Tag: Floris V pad

Walking the Floris V. Again?

The Cedar Journal May 28, 2023

Yesterday I walked a section of the Floris V Pad, again! Now, I finished the 245km hike from Amsterdam to Bergen op Zoom. I didn’t and won’t hike the entire Floris V Pad again!

AWCA Floris V Hike

The real reason (may this be a lesson to all those who share stories) is that I shared my Floris V hike story with a group of American women expats and I was asked to lead the first section of the hike through Amsterdam for a group. That was December 2022.

Learn more about the AWCA … https://awca.nl/about-us

As things go it was a bit of a rocky start on the planning side, but finally a date was set, published, and slowly people started signing up to attend.

There are about 300 American women who belong to this group in Amsterdam, with a few of us who reside outside the city but make the monthly trek into the big city for either coffee with our fellow American’s or to attend one of these many scheduled activities.

A diverse group from all sorts of backgrounds makes each get together interesting as we all have stories of how we ended up here, how long we have stayed, why we have stayed, and how varied our Dutch speaking skills have matured as we have lived here.

Yesterday, we had eleven members signed up for the hike. I mentally walked through how I could manage that number of people the night prior. Where the best places are to stop, possible bathroom breaks, places to get snacks. Planning for a group is different than if I was planning just for a hike alone.

My backpack had extra water, food, first aid kit, the layers of clothes for the Dutch weather (thank goodness the forecast didn’t include rain), and extra shoes.

Hubby, did a bit of a chuckle at the extra shoes and asked if I had ever hiked with extra shoes in my 245km trek?

Well, no! But, they are packed anyway!

Again the trip to get to the start of the trail is almost as much of an adventure as doing the hike.

I planned in detail my train schedule and arrival time,only to stand an extra 15 mins on the train platform due to some sort of train delay.

Being a long holiday weekend here in The Netherlands, the train was packed full, dumping people at the airport and picking up more luggage laden passengers heading into Amsterdam.

Disembarking, those same deer in the headlight luggage hauling passengers inched their way to the exit, while those of us who live here pushed to the front in the “we know what we are doing, get out of our way” pace.

Once outside Central Station, which that sight has never gotten old for me even after 17 years of living here, I quickly jumped to the opposite side of the street out of the crowds and headed towards our “meeting place” in front of the war memorial at the Dam Square.

The funny thing is, every tour group in the World meets at the Dam Square. Soon it was clear to me that this “meet up place” might be challenging. I didn’t know most the fellow hikers.

Once we all finally gathered (we were six out of 11 who signed up) we headed out.

Again, looking for the LAW white and red stickers that mark the trail path was a challenge (note to self, contact the national group and let them know they need some more stickers placed in a logical eye level areas).

Interested in hiking the Floris V Pad? You can get information from the following site. Floris V Pad

As with any hiking there always seems to be detours on the route. This one had a bridge over one of the canals closed and I quickly made a detour. One of the ladies on the hike pointed out that our detour took us right to the Amsterdam Memorial. This newly dedicated memorial features bricks with the names of Amsterdam citizens who were taken to and murdered in the concentration camps of WWII.

Thousands of bricks…

This was one of several walls of bricks both sides of the walls are covered with bricks in alphabetical order of the citizens who were murdered.

Read about my first Floris V hike in Amsterdam, Amsterdam

As we continued the hike towards our endpoint of Diemen. We walked along the Amstel River and enjoyed watching people out enjoying the beautiful weather. This part of Amsterdam is so different from the tourist trap of Dam Square, a true residential area filled with city gardens, house boats, benches for the locals to enjoy the river front. High end hotels (where we stopped in to admire the interior).

The interior The Amstel Hotel, Amsterdam.

When we approached the last part of the hike we watched the local rowing teams practice on the canal. A coach was riding up and down the path we were hiking yelling instructions to the rowers on the canal. Some of us wondered how many of the rowers might have had late night indulges of alcohol making the rowing a bit of a struggle. Hiking alongside we could make up any story.

