NETHER NETHER LANDS
Boating is a way of life in the Netherlands, where water occupies a significant proportion of the country’s surface area. Behind Holland’s North Sea flood defences lies an extraordinary network of canals, sounds, lakes, grand estuaries and rivers alive with ships and barges on an impressive scale.
Since the notorious storm surge disaster of 1953, the Dutch have worked tirelessly to protect their low lands from the sea, and their long-term planning has always included an integrated waterway system not just for commercial traffic but also pleasure boating. As a result, Holland offers visitors a feast of unique and amazingly varied cruising surprisingly close to our own south and east coasts. If you haven’t yet savoured its many attractions, I recommend going there without delay.
It is of course delightful to visit old Flemish harbours lined with traditional brick buildings and cobbled quays, or meander along rural canals past picturesque villages and grazing cows. But it’s also fascinating to see the massive sea walls, enclosing dykes and huge shipping locks so painstakingly constructed over 60 years – incredible projects reflecting the determined spirit of this small but successful nation.
With this in mind, I have chosen my four favourite boating areas, each providing different facets of the Netherlands experience. You could potter in Holland for a lifetime of summers and still find new routes to explore,
