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 th...

As forecast, today is warm and sunny. Ali goes to pay the harbourmaster and use the washing machines then we set off at 11:00 Soon after we leave Meppel we are driving through lovely scenery made even lovlier with the sunshine. The canals and lakes glisten blue, trees are turning delicate spring green and the reed beds are pale ochre. Reeds have recently been cut and bundled and piled into stooks. Again we see huge herds of horses, 50 or more to a field. An...

It’s raining when we get up and the forecast for the day is not good. We haven’t had a rest day for a while so we decide to hang around in Meppel and take things easy. There is plenty of boat activity on the canal to watch between our various pastimes of reading, scrapbooking, jigsaws and knitting. Ali goes for a walk during one of the short sunny spells. In the evening we have a roast chicken dinner.

We leave the little island at Musseslkanaal and head south and west towards Meppel. This area of the Netherlands has more woodland and trees than any other part, mostly beech and larch, tinged green by spring buds. The soil is very fine clay and much of it recently tilled. We see a few alpaca but most of the animals are horses, lean thoroughbred types, in large herds. Last night we learned the Omleidingen signs we keep seeing mean 'diversion'. When we reach ...

We hear bird song as early as 04:00 but it’s much later than that when we open blinds and let in the sunshine. It’s such a quiet and lovely spot no one is in a rush to leave so we have a relaxed morning before setting off around 11:30. From the marina we head along narrow dykes with the wetland just below us where sheep graze and huge flocks of barnacle geese sit in rank and file like little armies. Passing through housing estates we notice how neat the ga...