When Plan B turns out to be better than Plan A

Hello and welcome to the latest blog from The Olivia Rose Diaries on June 28^th 2024.

This has been a week where things have not quite gone as we planned. Coming into the western side of Groningen we found that one of the bridges was broken and there was no way through from that direction. We accordingly went the long way round and found alternative moorings at the other side of the city.

A few days later we set off again, expecting to head down the Noord Willemskanaal , only to find that the bridge at the entrance would be closed for a week, for some reason unspecified. With two bridges now closed we had to review our options. We either waited in Groningen for a week or we tried a longer route which ran down the eastern side of The Netherlands, at times only a kilometre from the German border.

It was made up of a number of different canals, and we needed to check the water depths, bridge heights, and width of waterway for all of them to make sure we could get through. There were times when we would be on the limit, but it looked like we would make it.

As a cruising route it didn’t appear that it would be overly attractive, running mainly through built up housing areas the whole way down and with an astonishing number of lifting bridges, which meant it would be slow going. We weren’t particularly looking forward to it but it seemed the best option.

Against all expectations it turned out to provide some really special moments, highlights of our journey around the Netherlands and memories that would stay with us. It also goes to show that you can never judge somewhere until you’ve been there yourself and that we all find our own special places.

It began with the skipper suggesting that we cut a corner off and make our way through a lake, Zuidlaardermeer, and then hopefully through a small channel on the other side. As you can see from the pictures below this was a good call, although we were very glad we didn’t meet a boat coming the other way, and we did touch the bottom a couple of times. We found a small mooring bankside, and spent an extra day exploring the cycle paths around the lake.

After this we joined the Stadskanaal and, whilst it was indeed fairly built up and very slow going, we still enjoyed ourselves. On Monday we took 3 hours to do 14km, through 27 bridges, a combination of lifting or swinging, and 2 locks, the entire journey managed by a team of bridge keepers who shot up and down the canal on bikes and mopeds getting everything ready for us. On Tuesday we moved on to the Musselkanaal and took six hours to do another 19 km, with 17 bridges and 5 locks.

We were in a rural part of the country and the grass and hay fields were now replaced by a range of different crops, mostly potatoes, some wheat, and also hemp. As is often the case in rural areas the housing was more modest and the general atmosphere seemed less affluent. Whilst the Dutch are renowned for being multi-lingual, quite a few of the people who helped us through the bridges and locks were strictly one language only. We would smile, explain that we didn’t speak Dutch and ask if they spoke English, to which they would smile and say no (occasionally it was a grunt instead of a smile) and then proceed to explain how everything worked in high-speed Dutch, somehow hoping that we would understand! As usual, sign language and pointing did the trick as a last resort.

You will also note from these photos that we have blue skies! One week I had the heating on, the next we had 30 degrees of heat in the shade. My body has gone into shock at such an abrupt switch and I am now wilting in the sun. Given how dismal the weather has been to date I don’t dare moan about being too hot (although I am too hot but I’ll keep that to myself). We are currently moored up along another hidden gem of a canal, the Ruiten Aakanaal, about 10 km from Bourtange, one of the most famous star shaped fort towns in the Netherlands, and the boat is in full sun until 6pm. Other boat-owners will know how this feels. Unfortunately moorings are scarce along here and this at least gives some shade. The isolation, bird song and absolute peace more than make up for any temporary discomfort.

And that’s about it for now. Next week we’ll finish the final leg of our long detour and join the canal we had hoped to be on when we left Groningen, albeit quite a bit further south. Good job we’re not in a hurry.

This weekend is a tense time in France as the first round of voting takes place in the elections, with the second and final vote on July 7th. Nobody quite believes the far right could win, more likely we’ll end up with a parliament where nobody has the power to do anything, but then you only have to look at Brexit and Trump to know that the unthinkable can happen. Fingers crossed because if Le Pen comes to power it could make our lives very difficult and would be incredibly sad for the country.

See you soon.

MJ