More messing about… father vs son

PART 2 of Messing about on the river – the adventure continues as we explore the canals and lakes, ending with the best fish and chips ever!

Part two: From Weesp it was a short journey to rejoin the main canal so we debated whether to head for Amsterdam. Eventually we decided, no, that’s for another trip, so headed south of Weesp towards an area with lots of large lakes, some with small islands to wild moor on. Even these had the mooring points on them. Although it wasn’t far we took a day and half to get to the first one, just chugging along quietly.

Having left the Amsterdam-Rijnkanaal (Amsterdam Rhine Canal) through Brug Nigtevecht, for the first and only time we hit a traffic jam – about 10 boats waiting to go through the lock between the canal and the lake – Wijde Blik. Well, it was a Sunday and there was only one lock to get onto the canal to the lakes so it was to be expected. But the wait was only about 30 minutes and stress-free. Once through it, another 45 minutes found us moored up on the far side of the lake, on our own mooring and surrounded by nature. En route we checked out the marina, but it wasn’t for us and the drunken part of a wedding reception confirmed that a quick exit was needed!

Through my head, two thoughts kept meandering… “It is so lovely here” and “I am so lucky to have this wonderful time with my son”. At 25 he should probably hate his Dad and think that time with me is the last thing he wants to do. But he doesn’t. We are both adventurers and even though as two strong minded and strong willed people, we do sometimes clash, it was a magical adventure.

An idyllic time and beautiful sunset on one of the many lakes

The sunset was all you could hope it would be. Dinner was some dishes we bought in the Weesp Thai deli – coconut and chicken – along with some spiced pork and flat breads which we brought with us, and some local salad. Then, after sunset, battle commenced!

Charlie and I have a traditional thing which we do at holidays. It’s highly competitive but a lot of fun, and excessive bragging rights accompany any win. The board game Risk – a father versus son, battle for world domination. I’ve got to say when we first started playing this, I used to thrash him regularly. Now it’s pretty much honours even, but I would never tell him I think he’s a good player. That simply isn’t battle ground etiquette. We whiled away a few evenings during the trip playing this and, after beating him a couple of times, I let him win one! But seriously, in all honesty the games go back and forth and we both ended up winning games we thought we were going to lose.

The next day we meandered back along the canal, then on to another lake – Loosdrechtsee Plassen – and another island and just chilled. We saw our first cloud too and that evening it started to feel like a change of weather could be on the way in the coming days. The next morning the gentle wind had picked up a notch and it felt like if it was to change further then a large, open lake could get a bit choppy, at least for sleeping.

Moored in Maarsen – time to relax and explore

Back at the last lock, the lock keeper suggested the route further south and a few nice villages (cafes and bakeries!) to stop at, so we took his advice. It was a gentle journey through some beautiful little places, stopping when we wanted to and plodding along when we didn’t. We ended up at Maarsen, a little north of Utrecht. There we moored up for the night, hooked up to the electric for the first time and just chilled. Whilst there was a bit of cloud there was also lots of bits of sunshine. We each did our own thing and explored, both in the afternoon and the next morning. There was a lot of history there. Some old houses with plaques for the year they were build took us back to the 1600s. 

By that lunchtime we were into our last 24 hours on the boat and there were signs of the weather breaking. What to do? Utrecht wasn’t far away, but in a direction further from the Vinkeveen marina. In the end we decided to take the shortest route and start heading back by going a little further south toward Utrecht to rejoining the main canal to take us back in the other direction, to get us to another lake nearer the marina.

When we were almost there it started to rain. The boat can be driven from the cabin inside, where visibility is a lot more limited, or from the open top deck where you could see everything. We used the top deck for the whole trip but maybe it was time to consider moving inside soon. Back through the first lock and under the “Bridge of Scalps” we found ourselves on the marina lake just as the heavens opened, so now was the time for the cabin steering wheel.

Control of the boat has to be transferred between the two decks. It’s a simple process to disengage one then re-engage the other… or so we thought. We ended up about 400m from the marina, drifting when the propeller wouldn’t re-engage! Luckily emergency rescue was close at hand as someone from the marina came out and in 30 seconds made us inadvertently feel pretty stupid for not quite doing it right!

We checked out the islands and found a place to stay but a storm was definitely on its way now and we couldn’t find anywhere calm enough for a comfortable night. So just before sunset we headed back to the marina and parked up on the quay behind the harbour wall windbreak. This has the added bonus that we could decant some of our luggage from the boat into Monty that evening and save us a job in the morning. When we got there we found out that four other boats had done the same thing.