I passed some poppies growing, I plucked 5 for some of my fallen buddies to toss in the canal as we made our way to the last few hundred meters.

In memory of all those who served with me who fell serving their country.

I didn’t mention to anyone in the group why I tossed the poppies or what it meant to me, a small prayer of thanks to those military members and their families on this Memorial Day weekend, who I served with in all three war zones and my 21+ years of service.

At the end of the hike we each parted ways to head back to Amsterdam or home. With experiences to share with family and friends and hopefully a new insight of how to view Amsterdam.

I did find a couple of Hummm… along this hike.

Hummm… interesting, I did leave a message, I will have to check and see if it inspired a song.😳

Hummm… hope they find what they are looking for, I have found mine!❤️😊

Finally Floris V Pad completed!

The Cedar Journal March 6, 2023

So now that all my readers have been informed, let me dive into my completion of the Floris V Pad from Steenbergen to Bergen op Zoom.

I broke this last part down into two 9 km hikes over two days. The Hubby was my transport to all my start and end points and I am happy to report that the hike was another team building success. Although, there was a slight hiker detour on day one. Hummm…

https://www.alltrails.com/explore/recording/afternoon-hike-at-floris-v-pad-steenbergen-bergen-op-zoom-klavervelden-etappe-13-2e9fcd6?p=-1&sh=ao49wx

A clear sky and cool breeze welcomed me on this first day as well as a few nice surprises on this planned 9 km…more like 10.5 km hike.

The first surprise find on the hiking trail, a Royal Air Force crash site memorial.

This area of The Netherlands was liberated by British and Canadian Forces. This crash site memorial was a reminder that freedom always has a price. As a veteran, I took a few moments to reflect and say a small prayer for those who were lost in this crash but these hero’s will never be forgotten due to a community memorial.

The trail took me through the town of Steenbergen and then on to the next village but not before I encountered this beautiful mural painted on an underpass with a beautiful message.

Poppies, the flower of memorial to veterans.

“ I run everywhere” Freedom of never being contained to one spot.

I hiked past small front gardens with green shoots of Spring bulbs popping out of the ground. The signs of Spring gave me a feeling of happy resolution, another change of one season to the next.

As I was contemplating the Spring season, I hiked close to a small roadside chapel. These are very common in the more Catholic areas of The Netherlands and this one was in remembrance of a local nun. These small enclosed chapels are mostly the same, a room with a quiet spot for prayer or reflection, only large enough for one or two people, candles, and usually a statue of the Mother Mary. I took a few moments at this one along my hike to light a candle for all who are suffering from the war in Ukraine.

I stepped back outside and continued on my hike heading towards a wooded area.

The sun shining through the tree lined trail and heading towards a forest area.

This part of the Floris V Pad was the most wild country I have hiked through in this now years long hike. “Wild” is a relatively subjective term as it isn’t even close to the Minnesota “wild” but for this small highly populated country I was surprised to find this secluded “wild”.

A statue in the middle of a field documenting the end of peat harvested from the marsh area.

Shortly after seeing this peat harvest monument I saw a car that looked like our car but was on the other side of a fence. The trail went left, the car was on the right. I took one look at the car and thought “that can’t possibly be him.” then continued left.

Yeah… it was him and neither him (he had seen me walking but got busy on his phone) or I realized I missed the pick up point until I was about 2 km further. Several frantic text messages later and a small black car went by (I think the person driving must have thought “what on earth is that gal doing waving her arms?”). Then finally the actual little black car with my dedicated driver pulled up.

Day Two…

We spent a night at an unusual B&B (more on that in a follow up blog) and woke up to snow flakes!

We drove to the start point and I started on what would be my last experience on the Floris V Pad. These last kilometers would be my hard earned accomplishment. Fitting that it was lightly snowing and cold.

