Thursday 2 June

Overcast and grey today, and feeling cold. Had to put a hat and scarf on today. Went through the dunes to Pad van 20, then to the Oude Kooi, a decoy for trapping wild ducks in years gone by. The apparatus has been restored, but is no longer in use. After the Oude Kooi, we went to the Posthuys for some lunch, which we had to take inside - but with the ginger cat sitting next to us. We then returned to Pad van 20 to walk to the Nieuwe Kooi. Finally, we returned to Oost Vlieland and the Boeier. It was cold and windy today. I went to a mobile fish & chip shop in the evening for dinner, and we went to the beach for a final time in the evening. This was our last full day in the island for this trip.

 

Wednesday 1 June

June opened with clear skies and sunshine. We headed off on the bikes to the east, down the Kampweg. Stopped for a few minutes at the goldfish pond, named after local man Klaas Douwes, then carried on towards the Fortweg. This links the marina to the northeastern point of the island. Upon approach to the dune crossing, two ship's masts appeared very close to the dunes. On reaching the top of the crossing a ship was stranded across one of the breakwaters. Apparently, the Noorderlicht, a flat-bottomed sailing ship, had attempted to reach Vlieland late last night. However, on account of dense fog, strong northeasterly winds and strong tidal currents, she went off course and ran aground. Her 28 teenage passengers left the ship unhurt and were put up in a nearby campsite. Her crew stayed on board, and the Noorderlicht was pulled free on the high tide in the afternoon. She was towed away to Harlingen for checks. Meanwhile, at midday we settled down in the Dining restaurant (deining is Dutch for sea swell) at the marina, for a cup of coffee and cake. After an hour, we proceeded to and through the village, out the other side and down the Wadden Sea coast to Lange Paal, and then back to the Boeier. Unfortunately, the northeasterly wind made the last part of the journey, through the dunes, a tad difficult as it was a headwind. Later in the day, we walked to the Strandhotel - and back along the beach.

Tuesday 31 May

Today, the mist continues. It comes off the sea, which is cold at this time of year, and meets warm air over the island and the mainland. It looks and feels like haar, and keeps the temperature down. Undeterred, we set off by bicycle to the Posthuys Restaurant, 5 miles away, where the sun came out for our coffee and applepie with cranberry sauce. A ginger cat joined us for a moment. We then proceeded further south, to the former army base (now derelict) and the crossing to the North Sea beach, 6½ miles from town. The mist drifted onto the beach again as we returned to the cycles. Returning north, there was a lot of birdlife in the Kroonspolder reserves, geese, lapwings, ducks - and a hen harrier. We had a break at Bomenland, then went back to the Boeier along the Wadden Sea side of the island.