The Simonhoeve owner comes early to ask everyone to be away on time as today is busy with more than 50 coaches expected. We have only 31 miles to go but cannot arrive before midday so we set off at 09:30 as required and plan to stop somewhere and mark time. Soon after leaving we are driving beside the pretty canal on the edge of Monikadam and through wide green flatlands. Then it’s the busy morning motorway around Amsterdam and Schiphol airport, where the ro...

The harbourside is busy again with coaches for the river-cruisers and it’s a warm and sunny day for their excursions. We set off separately today, Nick and Grete want to try Edam and take a coastal route, but we decide on the direct route to our stop and have a day’s rest. There are some more bulb fields as we leave Enkhuizen, then after skirting Edam we see the flat grassy levels with drainage ditches and wood fencing we remember well from our last trip. ...

This morning could be mistaken for summer, it’s 18C when we set off to catch the ferry to the Zuider Zee Museum, which is included in the €16 ticket price. The deck hand is a friendly chap who knows Falmouth well as he was driving lorries of fish during the makerel bonanzas of the 70s and 80s. From the ferry we get really good views of all the tall ships lined up near our camperstop. We alight at the open air museum which tells of the reclamation of land a...

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...