Netherlands – DJmotortouring

Almere (Flevoland), Netherlands June 2025 (Tour 11)

Vanya likes unusual campsites and Natuurcamping de Kemphaan is just that. I was unsure about the place as we pulled up in the Van. It has most everything one would expect of a three star campsite but; it appeared unkempt; the facilities are basic and somewhat limited and; I doubt it would be very comfortable in wet weather (the camping area being all grass and slow to drain). However, on the plus side it’s in an incredible setting. I knew next to nothing about this part of the Netherlands until we arrived but almost everything about Flevoland Province is incredible and it’s mostly new.

The Province didn’t exist until 1986. Indeed, one hundred years ago the whole area which is now Flevoland was submerged under the Zuiderzee. Since then the area has been secured by miles of dykes and almost wholly drained of seawater. Almere city, with it’s population of almost 250,000, sits almost 5 metres below sea level (thank goodness for the dykes) and, with it’s first house not being completed until 1986, is less than 50 years old. The Kemphaan City Estate, adjacent to Almere and of which Natuurcamping de Kemphaan is a part, wasn’t built until after the year 2000 and; those parts of the estate that we used most (i.e. it’s extraordinary little zoo and the campsite itself) were not opened until much later.

I don’t know a great deal about Almere except it was built as a commuter town for Amsterdam. I know too that some 56 square kilometres to the east of Almere was set aside for industrial development which simply never happened. Left fallow, the area attracted many thousands of birds and small mammals. Deer, horses and cattle were subsequently introduced (to help stem the growth of willow trees which were becoming invasive and a threat to the marshbird’s habitat) and they too thrived; so much so that all thoughts of industrial development were dropped and the area is now protected as a wild park (the Oostvaarersplassen Nature Reserve). We saw some of the Park as we drove west from Friesland but missed out on the large herds of Konick Horses and Heck Cattle.

The De Kemphaan City Estate is a green zone at the edge of Almere. It’s home to the AAP which is concerned with recreation, education and animal conservation and, in particular, the rescue and rehabilitation of monkees and small animals and; as mentioned previously, it operates a small zoo. Much of our all too short time here was spent in the zoo.

And the zoo itself? I think the dogs enjoyed it as much as Vanya and I did…

Carnivores but they enjoy eating fruit too.

Unusual, I said. In addition to it’s two restaurant cafes the estate even has it’s own micro-brewery and mobile coffee shop…

If I were a gambling man, I’d bet on our returning here.

Harlingen (Friesland), Netherlands June 2025 (Tour 11)

This is going to be the shortest post ever. We were keen to visit Harlingen and we made it there on a particularly bright and sunny day. However, we had forgotten it was a bank holiday weekend and the place was packed solid. There was nowhere (and I mean nowhere) to park. We gave up after an hour or so of driving around searching for a space and made our way back to Bakkeveen for a spot of sunbathing.

What little we saw of the place looked pretty.

Leeuwarden (Friesland), Netherlands June 2025 (Tour 11)

Leeuwarden is the capital of the Dutch Province of Friesland (or Fryslan as the locals call it) which is in the north of the country. With a population of 130,000 it is the largest city in Friesland and it’s old town (known locally as the Binnenstad) is delightful. It is replete with fabulous canals and bridges (so much so they are listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site) and not unlike the Amsterdam of many years ago.

We arrived fairly early in the morning and, after parking the Van in a large car park off Dirk Zeperweg, started towards the north east part of the old town using the 85 metre steeple of Sint Bonifatius Church as a guide. The old town is encircled by a series of canals (the Stadsgeracht) and to reach the steeple we had to cross the Noorder Stadsgeracht via the Noorderbrug but; from that bridge it is only a 7 minute walk to the church. I reckoned Sint Bonifatius would be an ideal place to begin a short exploration of the Binnenstad. We could walk almost the entire length of the old town from there, using first Voorstreek and then Nieuwestad. These two streets, which are lined with a mix of shops, cafes, restaurants, art nouveau buildings and monuments, run west along one of the more interesting of the city’s canals all the way to Leeuwarden’s most iconic building (the Oldehove) at the western edge of Binnenstad.