This part was nothing like the day prior, this was all well marked and well travelled trails. Through a beautiful wooded area with large trees, old sand dunes, and some marshy areas. This day had a few surprises to help me celebrate the end of my hike.

One of the many interesting fungi I saw.

A lake with a wooded island in the middle, reminded me of Bear Lake in Barnum, Minnesota.

Finally the end point of my Floris V Pad hike!!! The sign says 243 KMS to Amsterdam.

The end point meeting point.😂🤣 The hospital? I guess the Hubby anticipated issues. I had no problem finding him this day!

Now that this hike is in my rear view mirror I am happy it is completed! I experienced The Netherlands in a way very few Americans who live or visit here ever do. Taking this trail one step at a time through the country was truly the best way to see it in all its glory. Old to new, cities to farmland, common to unusual.

Do I have another hike planned? Not yet.

Netherlands Hiking

Floris V Pad…2023; Strijensas to Numansdorp

The Cedar Journal February 6, 2023

I started the year with one goal in mind, complete the Floris V Pad hiking trail to Bergen op Zoom in 2023! Look at the total route or different route sections here.

So when the Hubby asked what I wanted to do for my birthday, I first asked to visit a castle with my spinning wheel and spin wool.

That suggestion was vetoed immediately.

Instead he was happy to hear about my second choice of continuing my hike on the Floris V Pad. Well…maybe he wasn’t completely happy but he agreed to be my driver.

We arrived at our wonderful B&B De Schuur Inn on 1 February. An isolated place in the flat country. I would highly recommend this B&B for anyone hiking the Floris V Pad as the owner is also a hiker and has completed several Dutch hiking routes. Plus, the breakfast each morning was perfect for tanking up prior to the hiking.

These are just the local names of the more than 1800 lives that were lost during the 1953 Dutch flood.

The first night I did a short three kilometer hike to a local memorial site. Follow my route (here).

Appropriate since it was the 70th remembrance of the 1953 flood. The flood that caused such a large lost of lives, animals, and property destruction that it pushed the Dutch government to create the Delta Works, a series of locks, dams, and flood gates that finally cut off the ocean from the flat landscape. A system that can regulate the water flow at high tides and damaging storms. One of the worlds best engineered solutions for water control.

The next morning I headed out to where I had stopped last August (here), the village of Strijensas. Can follow my route on AllTrails link (here)

This route along the Hollandsch Diep River is flat, very flat except for the dikes that run along the river. It also is a gathering site for all sorts of water fowl.

Then there are the sheep. Everywhere along this trail.

Just a bit in my way…can you please move?

This black sheep wasn’t bothered by me hiking past.

There is always one dumb sheep in every flock! How do I know? I grew up on a sheep farm. This one had gotten his head stuck in the fence and couldn’t get out. My good deed of this hiking day was helping him out so he could rejoin the flock.

Not only sheep…a couple of turkeys too!

That was day one…sheep, turkeys, farm equipment, and a few chickens.

I walked right to the B&B front door from the trail. Perfect day one!

Day two…

Started from the B&B with the plan of meeting the Hubby at my end point on the other side of Numansdorp. You can follow my route on AllTrails (here)

Day two started with Brussel sprouts!

No, I didn’t eat them but I saw fields and fields of the winter veggies just waiting to be harvested.

The universe started throwing new signs at me.

I laughed. Really? This can be on my Hummm…file.

I guess it wasn’t a joke! There are actually Walibi in this pasture!

Not much else to see along this hike until Numansdorp. Although, I did see a low flying military helicopter.

Numansdorp, is an old harbor village. The route has plenty of newer buildings on the outskirts leading into town.

One of many extremely large houses on the edge of the village.

The Numansdorp water gates that block the river off from the harbor.

Now outside of the village I was about to experience the full force of the wind.

The wind never seems to stop in this part of the country but from the dike I had the full force of it in my face as I headed to my end point.

