Postcard from Texel

Out through Den Helder harbour 

Monday morning, half past eight, and our boat was the one that stopped Den Helder traffic for two bridges and a lock to be opened, just for us, but no-one in Holland seems to mind – it is all part of their way of life.


We were pleased to be out into salt water and on the move again.

The short trip to Texel was quite uneventful and we had soon moored up in the modern marina at Oudeschild, hopped on our bikes and set off to Den Burg, the capital of the island, where we wandered round the market and bought ourselves cakes for lunch. The sunshine on Tuesday meant a chance for more cycle exploring right across the island.

Cycling on Texel was wonderful, even by the fantastic Dutch standards. Occasionally we were on cycle paths beside roads but most of the time there were idyllic routes away from any traffic at all.

There was always something to look at –

• far more varied scenery than we had expected – open fields, dunes, forest, marsh, heathland, beach
• beautiful wild flowers – buttercups by the thousand, bluebells, campanula, poppies, cow parsley, cornflowers, wild roses all growing from what seems to be just sand
• plenty of birdlife – redshanks, avocet, a spoonbill, several large birds of prey, plenty of gulls, cormorant, coot, heron, various ducks and geese, baby oystercatchers, skylarks
• a few quirky objects
• and occasional points of interest to stumble upon.

We found the Georgian graveyard – a battalion of Georgians who had agreed to serve with the Germans rather than be interred in PoW camps and then, as the final days of the war approached, had rebelled and killed 800 of their erstwhile comrades before being defeated, though many of them were hidden and saved by the people of Texel. For more about this interesting story see http://www.texel.net/en/about-texel/history/the-uprising-of-the-georgians/

We found a fort which had been built by William of Orange, and enlarged by Napoleon, to protect the shipping route in and out of the Zuiderzee – beautifully restored and peaceful now.

Sheep for sale!

Traditional sheep barn

Georgian cemetery

Cycling through the buttercups

Fort de Schans

Oudeschild village

Woods on the dunes

Not quite sure what she was selling - eggs maybe!

Lovely flat cycling country

Well wouldn't you build a big wall round your island if it was mostly below sea level?

Enjoying the sun

Somewhere there are some avocet, I think

I know some people who would have loved this when they were younger ... come to think of it, they still would!

Andromeda's home for a couple of nights (Herr Dolman has already left!)

With some regret, we decided that the weather forecast suggested it was time to move on.  A brisk southwesterly was just the wind we needed to make our way through the tortuous Scheurrak - a narrow channel through the sandbanks that must be negotiated at exactly high water for a boat like ours, with no margin for error.  

All went smoothly - wind from astern, occasional sun, a few other boats for company, a well-buoyed channel - until we foolishly breathed a sigh of relief at reaching the main channel on the other side.  

At that point a small gale and a fierce tide gave us and our boat a rather rough ride and severe testing before we reached the narrow harbour entrance at Vlieland.  The spectating yachtsmen on the harbour wall seemed to be wondering who these crazy people were, sailing in such rotten conditions. 

 We made a safe, if clumsy, landing, tied up and enjoyed toast. marmalade and tea while we reflected on the buzz we get from taking on the challenge of uncomfortable passages!