I thought the walk would provide as fine an introduction to Leeuwarden as any; and it did. It took us from the tallest church anywhere in Friesland (although I was unaware at the time that it is possible to walk a staircase up to the top of the bell tower or I would have done so); then, along a very lively and picturesque canal; past two impressive, almost art nouveau buildings (being the 1590 De Waag Public Weighing House and the 1905 Central Apotheek, which is listed among Europe’s top 100 buildings and still serves as a pharmacy); two unexpected and unusual statues (being the Lange Pijp and a memorial to the alleged WWI spy and exotic dancer, Mata Hari, who was born in Leeuwarden in 1876); before finishing at the fabled 1539 Oldehove Steeple (which deserves a paragraph all of it’s own).

We returned to this point for lunch after viewing the Oldehove Steeple.

I was able to make my way to the top of the Oldehove bell tower which, while not offering the panoramic views of the Sint Bonifatius steeple (at just 39 metres, the Oldehove is much shorter), did present me with some fine views back over the town and especially towards the Sint Dominicus Kerk. Construction of the Oldehove commenced in 1539. It was designed to complement the 9th century church of St Vitus (now long gone) and was supposed to be 120 metres tall. However, the tower began to tilt very early during construction and work immediately ceased. It’s easy to see why; the list is more pronounced than that of the Leaning Tower of Pisa in Italy. It is an odd feeling, too, ascending inside a dark spiral staircase when the tower has such a list. It plays havoc with ones balance.

Although only open to the public during July and August, it is also possible to visit the top of the Sint Dominicus Kerk but we chose instead to go for lunch.

After eating we resumed our short exploration of the Binnenstad; this time wandering first the area to the south of Voorstreek and then the north. We couldn’t stay long in either area but the south proved the more captivating with it’s Eysinga Museum (18th century mansion filled with period pieces), Mercuriusfontein, Whale Passage, Fries Museum (Friesian history, art and culture) and best of all De Blokhuispoort (that’s a gate leading to a former prison which is now a boutique shopping complex).

In the north, we passed the Princesshof National Museum (with it’s Chinese porcelain and Dutch ceramics) and a particularly challenging memorial to the holocaust which included a ‘Names Monument’ (glass plates bearing the names, ages and places of death of 542 residents of Leeuwarden who were put to death by the nazis during WWII). Very sobering.

Two other features of Leeuwarden worth remarking on (one very obvious and the other not so easily found) are the city’s street art and it’s ‘miniature people’ The street art speaks for itself and there’s plenty of it…

And the miniature people? There’s a local artist, Michel Tilma, who likes to arrange and photograph tiny dioramas. He’s been creating these dioramas for years now and, at the last count, there were more than 60 to be found in the oddest places around the city but; you’ll need a guide book to find them. The figures are all less than 2 centimetres tall. We knew nothing about these miniatures until, while I was up in the Oldehove, Vanya noticed a group of people scrutinising a seemingly empty brick wall…

Leeuwarden… a wholly charming little city.

Bakkeveen (Friesland), Netherlands June 2025 (Tour 11)

Camping De Ikeleane in Bakkeeveen was to be our base for the next 2 or 3 days while we explored a little of Friesland. It was fine; the usual large grass fields around which caravans and motorhomes are parked; exceptionally clean bathroom facilities and; a small bar-restaurant (snack bar).

There’s not a great deal to Bakkeveen. It’s been described as a commuter village which feeds Friesland’s capital city Leeuwarden and, to a lesser extent, nearby Drachten but; there has to be more to it than that given there are at least 5 other campsites in the surrounding area? The whole area is flat and made up of forest and heathland (holding small herds of Friesian cattle and horses) and there’s water everywhere. This last feature can perhaps be explained in that Friesland has a very long coastline which stretches the length of the Wadden Sea and the IJsselmeer (Western Europe’s largest inland lake). It’s not unlike the Fens of East Anglia. There are a handful of other commuter villages in the area. Wijnjewoude was one we kept having to travel through but; otherwise, not much else.

Please don’t misunderstand me. There’s nothing wrong with the area. At first, it seemed a little remote (and I suspect it’s really quiet when all the campsites close over winter) but the two towns we most wished to visit (Leeuwarden and Harlingen) are within easy striking distance and, other than a decent campsite, that’s all we wanted.

And so to Leeuwarden…

S’Heerenburg (Gelderland), Netherlands June 2025 (Tour 11)

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.

Some of the stained glass windows telling the story..

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…

I hope she falls off and scuffs her knees!

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…