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!

Postcard from Den Helder

We didn't plan to spend 4 days in Den Helder, but have thoroughly enjoyed ourselves here. The curious little marina is surrounded by houses who mostly have their own water frontage so don't use the marina. There are very few boats and fewer people, which means that we have had the place to ourselves much of the time. The surrounding area isn't quite as rundown as it felt on our first look, it is just a bit lacking in tlc, and after the few days we had spent looking at the beautifully cared-for houses along the canal it was a change.

The marina among the houses

We walked into the town centre on Friday morning, enjoying sunshine when we could escape the wind. Hot chocolate and cake, a visit to the library for free Wi-Fi, a brief look around the modern shopping area and then we wandered back passing the main dock area – and trying to find out information about the Waddenzee in an office block which was perhaps not really where tinpot sailors were meant to be! Over bridges, along canals, past an old fort and back to the boat for lunch.

Statue outside the library

Chris decided that he would rather stay and clean the boat than head out to a supermarket, so I was left to explore a different area on my own – anything always beats cleaning in my book. It was a recently-ish built suburb – lots of residential streets and apartment blocks surrounding a shopping centre – with green areas, water and fountains all around.

The following day was very blustery and cold – certainly not a sailing day for us! We decided to cycle to the town then make our way west and then south along the coastal wall – the plan was perfect, except that several hundred slightly faster cyclists were also trying to cycle the same route! We enjoyed watching their race as we made our way along the footpath, then inland across a beautiful duneland nature reserve. Back onboard we listened to the wind in the rigging and planned the next day ashore!

Come on, Chris, you can catch them!

Sunday in Holland is still very much a day of rest. Few shops are open, even the museum didn't open until noon – so we had to while away the time with a hot chocolate and apple cake, such hardship.

Hmmm - where to start?

The Naval Museum was excellent with history of the Dutch Navy and the Den Helder dockyard ... and a random shark!  It came up-to-date with an exhibition about their involvement with the current problem of Somalian piracy. Walking around the submarine living quarters made us appreciate how much space and comfort we have on board Andromeda, and we can look out at the world too!

The wind seems to be lessening and it is slightly warmer than it has been – perhaps tomorrow we will brave the 5 miles out to Texel – and be able to enjoy the island without freezing. I hope so.

Postcard from Noord Holland

Leaving Lowestoft at 3am had various benefits – we enjoyed a fabulous sunrise, we had a good breeze across the North Sea and we arrived at Ijmuiden before dark.

Sunrise at sea

We managed to stay awake long enough to have some food and a shower then slept extremely well, thanks to having had a long day but also having the most comfortable mattress that we have ever had on a boat – this year's present to ourselves!

After a walk into the not-so-pretty town of Ijmuiden (and a bus journey back), we set off along the Noordzee Kanaal. This huge canal is busy with industrial traffic of all shapes and sizes – the Dutch will put anything on a barge! 

Our favourite barge so far!

 We turned off after 10 miles into a small shortcut to the Noordhollandsch Kanaal and spent the night at Nauerna in a small marina. As with all the marinas that we have visited to date, it seemed to still be hibernating - given the cold northerly wind, perhaps sensibly so! An evening walk showed us the contrasting faces of the area – in one direction cranes, docks and low-flying aircraft, in the other direction green fields, grazing cows and windmills.

Next morning we went through a small lock and enjoyed an unexpectedly beautiful trip along the canal. No-one else seemed to be on the move so the lock and several bridges happily opened just for us, bringing all other transport to a complete standstill. There were numerous houseboats along the canal, many of which were elaborately furnished and decorated, and the scenery was so typically Dutch. A beautiful detour.

Typical Dutch landscape

Nauerna lock

We continued up to the Alkmaardermeer – a large lake similar to the Broads – and, after a couple of attempts to moor where it was too shallow, we went into the marina. We took our bikes out and went to explore the village of Akersloot (ice creams, of course!) and then along one of the excellent cycle paths past windmills, baby Black-tailed Godwits (with parents who tried to shoo us away!) and commuting cyclists.

That evening was race night on the Meer – Oulton Broad eat your heart out! We considered offering ourselves as crew to one of the 40 or so boats – small cruisers, Dragons, local half-deckers and dinghies – that turned out for racing … and their crews enjoyed typical post-race refreshment.

Sailing on Alkmaardermeer

Ice cream time

 Next morning we continued the few miles to the stunning city of Alkmaar, passing an enormous but seemingly very organised recycling centre – it must have spread a mile along the canal. In the city centre, everywhere you turn there are old houses that are beautifully cared for and of huge variety, in large open squares and down narrow alleyways. We bought a 'city walk' guide book from the VVV (tourist information) which was in the weigh house – itself an incredible building – and read our way around the city learning of the town's victory over the siege by the Spanish, the weekly cheese market, the 9000 pressed men who hand-dug the canal, the man who was so annoyed with the city council that he decorated the front of his house with two lions showing their bottoms to the city emblem, etc, etc.

Alkmaar from the canal

Alkmaar alleyway

Alkmaar Weigh House

With a little reluctance, we moved on the next morning – several bridges meant that it took us an hour or so to leave Alkmaar and then we found a barge to follow on up the canal – bridges open miraculously for barges! The countryside became more open as we neared the coastal dunes, and the wind became colder! We were quite glad to reach Den Helder and find somewhere to stay – ending up in a quiet, slightly run-down marina where the Harbour-master had gone home so a fisherman kindly rang him for us. All settled, we had a key for the gate and hid away from the cold. A brisk evening walk through the 'Marinapark' (a grand idea which seems to be suffering from the recession) and surrounding retail/industrial estate – little feeling of affluent Holland here.