L'Avenir - Cruising Europe's Inland Waterways

After paying the bill and saying goodbye at the marina we decided to break ourselves in gently and spend a few days cruising the quiet Rijnland canals through the Nieuwkoopse Plassen (lakes) and then on to Gouda. We needed to buy a special licence for this area but the 5 euro for 6 weeks seemed a bargain. A few hours later, as we were congratulating ourselves on squeezing, without damage, into the tiny lock leading down into the lakes, the keeper told us that we needed yet another permit at 8.50 for a week. However, it did cover mooring fees. More worryingly, for me, was his quick appraisal of the height of our boat and the pronouncement that we would also need a key to unlock the self operated bridge between the two lakes 'and that'll be 50 euros deposit please.' For the purposes of this blog the term self operated means Catriona operated. He did offer to take our photo though. The self congratulation didn't last long (it never does). As far as the first bridge in fa...

The posts seem to have become a little mixed up and any element of surprise lost. We obviously made it through the bridges with minimal damage - only a scraped handrail. We lowered the canopy, nav frame and windscreens, crossed our fingers and ducked. lots of bridges. The Indian restaurant where we had dinner the night before. Last year Rob was on a beer tour this year's quest has been for the perfect vindaloo. Not bad here. -and as always in Holland there's an army of people keeping everything nice. canal garbos scooping leaves out of the water and wharf cleaners blowing them in .....

The bridges over the canal through Utrecht are only 3.25m high so we are a bit nervous (well I am) about our ability to get through. We'll have to take down our canopy, nav frame and windscreen - and then duck! The first bridge The lock keeper tells us we'll be fine as long as we can get through the first bridge as it's the lowest. The canal basin with lock in the background. If we can't fit under the city bridges we'll have to turn around and go back. Entrance to the tunnel I'm more concerned about the tunnel in the centre of the city as it has a bend. It's also the focal point for the whole city and overlooked by cafes full of people hoping for some entertainment. The Dutch Film Festival is in full swing at the moment as well and there are people doing interviews to camera on every corner so any stuff up is bound to find its way onto film. It seems I always have to be worried about something. University The old part of Utr...

This was taken on the canal from Hoogeveen to Coevorden (which I pronounce incorrectly of course). It's a very quiet canal - we met only one boat this day - but there are dozens of bridges. Some, like this one, are old swing bridges others are modern automated ones. Each bridgekeeper is responsible for between 3 and 5 bridges. They work you through and then jump in their car and drive to the next and open it as you approach. When they have completed their stint they phone on to the next bridge keeper. It all works beautifully unless you upset the system by stopping . We stopped overnight in a small town called Nieue-Amsterdam which incidentally bears no resemblance to old Amsterdam. It's only claim to fame is that Van Gogh stayed there for 2 months. We set off the next day and there was no-one expecting us at the first bridge. There was a phone number but the bridge keeper who answered didn't speak any English at all and my few words of Dutch were apparently unrecognisab...

      There are 6000 kms of navigable waterways in the Netherlands. A good number of the 16 million population owns a boat and many of those take to the water over the summer - not all at the same time fortunately. Not everyone has a car but nearly all have bikes and those who don't use the excellent rail, bus and ferry services. Something like 9 million vehicles on the move in a small country. So, lots of bridges. Bridges come in all types. Lifting, swinging, floating, operated by bridge keepers remotely or manually, press a button, shout into a speaker, call up on VHF radio, call up or phone a keeper who half an hour later comes pedalling on his bike, pay a kid to do it for you and my very favourite- the bridge that magically detects you cruising up the canal and opens for you. Sometimes you're satisfyingly stopping a motorway and others you're swinging a mainline railway. Some bridges in Amsterdam only open for convoys between midnight and 2 am. I woke ...

Ever dreamt of an idyllic cruise on the European waterways? Long, hot summer days spent drifting along picturesque rivers. Stopping off in quaint villages for a glass of chilled wine or pilsener and some locally made cheese. Your stress lapping away like the ripples from your boat..... Well, so did a few other people. Sunday afternoon waiting for the bridge to open into the village of Akkrum in Friesland. The last weekend of the school holidays.

The Turf Route is a narrow, shallow canal in SE Friesland once used to transport turf from the peat diggings. There's only one peat excavation left now and it provides peat for pot plants rather than turf for heating houses. The canal, which  is open for only 4 months a year, is a step back in time with its manually operated locks and bridges. You pay a small fee at the first lock to cruise this canal but moorings are free. Many of the bridges are self operated which means someone has to jump off and swing them open. However, as it's school holiday time most of them have a kid stationed there who will do it and then either swing out a clog on a line or hold out a hat for a tip of 50 cents (1 Aussie dollar). A lock keeper told me they have nearly 2500 boats through in a season so it's a nice little earner. But you're out in all weathers and you have to guard your spot. This boy in Appelsc...