The storm is coming!

Next morning we handed the keys back in pouring rain with the realisation that this boat trip could have been a very different experience. Had it been sunny, or even just dry, when we climbed back into Monty we’d probably have headed for Amsterdam, but with the weather not clearing until mid afternoon, we opted to head for Utrecht and take a look around there.

After all the small places we’d been, and even though it isn’t a huge city, Utrecht seemed much bigger than it actually is. It also has a low emissions zone so, sadly, Monty wasn’t going to see the old centre. He’s too big for it anyway but he doesn’t realise that.

Meandering through the streets of Utrecht

Brunch was on a bridge over the canal right through the centre. The coffee was particularly good. Whilst I’d taken pictures doing the trip, this was really the first time I’d used the camera for any length of time. That’s really unusual for me. As we explored, I took some snaps and details, especially around the centre and the cathedral. I’m usually with my camera all the time, but although I had it there on this trip, I didn’t want using it to dominate as sometimes photography is too close to work, even though I’m passionate about it.

Our ferry back to the UK was early afternoon the next day so after Utrecht, we decided to head Rotterdam way and up to the north coast not to far from the port. The beautiful town of Delft, famous for its pottery and porcelain, was on the way. I’ve been there before and really liked it, but it was new to Charlie. It’s very much a place for pedestrians – sorry Monty. A place to meander. Charlie decided it was his favourite place, but I think that had a lot to do with the handmade chocolate he treated himself to!

It’s quite quirky too. There were schools kids gong around in small groups, obviously on some kind of treasure hunt or history tour with clues. And the woman dressed as a strawberry?! She was one of the clues as she explained in a cheerful resigned way. I’ve got to say you really have to admire someone who can dress as a strawberry in the middle of the afternoon, stand on a popular street in a town where people clearly know her, and just keep smiling. 

Late afternoon we set off on the short drive to the coast, with the cranes of Rotterdam’s docks in the distance on our left hand side. Using an app called Park-4-Night (all van-lifers will know it well) I’d found spot on the the edge of the dunes which would leave us only about 3kms from the port. When we got there at about 5pm it appeared that about 10 other camper vans had the same idea. No matter, it was big enough, quiet and the perfect spot. What’s more, there was a fish shop, which also offered fish and chips, only 100m away.

Delft is enchanting

After little banter with Karin, the owner and chief fish fryer, we collected that evening’s dinner and took it back to Monty. That was the best fish and chips I’ve every had! And accompanied by the best mayonnaise too. I went back and asked her how she made cod taste soooo good. Apparently it’s all in the freshness and the herb seasoning which she puts on it when it’s part cooked. 

We had to be at ferry check in by 12.15pm so no rush the next morning. After a bit of a lie in, there was time for one more bakery and a chance to pick up some munchies for the six and half hour ferry journey.

Check in was easy and we were actually on board an hour before departure, settled and sipping strong coffee made in Monty while we were on the dock pre-boarding. The Stenaline ferries are big beasts and very smooth. Even thought it was windy, we only felt a handful of potholes on the whole crossing.

We were back in just over an hour after disembarking. It would have been sooner if my mutinous travel companion hadn’t wanted to stop at McDonalds on the way! “Do you want anything, Dad?” He asked with wry smile, knowing full well that the answer would contain some colour. I had a small piece of bread with the last of the boerenkaas extra belegen instead. I’ll never understand the attraction of Maccer Ds.

That night, lying in bed in Monty, I reflected on the trip I very much needed to recover my sanity. It had been a different but none-the-less fascinating adventure, and one which I very much needed to recover my sanity. It was a privilege to travel with my son too. We’d been off to Marrakech together a couple of years earlier and thoroughly enjoyed that. This was a very different adventure but just as enjoyable. It very lucky to have a son who’s also a friend and even luckier to have one who has fun with his Dad just messing about…

If you’d like a to hire a boat like this then contact le Boat. You can do this in Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, France, Italy, Canada, Scotland, Ireland and England,

Read “Messing about on the river” – part one

Check out “Travels with Monty”

All images Chris Coe & Charlie Coe

Published

By Chris Coe

Chris is a professional photographer, and the founder of Travel Photographer of the Year. He has been working as a professional photographer since 1992, shooting both editorial and advertising photography, and has published over 50 books. He lectures on and teaches photography, mentors and is a competition judge.