The Naked Kayaker
  • Blog
    • Search the site
  • Resources
    • Complete List of Posts
    • Trip Planning 101
    • Intro to Kayaking - Course Outline
    • Where can I rent a kayak in Belgium/the Netherlands?
    • How do I get certified in NL?
    • Map of Paddling Clubs
    • Dutch-English Watersports Dictionary
  • Destinations
    • West Coast
    • Great Lakes Region
    • New York State
    • New England
    • Europe
    • Oceania
  • Water Nerd
  • About & Contact

Blog

"Believe me, my young friend. There is nothing, absolutely nothing,
half so worth doing as simply messing around in boats." 

The Wind in the Willows

Spotting ducklings and wild cows on the newly-restored island of Tiengemeten

4/30/2017

3 Comments

 
Picture
Scottish Highland Cows - the largest residents of Tiengemeten. Photo from http://quiltingjeannet.blogspot.nl/ because I couldn't get close enough...
Picture
Ducklings peeping along the coast of Tiengemeten.
Tiengemeten, population 10, is an island in the Haringvliet named after its size (tien = 10, gemeten = ancient unit of measurement corresponding to approximately 1 acre). It started out as a sandbar in the Haringvliet estuary (which has since been blocked off from the sea and turned into a freshwater lake), and eventually grew to be an island between 1750 and 1804. After that it underwent all kinds of changes and development. Yesterday, Tom, Amelia, Iede, and I kayaked around it. Read on to see some cool photos of wetland restoration and find out what makes this island unique (from a kayaking and historical perspective)!
Picture
We arrived at the small harbor at Nieuwendijk around 10am. Kayak/canoe launch to the right (outside the photo).
Ever since I looked at a Google map of the Netherlands (closely), I've been intrigued by Tiengemeten. It stood out because it was totally "green" (i.e. designated as a part) and had essentially no roads, something that's pretty rare in the Netherlands. This weekend I finally had a chance to explore it by kayak. Iede, Tom, Amelia, and I met at the clubhouse in Rotterdam at 9am to load the boats and drive to the launch site at Nieuwendijk. I drove Iede's car because he'd be spending the night on the island with Tom while Amelia and I would drive back later, and he wanted to make sure I knew how to drive. Though I've been in a kayak seat much longer than behind a steering wheel, driving is one American activity that I'm a fan of. A few revs of the engine later, we were off! 
Picture
Artsy photo from the kayak/canoe dock. Green/blue boats are ferries to Tiengemeten.

A brief history of Tiengemeten...

Before jumping into the post, I'd like to introduce you to Tiengemeten. Tiengemeten came naturally into existence as a raised sand berm in the Haringvliet estuary somewhere in the ~1600s. In the late 1700s, it was developed and poldered (diked and drained) for agriculture. At one point, the island was also used as a quarantine site for ships that had visited the East Indies, before they could continue on to Dordrecht. In the late 1900s, as agriculture became less profitable, many proposals were made about what to do with the island: recreation, contaminated waste site, freight airport, nuclear power plant. In the 1990s, most of the farmers were bought out and the island was converted to a nature park, with the last farmer leaving in 2007. Today it can be accessed by bike or foot via a small ferry that runs from Nieuwendijk.

​... but accessing it by kayak is WAY more fun. ;)
Picture
Birds Nena's-eye view of packing up the kayak.
Picture
Amelia drifting and Tom and Iede carrying down Iede's fully-loaded boat.
Picture
"I don't smile for photos" -Iede
Picture
Amelia, and a couple wild cows in the background (in the grass on the right of the photo...)

Let's talk about hydrology...

