| This weekend I received an email from a paddling enthusiast who recently moved to the Netherlands and is looking for ways to get involved in the Dutch paddling community. I searched for a list of the paddling clubs (kanoverenigingen) in the Netherlands, and quickly realized there are no good/comprehensive/user friendly maps available. All I could find were long and incomplete lists of club names and cities, which are pretty much useless to a newcomer to the Netherlands. Many paddling clubs are located in small towns just outside big cities, and if you don't know the names of those towns, then you wouldn't know to look for them in a long list! So I was inspired to take various lists (from the Watersportverbond, TKBN, and some additional websites) and put them into a simple Google map. Ta-daaah! For the interactive map, and more information, please visit the new page (available under the Resources tab at the top of the page). |  Screenshot of the map (click map to see interactive version) |
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Paddling through the centrum of Oudewater, at the intersection of the Linschoten and the Ijssel River
Linschoten is a small village (~3500 inhabitants) in the Netherlands, between Gouda and Utrecht. Juliette, a fellow kayaking club member, recently moved there, and planned a trip for all of us to explore the area by kayak. This day trip took us from the town of Linschoten through some canals to Montfoort. From there, we rode the Hollandse Ijssel River to the old town of Oudewater, turning right onto the Lange Linschoten River. This lead us back to the starting point, but not before stopping at a "tea garden" along the way!
Henk paddling in the crystal clear water of the Ionian Sea
Greece, how you exceeded my expectations! When I first began brewing up plans to go kayaking in Greece (shout out to Doug!), I pictured steep coasts peppered with bright white houses and blue decorations. I had imagined that these dense developments would cover the Greek islands, and we would paddle from dense village to village, eating delicious Greek food and sipping red wine. So, when we began paddling away from the little town of Vasiliki on the Island of Lefkada, I was struck by how vast and natural the surrounding islands really were. Aside from some small villages in pocket beaches, we encountered undeveloped shorelines of steep cliffs, rocky/pebble-y beaches, and olive groves.
 One bridge permanently up, and the other just opening, and another in the distance. Two kayakers playing in the swirling water. Today I'm just sharing a handful of photos from this evening's paddle on the Maas River in Rotterdam! The city shines at this hour. Led by Erik and Iede, a big group of paddlers (I didn't even count) went for a paddle through Rotterdam. We caught a nice river current on the way back.
Paddling past the city of Zutphen on the IJssel River
Last weekend (my birthday weekend!) I spent two extremely sunny days paddling along the IJssel River in good company, with plenty of assistance from the currents. We encountered sandy and very muddy beaches, swirling river currents, a little bit of wildlife (including a partying kayak-polo team), and an evening circus! Read on for photos, a map, and the story.
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Welcome!This is a blog about exploring the outdoors (mostly by kayak), traveling, trip planning, and coastal engineering. It currently focuses on kayaking in the Netherlands and Belgium, but previous posts cover Upstate New York, California, and much more. See the Complete List of Blog Posts for a history of the site. Looking for something specific? Search the site here.
In addition to the blog, check out the Water Nerd section, where I write about coastal engineering and hydrology. Happy Paddling! Nena Subscribe Here!Email updates on new blog posts, about once per month.
Reader TipsClick the "Read More" link at the bottom of each summary for more photos, to see an interactive map of the route, and to read about the adventure.
Maps in each blog post: Click the icons to learn more about the launch site (amenities) and destinations. Click the square in the bottom-left corner to see an aerial photo behind the route. Archives
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