U.S. Fulbrighters battle wind and waves in Delft's Abtswoudse Bos

Left to right: Riana, Erika, Saayeli, Elyse, Beth, Nena, Nick, and Yvonne. Photo by Nick C.

Nestled in the southwest corner of Delft lies Abtswoudse Bos. It's part of the Lage Abtwoudsche polder, which is on average 10 feet below sea level (it's surrounded by dikes). Contrary to it's name, which means something like "Foresty forest," Abtswoudse Bos is considered "land art," with grids of trees interspersed by well-manicured lawns. A massive Moeder Aarde (Mother Earth) is sculpted into the landscape - her body and limbs made out of elongated hills. She is easily identified in the air photos (see the Google Map at the bottom of this post). On Saturday, eight U.S. Fulbrighters in the Netherlands convened in Delft for a successful kayaking outing on an incredibly windy day. 

The launch site at Delflandhoeve

After a successful convention at Delft train station (and super easy bike rentals using OV-fiets: 10 euros/year and then 3 euros/day to rent bikes from any station!), we biked 4km along the Schie canal to Delflandhoeve, a peaceful campground that also hosts events, offers food and drinks, and rents kayaks/canoes/bikes. We rented single kayaks for 10 euros (for a half day - paddle/boat only). The owner was very helpful - he provided us with maps, told us a bit of history about the area (in English), and let us store our extra belongings in a beautiful wooden lodge near the launch site. The kayaks were a mix of plastic light-touring boats and whitewater kayaks - nothing fancy, but they did the job. From Delflandhoeve there are two obvious kayaking routes - one loop that takes 30 minutes and another that takes 2.5 hours. We ambitiously embarked on the 2.5 hour loop, though the wind was howling and I would not normally take a group out in such conditions. However, the canals here are generally very sheltered, and the wind only becomes a challenge when the canal is in the exact direction of the wind.

Nice photo of a passing train by Nick C.

The wind was blowing strongly across the open area at the launch site. Starting downwind made the beginning of the paddle a bit tricky (getting blown into the reeds), but after a few minutes everyone got the hang of it, and we were off! The first landmark of note was the railroad bridge crossing. The Hague to Rotterdam railway is one of the busiest in the Netherlands, with an average of 10 trains passing per hour. A train passed overhead just as I was paddling under the little concrete bridge - what a sound!

Riana happily paddling into the wind.

We took a right at the fork to start the loop in a counter-clockwise direction. This would allow us to paddle with the wind in the most exposed portions of the route. Yellow and white flowers decorated the wetlands all around us, and the air was sweet.  After about an hour we scouted out a nice lunch spot, where a grassy field rolled gently down to the water, allowing for an easy and clean exit. We wandered towards the woods and stumbled upon a perfectly-situated picnic table out of the wind.

Yvonne relaxing at the lunch spot.

After lunch we encountered the windiest waterways of our trip. At the widest point, the steady wind was whipping up white capped waves and made for a fun and speedy return. We arrived at the Delflandhoeve campground around 3pm. Everyone took advantage of the nice changing room/bathroom (including shower) that was available to renters. Riana rallied the troops for post-paddling ice cream, so we biked back to the city and headed to Otelli (my favorite ice cream shop in Delft). We wrapped up the day with a visit to Flink Gegist (fun beer store), beers at Doerak, and dinner at Stadscafe De Waag. Thanks to all you Fulbrighters for making this one of my favorite kayaking days in the Netherlands! :)

In the windy spot! We didn't hang out here long...

More photos... click for slideshow!

Here are a bunch of photos from me, Erika, and Nick. Check them out! Nick snapped some cool shots from a bridge and also set up the fun group shots at the end.  

Date: Saturday, May 9th, 2015
Distance: 6.4 km (4 miles)
Duration: 3 hours (including lunch)
Weather: Super windy (Bft 6)