So why was the island converted into a nature park? In 1970, the Haringvliet estuary was closed off from the North Sea by a series of tide gates, installed to control water levels and prevent flooding (in response to the great floods of 1953). This resulted in nearly complete reduction of tides (from 2 m to 30 cm) and conversion from a saline to mostly freshwater system, as sea water was kept out. In response, the marshes and mudflats shrunk drastically. (I think) the restoration was done to partly offset the effects of the flood gates. Now, there are larger plans in the works to allow more water in and out from the North Sea, to eventually create a 60 cm tide and somewhat better habitat.  
"Since its return to nature, Tiengemeten has become a real wilderness with trackless terrain, flowing creeks and gullies, meadows full of flowers and huge populations of migrating birds, including ospreys and egrets. Some of the marshy pastures are grazed by Highland cattle and other hardy animals." - Wikipedia

Restoration of Tiengemeten

In 2007, all of Tiengemeten was designated a nature park. Once the farmland was freed up for restoration, breaches were made in multiple locations along the dikes (see photo below), and some tidal channels excavated (see aerial photo comparison below). ​
Picture
Tiengemeten before restoration. Source: Rijkswaterstaat Beeldbank.
Picture
Map showing the three regions of Tiengemeten. Source: https://plazilla.com/page/4295002632/een-dagje-uit-in-de-natuur-het-natuureiland-tiengemeten
Picture
Levee breach on the southern side of the islands - part of the new tidal channel excavated during island restoration.

Before and after construction: aerial photos

Below are some aerial photos from Google Earth. Click to enlarge and toggle between them. In 2005, the agricultural landscape is still completely intact. The western and southern sides of the island were natural tidal marsh. On the right, you see that water can now enter many formerly diked areas, especially along a couple major channels that were dug during the "restoration". The eastern tip of the island remains diked and developed (nature center/campground). It is definitely still in an awkward adolescent phase, but each year (and storm) that passes, it will be one step closer to a more natural state.
2005 (before)
2015 (in progress!)
I didn't have a chance to explore the island itself, so I'll have to return with a bike to see this proliferation of wildlife... What I found particularly interesting about the island was the approach taken in communicating the restoration project to the public. During its conversion to nature park, the island was divided into three distinct areas (see map above):
​
1. Weelde (Wealth) - An area of biological richness and diversity.
2. Weemoed (Nostalgia) - An area where the historic farming culture has been preserved.
3. Wilderness - Where nature dominates (it's not 100% clear to me how this is different from Weelde - I think Weelde are areas in the middle of the island that subsided heavily due to draining, creating a low, sheltered, wet area that appears to be popular bird habitat).

​This interesting paper provides a better discussion about these areas and why they're communicated differently to the public. If you found this discussion (and before/after pictures) interesting, you can check out my write up from another trip through a restoring marsh - at the Jantjesplaat in the Biesbosch. ​
Picture
Okay, now that we know lots about Tiengemeten, let's get back to the kayaking part. We circumnavigated the island in a clockwise direction, in an effort to have the wind at our backs. However, there was virtually no wind so we could have gone either way. I'm beginning to think the Dutch kayaking conditions are always calm. :)

Since most of the island is strictly designated "wilderness," and no boaters (including non-motorized craft) are permitted to land, we went to a beach on the mainland for lunch (see map at end of this post). On the way to lunch, Iede and I chit-chatted about all kinds of IT-related things since he's a software engineer and my newest task at work involves a diagram that looks like this. While I can't say my work task is much clearer, it's comforting to know a non-work person who understands!
Picture
This beach isn't actually on Tiengemeten (since there are few legal landing spots), but it's very close by.
When we landed, we promptly went searching for pee spots. I cannot recommend this beach for the ladies - the best I could find was a thorn-infested, unstable, rocky, slope with sparse coverage. We then headed up to the grassy field (because Dutch people seem to take issue with sitting on the beach... something about taking good care of our gear? :), where we were initially attacked by a swarm of mosquito-esque bugs. I swatted a mosquito on my leg, and Tom said "Not much of an outdoorsy person, are you?" to which I responded "I'm not much of a mosquito-bite-on-my-inner-thigh kind of person... are you?" Touché! (I think). 

