We leave Urk around 11:00 and almost as soon as we are out of town we see more tulips. After a few miles of motorway we drive beside the Ijsselmeer for a short time then descend behind a dyke with wind turbines stretching out along the top.
At Lelystad we have to wait while the bridge is raised. Once lowered we cross it and pull into a parking area. Barges sail under the bridge tthrough locks and boats scurry about on the inland sea. On a nearby island is the statue ‘Exposure’ by Anthony Gormley, a huge lattice work of a man squatting.
We pull into the next layby hoping to get kibbeling for lunch as we did previously, but the snack hut no longer sells fish so we continue our journey across the inner dyke.
The sea is blue on one side but yellowish green the other as if sand is being stirred up. In places there is maintenance in progress, dredgers working and crane barges moving gravel and boulders onto the embankment. Another area has a breakwater being filled in with sand to reclaim the land.
Enkhuisen comes into view and soon we are in the harbourside camperstop. After a quick sandwich we are on our way into town. Our previous visit here was bitter cold and hardly anything was open but today it is 17C and there are lots of bars and cafes to choose from later.
We cross the skinny bridge to the 1605 bell tower just as it tinkles half-past the hour. The canals are home to a wide variety of boats; among those moored here today are two steam tugs a couple of fine yachts with woodwork that is finished like glass and stainless steel deck fittings that dazzle.
Although familiar now we still marvel at the window decorations and tidiness of the houses.We cross another canal with houseboats that have colourful flowerboxes on deck.
When we reach the Zuider Zee Museum we enquire about prices and accessibility for a visit tomorrow.
Ambling back towards town we find a pedestrianised shopping area and just beyond that a sunbathed bar terrace at De Enkhyser. The barman is a comedian, full of teasing and jokes as he serves our drinks.
Then it’s a slow wander back through the harbour with all the ships and boats lit up colourfully by the evening sun. On the way we stop to watch a couple of courting grebes floating close to each other and dancing with their heads.
Enkhuisen was a place we liked even in the cold, but today in the warmth it’s been fabulous.