Seaside Dutch Treat

by Lynn Hurton

So many people visit Holland in order to see Amsterdam and nowhere else. By contrast, I decided to stay at the coastal town of Noordwijk aan Zee, a mere 45 minute drive away, but a whole world away in many respects.

I stayed with friends, so accommodation costs were minimal, but I observed plenty of good quality cheap guest houses in the area. I flew out from Gatwick on Easyjet, a bargain at £35 return. My Dutch friends were dismissive of the airline, but one cannot complain at flights which are functional, depart promptly and arrive early. It was painless! Why pay for frills on a very short flight? Pointless, I’d say.

The July weather was typical for Holland: 18 Celsius and showery. Still, it did not spoil the break. There were plenty of coastal walks, a variety of reasonably priced restaurants with sea (sand dune) views, an excellent Thursday market and a street full of every conceivable type of Dutch shop. Around the corner was the Noordwijk Museum, housed in a deceptively large old cottage. One couldn’t argue at the €2 entrance fee – or their excellent range of fridge magnets!

Of course, one cannot visit Holland without experiencing a canal boat trip. A four hour lakes and windmills extravaganza, departing from Noordwijk, cost a worthwhile €11. It was 4 hours of sheer pleasure drifting along, watching the world go by. I saw windmills and cows aplenty, not to mention drainage systems. It was the archetypal Dutch experience. The Kager lakes have to be seen to be believed! We even had a welcome afternoon tea shop on the island village of Kaagdorf, which is like old Holland in miniature. It was lovely to stretch one’s legs and see something different for a while. No point in wasting time drinking tea in a café when refreshments were so cheap on the boat. No advance booking was necessary and one returned to the departure point at 5.30pm, just in time for tea. Perfect!

90 minutes by car from Noordwijk are the Zuiderzee open air and indoor museums. One catches a ferry to the open air museum village where one can experience the Holland of yesteryear. It was impossible to see everything in six hours, but I had a jolly good try. The open air museum consists of a number of ‘neighbourhoods’ laid out according to the historical street plan of various Zuiderzee villages, with everything to scale. The old schoolhouse fascinated me (as a teacher) with rooms set out in 1905 and 1930 styles respectively. I couldn’t stay for the lesson in seamanship, however – I had no desire to sit behind a desk once more…I prefer being in charge of a classroom these days! The candy store proved a favourite with young and old alike (delicious old fashioned sweets), as did the grocery. There was no time to see the indoor museum, but I didn’t mind – it had been informative and fun! Another 90 minute journey takes one to Batavia wharf: a yard which offers a fascinating insight into traditional shipbuilding and maritime archaeology. One can see the reconstructions of 17th century ships side by side, having a chance to clamber all over one of them and experience life in a Dutch ship over 350 years ago. By contrast, there’s a shopping village, just spitting distance away – functional, but somehow out of place.

All too soon, the long weekend ended; but I had no regrets. I had had a superb holiday and survived the weather. The Dutch are so friendly too; I can’t wait to return!

First published in VISA issue 63 (Oct 2005)