Floris V-pad, Kortenhoef to Weesp, NL

The weather forecast (which is almost never correct here unless it calls for wind and rain) was for wind and rain through Christmas Day. That meant if I wanted to complete another section of the Floris V-pad I just had to push myself out the door and complete it while the weather was still cooperating.

Route of Travel: N397 bus → Schiphol Airport Train Station→ Train to Hilversum Train Station→ Bus 105 → Kortenhoef Bus stop Veenstaete → Floris V-pad hike 9.3 Km→ Bus stop Lage Klompweg Weesp → Train to Airport→Bus N397 home.

The weather was much warmer on Wednesday, than the last hike I did last Saturday on the Floris V-pad. The overcast sky and light breeze with the temperature hovering around 6C (42F) made this an enjoyable hiking experience.

The first part through Kortenhoef followed the rural streets towards the pastures on the North part of town. Here are a few interesting things I saw. This small library outside someone’s house reminded me of a blog posted recently by Audrey at Minnesota Prairie Roots, Little Free Libraries. Here is a Dutch version of the mini free library.

The next is of a house I saw along the route that has a wonderful sculptured shrubs.

The best find on my hike was just a few 100 meters down the street and into a sheep pasture. I stopped to take pictures of the gate and hiking sign. Then stepped into the pasture being careful to avoid the sheep manure as I picked up the hiking path heading across the pasture. As I looked up, I saw hundreds of geese in the field, and about 20 swans. The bird that really caught my eye next was the stork standing very close to where I entered the pasture. I stopped and was now trying to carefully get my other camera out of my backpack. Now I was mentally cursing myself that I hadn’t brought my hubby’s camera with the larger lens.

Just as I started to take the camera out of the bag, the stork realized that I wanted a picture of him, he flew down the pasture and tried to hide in the group of swans. I was able to get a couple of pictures, but he kept flying to points just outside my max zoom on my camera. Hummm, a bit of a camera shy stork, I guess.

I entered into a wooded area void of people and birds.

When I came to the end of this path it linked up with a bike path that took me right through a nature area. Canals and lakes lined both sides of the path. Along this stretch I only saw one bike and no hikers.

I enjoyed hiking this part of the path. It felt remote and isolated. The wind blowing through the reeds had a relaxing almost musical sound.

Soon I was back on a hard bike path and I followed it until the hiking signs had me back on a smaller trail again through a marsh area.

I only saw two people (dog walkers) at the very end of this hiking area. The fact that this was a Wednesday and a winter hike is most likely why I completed this hike in relative isolation and void of most human contact.

I did have to share this remote area with hundreds of geese that were resting in the fields. First, the couple hundred in the sheep pasture and then towards the end of the hike, a few hundred more in another farm pasture. The squawking from all those geese was like listening to a group of festive people all talking at the same time, very noisy!

Finally, I came to the end of my 9.3 Km hike. It was the bus stop I had taken the previous Saturday, Lage Klomweg, Weesp. Not nearly as cold and tired as I was the prior hike I enjoyed the bus and train ride home.

Only 223.7 Km to complete the Floris V-pad in Bergen op Zoom. I think 2019…  

 To all my fellow bloggers and readers of The Cedar Journal, best wishes for health and wealth in the New Year. Next publication will be on 8 January 2019.

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