A few days ago, my boyfriend and I got into the car, ready for a special road trip through our own country. The days before, the road trip took us through Drenthe and we fell in love with this beautiful province. Read the story about our route through Drenthe here. Meanwhile, it is time to leave this corner of the Netherlands behind and continue our road trip to Giethoorn in the province of Overrijsel. Again, a part of the Netherlands I have never been to before but where I feel pleasantly far from home for the next few days.
Surprising Giethoorn - The Venice of our own soil
We decide to stay in Giethoorn. Having seen many a video of the tourist-inundated village, I did not expect to ever end up here. But by corona, calm has returned to this popular place. Thereby, we do not stay in the tourist centre of Giethoorn, but in the north. Here it is always pleasantly quiet and at least as beautiful as in the more famous part.
After spending a few days in Giethoorn, I am completely won over. Not often have I seen such an idyllic and picturesque place as this. I marvel at the many waterways, the characteristic houses and the beautiful nature. The surroundings of this piece of the Netherlands are also truly phenomenal.
Tulden Farmhouse - Sleeping in the north of Giethoorn
In the north of Giethoorn you will find the stylish, small-scale bed & breakfast Tulden Farmhouse. Owners Mirjana and Peter renovated this beautiful farmhouse from the year 1890 into the beautiful property it is today.
The bed & breakfast consists of two rooms, both with a nice bathroom and a small kitchenette. Outside there are several seating areas where you can relax after a day of exploring the surroundings. Around the bed & breakfast you will find all kinds of beautiful nature reserves. If you want to go out you can join Peter on a whisper boat to National Park Weerribben-Wieden or hire the whisper boat yourself. Canoes, bicycles or SUP boards are also all available for hire at Tulden Farmhouse. Ideal!
Our stay at Tulden Farmhouse feels like a true holiday. Every morning we enjoy a fresh breakfast in the sun with a variety of local produce. We rent a boat, stroll through the centre of Giethoorn four kilometres away and see a lot of the surroundings. The homely and relaxed atmosphere at Tulden Farmhouse makes us get back into the car recharged after a few days. A place to remember.
Bird hide the Auken - Bird watching in style
Just above Giethoorn stands Vogelhut de Auken from where you have a beautiful view of the adjacent water. In the middle of it is an island where different birds fly off and on all the time. Inside the bird hide hangs a map explaining all the birds. We spot ibises, special geese and even spoonbills.
The path to the bird hide is one kilometre long and here, too, you spot all kinds of animals. As our feet touch the ground near a patch of dry grass, we hear something scurry away. Looking closer, we see a small snake making its way through the bushes. The longer we follow it, the more snakes we see. Relaxed sunbathing on a branch. Our 'wildlife experience' in the head of Overijssel is complete.
The Waterloopbos - An open-air laboratory
About a 20-minute drive from Giethoorn, in the north of Flevoland, lies the Waterloopbos. The name catches our attention and when we read more about it, we are even more enthusiastic. In fact, in the 1960s, this forest served as an open-air laboratory where experiments with water were carried out.
Various water works, such as the Delta Works, were recreated to scale here at the time to study how water works. Everything was done by hand, which was often incredibly time-consuming. Although the experiments were incredibly important, a more modern alternative for carrying them out soon appeared. Therefore, the Waterloop forest was abandoned. Today, the forest has been declared a National Monument and you can still admire the ruins of this open-air laboratory.
There are various walking routes through the Waterloopbos. We opt for the 3-kilometre Haven Route, which takes us past a host of hydrological models. The showstopper is definitely the huge 200-metre-long wave pool where the working of waves was studied at the time. Now it is a work of art you can walk all the way through. It is not until many hours later that we get back into the car. What an extraordinary place!
National Park Weerribben-Wieden - A canoe paradise in the Kop van Overijssel
Giethoorn is practically in National Park Weerribben-Wieden, the canoeing paradise of the Netherlands. Well, of course we cannot miss it. In good spirits, we rent a canoe.
With a surface area of over 10,000 hectares, this low moorland swamp is the largest in North-West Europe. Its many waterways make it the canoeing paradise of the Netherlands and birdwatchers can also enjoy themselves here.
The last clouds are just drifting away as we launch our rented canoe. Around the national park, there are numerous places to rent a boat and many accommodations also have a boat lying around, as is the case with us. As inexperienced canoeists, we decide to start quietly with a route of about seven kilometres that takes us through the Wieden and the quiet north of Giethoorn.
It is one of the many routes you can sail; they are all well signposted along the water. We enjoy the special birds flying by, the vast landscapes of the Wieden and later the idyllic images of Giethoorn. Lovely!
Want more tips about Giethoorn? Honeyguide Anne-Floor spent the night here on her own little island, cool! Read her stories here.
After driving more than 800 kilometres through the Netherlands, our road trip comes to an end. When we drive back into the street at home and I unload my backpack, it really feels like I've been away for a very long time and very far away. You don't have to leave the Netherlands at all for adventure, it turns out. And it is so easy to just take the car and drive in a direction you don't know yet. There is so much to discover. A shame not to do it, right?
Love,
Laura