Amelia and I drank tea and ate pasta, Tom and Iede brewed coffee of varying quality, and we all munched on Amelia's potato chips. I took some artsy photos of my noodle tupperware. I'm really enjoying the artsy close-ups lately... All sarcasm aside, it was a very enjoyable lunch, and I learned a lot about the history, politics, an impending rebuild of the Never Dry club.
Picture
Adorable ducklings! We might have scared away their mother though :(
Picture
Tom with his fancy espresso machine at lunch. To his credit, he was spending the night on the island...
After lunch we headed back to Tiengemeten to finish up our circumnavigation. One thing that struck me was that even along the more natural western end of the island, rocky breakwaters lined the entire edge. Apparently this is to prevent erosion when storms whip up some big waves. I guess the island is permitted to be "natural" within those rocky limits, but not evolve morphologically (i.e. erode, reshape). 
Picture
"Wild" Scottish highland cows chilling on the beach.
Along the north side of the island we spotted some "wild" Scottish Highland cows. These were apparently bred back to obtain attributes (long shaggy hair, horns) of an extinct type of Scottish cattle.  We saw them chilling on the beach, but if you get too close they get nervous and hide in the tall grasses. 
Picture
Iede chasing the ferry into the harbor on Tiengemeten
We were hoping to have a coffee or beer at a cafe in the visitor's center, so we paddled into the small island harbor and landed our boats. Upon entering the visitor's center, the only thing available was a coffee machine in the wall (not so gezellig), so after reading some informational signs we departed again. Tom and Iede dropped Amelia and I off on the mainland around 5pm. The girls drove back to Rotterdam and the boys headed back to the island for an evening of camping, beers, and chili con carne (a bit jealous here). I'm looking forward to joining one of the club's overnight trips soon!

I leave you with a couple fun (alternative?) facts about Tiengemeten:
- Since the island was privately owned until 2001, laws of the road did not apply. And since fixing your car was expensive on the island, people would bring cheap old cars and drive them around until they broke. This resulted in a lot of car wrecks lying around the island. 
- For 1 year in 1986 the channel to Nieuwendijk couldn't be crossed by ferry, so school children were shuttled by police helicopter!
Date: Saturday, April 29th, 2017
Distance: 21 km (13 miles)
Duration: ~6 hrs (including 1.5 hrs for lunch)
Weather:​ Cloudy, started out warm and became cool by the end of the day
3 Comments
Jaap
5/1/2017 04:48:22

Nice story! I learn a lot about my country. I think you have seen goslings in stead of ducklings

Reply
Iede
5/1/2017 07:52:34

>> I'm beginning to think the Dutch kayaking conditions are always calm. :)
You missed the seconds day of the weekend ;-)
Saturday was fun ----- and
Sunday was fun ~~~~~ in another way.

Reply
kblivestockfarm kblivestockfarm link
7/1/2020 00:00:42

Really very useful information, It is motivating my career. I recommended from your website details everyone read more. KB livestock Farm: kadaknath chicken and chicks for sell. The best, leading kadaknath poultry farm website lists kadaknath chicken for sale in India. http://www.kblivestockfarm.com

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    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 Tips

    Click 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.
    Suggestions much appreciated!


    Archives

    December 2020
    April 2019
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    March 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    December 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    May 2011
    November 2010
    October 2010
    September 2010
    August 2010
    July 2010
    June 2010
    May 2010


    Categories

    All
    Biking
    Camping
    Canoeing
    City Trip
    Distance: 00 - 05 Miles
    Distance: 05 - 10 Miles
    Distance: 10 - 15 Miles
    Distance: 15 - 20 Miles
    Distance: > 20 Miles
    Guest Post
    Hiking
    Kayak Polo
    Reflections
    Region: Belgium
    Region: California
    Region: Canary Islands
    Region: Croatia
    Region: France
    Region: Great Lakes
    Region: Greece
    Region: Italy
    Region: Netherlands
    Region: New York
    Region: New Zealand
    Region: Norway
    Region: Oregon
    Region: Portugal
    Region: Spain
    Region: Switzerland
    Region: UK
    Region: US East Coast
    Region: Vancouver
    Region: Washington
    Roadtrip
    Tide: Non-Tidal
    Tides: Non-Tidal
    Tides: Tidal
    Time Capsules
    Trip Planning 101
    Type: Bay
    Type: Canal
    Type: Channel
    Type: Fjord
    Type: Lake
    Type: Lake/Reservoir
    Type: Open Coast
    Type: River
    Water Nerd

    RSS Feed

    Click the RSS Feed link, copy the URL, and paste it into your favorite feed reader.
    Blog Expat: living abroad

    Expats Blog
© 2021 The Naked Kayaker. All rights Reserved.