When I made it to my last few hundred feet I passed a harbor dry dock. The boat names I always find interesting.

I accomplished another 18km of the Floris V Pad hiking trail. I am so happy that flat land with wind and sheep are done! Now across the river and the last 61 kilometers to Bergen op Zoom!

A very special THANK YOU HUBBY, for being my supporting transport to and from this section of the Floris V Pad. Through the road construction, bad gps directions, round and round the countryside full of concrete barriers you were there for me at the end of the trail. ❤️❤️

Netherlands Hiking

Floris V Pad – Dordrecht to Strijensas- Day 2

The Cedar Journal July 13, 2022

I was hopeful that Day 2 of this Floris V Pad hike would be a bit nicer than Day 1. The Hubby and I had already decided that I would skip hiking through the Kilt Tunnel (full of construction noise) and start on the opposite side of the river.

Start point for Day 2. Soon to be already more exciting (dangerous).

The Hubby was going to be my chase car for the day as he didn’t want to go all the way back into Dordrecht. So he quickly dropped me at my start point started programing my end point into the gps. I started my hike.

This part of the Floris V the top of the large dike that follows along the river giving hikers a wonderful view of both the river and the landscape.

The universe had other plans for me! As I reached the gate at the top of the dike the largest angriest Doberman dog came at me barking and hitting the fence and gate from the other side (the side where the trail clearly was marked). I backed off and saw a lady who tried (unsuccessfully) to call her dog.

Something about looking at angry teeth and the fact the dog didn’t seem to be listening was disturbing. I just waited and finally after several minutes the dog owner approached but she didn’t get control of her dog. Instead she asked me if I really needed to be here!

I calmly explained I was hiking the Floris V Pad and that it was clearly marked. I would wait for her to control her dog. In the mean time the Hubby slowly went by me in our van heading towards our link up point, the dog started running after our vehicle and was just as angry. All the while the dog owner tried to get me to walk somewhere else.

With no other options available and clearly this dog owner was not backing down or controlling her dog. I altered my route to the side pavement below the dike. To say I was a bit pissed at the way the day started would be a huge understatement! I considered ways the universe could take both her and her dog off the face of the planet!

After a few kilometers I was able to climb some steps back to the top of the dike. I checked to make sure that the woman and her dog were not in sight and continued towards the village of De Wacht. Viewing the river traffic as I went.

A sheep pasture fence that had steps for hikers.

At the village I descend concrete stairs into the village. Passed by a couple of cute small gardens and then headed out into the farmland landscape. Flat landscape.

The heat was starting to build and the pavement was getting hot. A hiker with a history of heat exhaustion, I was already checking out the map and scanning the area for trees or any sort of shade.

Nice garden along the street in De Wacht.

The only part shade around was this farmer stand.

When I emerged from my stop in the shade I started thinking I was seeing things as a van that looked like ours crossed the road I was hiking, too far away, I couldn’t be sure it was our vehicle.

As I got closer to the intersection a nice grouping of trees provided so shade. Once again I saw one of these…

I started thinking maybe I should invest in a container full of these mailboxes as they seem to be suddenly popular with the Dutch.

I texted the Hubby my location and asked if he had passed by me. The answer… he couldn’t open my Apple product map so he had no idea where I was. He texted me his location and I told him I was close and getting ready to start the last part of the trail.

After several more messages and a van zipping past me, me waving, jumping up and down, van continuing off into the flat landscape, turning and then a text that he couldn’t find me, he would meet me at the end point.

I continued on, smiling to myself that I have a wonderful partner even though he sometimes doesn’t “see” me waving my arms and jumping around like a fool in the middle of no where farm land.

The Hubby speeding through the Dutch farm land. Yes, that is our van.

Now as I got closer to my end point and walked through the dust being kicked up from several tractors working in the dry fields. I was ready to put this part of the Floris V Pad behind me! Not much to see or talk about on this section.

