bell tower”, says he..huh, nope, it had  been moved to the near the castle….hidden in a corner of the square…blink and you’ll miss it…we did, several times!

Overall, though, Ghent was a wonderful city to visit, it has a real buzz to it, with many interesting churches to visit (yes, a few Euros to light some candles). Some beautiful architecture to admire, and picturesque views of the old city.

Click on the photo below for more images of  Ghent.

It’s been on the Bucket List for a while, since we first saw the film…”In Bruges”, so it was an obvious destination for the Wills Belgian trip. At Camping Memling, ..Automatic Check-in! We managed it OK, just before the “Full” sign went up, phew! We bussed into Bruges a couple of times, before cycling in on the 3rd day. Had we known just how easy the bike ride was, we’d have ditched the bus sooner. It’s refreshing to see that cyclists seem to take priority over other road-users, a bit un- nerving till you get used to it!

Bruges is picture perfect, with its waterways and cobbled streets. We saw the sights, and topped it up with  a really informative  bus tour of the town..at a touristy price, but worth dipping into the budget.

The photo opposite shows the Belfort in central Bruges, click on the photo for more images

Prices were generally high in   Bruges, but we found a reasonable  set 3 course menu, where A indulged in a  bunny rabbit dish…no bunnies were harmed in making my beef casserole…and Motown was being played in the restaurant…fine by me! For a bit of culture, on our last day, it was off to  the Groeningemuseum, where there was  some very interesting art, including some Van Eyck, and the weird and wonderful Bosch. Andrew, of course, has his own take on the religious art….we did a lot of walking around, including spotting some film set locations…Bucket List ticked! I may not mention it, but in every town, I go into at least one church, and pay my Euro (max. spend)  and light a candle…A usually mutters a bit, but I have to do it!