The small town of S’Heerenburg in the Dutch Province of Gelderland is a place I’ll never forget.
It sits just across the border from Germany, not far from Emmerich. We were heading towards the northeast of the Netherlands (to Friesland, which area had been recommended by the Dutch restaurant manager at Camping Wolfsmuhle as the perfect place to visit) but; the traffic on the German motorways, all the way from Cologne to Emmerich, was horrendous and we decided to stop as soon as possible after crossing the border. Vanya found a reasonable campsite (Camping de Slangnbult) in Stokkum, just outside of S’Heerenburg.
It’s a lovely town, most famous for the annual Montferland Run (a very fast 15km race which begins and ends in the town and is usually won by the top Kenyan or Ethiopian runners, including the great Haile Gebrselassie) but; there’s much more to the place.
For a start, there’s the impressive 11th century S’Heerenburg Castle, the Huis Bergh. It’s one of very few traditional castles left in good repair in the Netherlands. The castle was closed to the public as I visited but I was able to wander it’s grounds and walk around the moat. It’s very picturesque…
There’s not a lot to say about the exterior of the catholic church of Saint Pancratius but; the interior has some interesting features, including a small chapel and a series of ‘Gestapo’ stained glass windows which relate the story of Fathers Jan Galama and Marinus Van Rooijen. They were arrested in 1942 by the Gestapo for speaking out against Nazi atrocities and taken to Dachau Concentration Camp where they were tortured and killed. Two very brave men.
Our stay in S’Heerenburg became even more ‘memorable’ the next morning when, as we were leaving and driving through the centre of the town, we were brought to a stop by two seemingly irate local townspeople. It seemed we had been trailing diesel all the way from our campsite and through the town centre. I could only thank the couple for bringing the matter to my attention although, judging by their attitude, you’d have thought we had deliberately leaked the poxy diesel. What a mess!
And then, we were made to feel even more upset (rattled is perhaps a better word) when some old witch on a bicycle stopped and started berating us whilst also taking photos of the Van and it’s numberplate. Honestly, she reminded me of one of those awful characters in a WWII movie who informs on people to the Gestapo. So, I took a photo of her too! Here she is; riding off on her broomstick bicycle…
was arrested for witchcraft in 1605.
I’ve never been a great lover of the Netherlands and at that moment I had reached my nadir with the place but; moments later we saw the Dutch at their very best. I’d pulled up immediately I became aware something was wrong; with the result I was now blocking the street. I was in a dilemma. I couldn’t leave the Van where it was but neither could I continue to trail diesel across the town.
Salvation came in the form of the shopkeeper whose shop I had stopped in front of. She suggested I move the Van into a nearby cul de sac and promised a mechanic friend of hers would be along to help. Bless that lady because within minutes, Sebastian (from the garage Hans Gerritsen) arrived. He had heard about “a problem van” which was trailing diesel through the town and that “the police had called the fire brigade to clean it up”. He simply hitched the Van up to his tow truck and suggested we follow him with our dogs to his nearby garage where he would “see what can be done”. Bless Sebastian too because it took him most of the day to complete a ‘quick fix’ that would see us safely back to the UK and; meanwhile, his most generous wife (Ann) who spoke good English acted as translator for her husband, kept us supplied with food, drink and ice lollies and constantly reassured us to the effect that all would be well.
We still have matters to resolve when we are back in the UK. The Van needs a more permanent fix and there could be some insurance issues to address (e.g. diesel spillage damage and clean up operations) but meanwhile; thank goodness for our new friends in S’Heerenburg. It is rare during these tours that we experience anything other than the utmost kindness from everyone we meet but; the consideration shown us by Sebastian, Ann and their best friend (the shopkeeper) exceeds all expectations. What wonderful people!
Oh, just one other quick comment about Stokkum, where we camped. While walking into s’Heerenburb on that first day, I noticed the t’Klaphek Restaurant on Nachtgaalslaantje. We visited the restaurant later in the evening and had a great meal. We also got to talking with the owner who is a most interesting fellow. Amongst other things he has walked a Camino to Santiago. It took him 3 months because he walked all the way from Stokkum! Wonderful.
On into Friesland…