Walking up these steps in Strijensas I got another view of the area.

This cute village was the highlight of my hike.

Hiking off the overview and into the village it was filled with small houses with cute gardens. I came up to a bridge and had a lock for boats.

The bridge I had to walk over to get to my end point.

The Hubby was waiting with a story to tell. Construction, wrong turns, not seeing me, and a gps that had inadvertently put him in the middle of farmland that was blocked by tractors! He had a rough time being my chase car for the day. But, like all good partners that get sucked into our passionate adventures he deserves my heartfelt gratitude. After 15 years together we have had many such adventures and he still is volunteering to help.

I just hope the next section I hike of the Floris V will be less of a challenge for the chase car.😊

This 2nd day of hiking was 9 km. 18km closer to my destination at Bergen op Zoom.

Floris V Pad- Dordrecht to Strijensas Day 1

The Cedar Journal May 8, 2022

This blog is a bit late… I completed this section of the Floris V in late April…No excuse for publishing late only that sometimes it is hard to get a blog to flow…

Last week (end of April 🤨) was the first time since last August 2021 that I had hiked on the Floris V Pad heading towards my goal and end point Bergen op Zoom. I have taken my own sweet time in hiking this trail, not on purpose or by design, just that life sometimes interferes with what I want to accomplish. (Guess that can also be said for writing a blog!)

The Floris V Pad up to this point was fairly easy to get to my start and stop points by public transport. This section is getting more challenging to use bus or train, this is a less populated area of The Netherlands.

This time I asked for transport help from the Hubby. He volunteered (yeah, right… you think he had a real choice?) to get me to and from my start and stop points for two days while we camped in the Biesbosch National Park.

You think he had an easy job?

I think not… but let me get started before I jump ahead of my story.

At this point I had completed 158 km of my total goal to reach 245km. In August 2021 I had stopped just outside the De Elzen nature area. So this is where I started.

Checking my map just as I started. Maybe a bit of hiking anxiety?

My plan was to hike to a small industrial area close to the Kiltunnel (a long large traffic and pedestrian tunnel that goes under the Dordtsche Kil River). A nice restaurant where the Hubby could meet me and we could have a celebration coffee.

Hiking this nature park was a wonderful way to start this hike.

I started hearing birds everywhere in the canopy of the trees.

The birds were very happy to see me and sang as I hiked.

The air was cool and the sky a crystal blue above the trees. I saw only two other people while inside the nature park. After dodging people for the past two years during COVID (even when hiking in this densely populated country) I was so glad to be hiking alone in nature.

Not sure what these plants are but they looked like rhubarb and were only in one part of the park.

At my 3 km point I turned left to leave the park.

The first Floris V Pad sticker of the day.

The trial now started to incline, here that means I was climbing a small dike and soon I saw that there was even a bigger dike on my left. The trail was now a roadway, hot, long, with the occasional pair of +65 cyclists speeding by me on electric bikes. That did very little for my enthusiasm for continuing the hike but I didn’t want to throw in the white flag and stop. Yes, I did want to do that, but I convinced myself I needed to keep moving.

If it looks like a hill in this part of the country it usually is only a dike to hold out the river.

Flat farmland surrounded me, except for the dike. I could see Dordrecht in the distance.

I finally came to a small wooded area with some shade and stopped for a drink of water. Luckily, there were two very busy birders. You might know the kind, two pair of binoculars, scanning the trees, fields, looking very intense. I asked what birds they had seen and they rattled off a list of Dutch bird names that made my head spin. I offered the De Elzen nature park as a possible next location to them and they happily thanked me, jumped into their car and headed in the direction I had just hiked.

These are the interesting interactions I love about hiking. These are real people with real passionate hobbies who are willing to be just who they are, down to earth and friendly with a fellow outdoor person.

The trail now was on top of another dike so I was looking over flat farmland. Tractors were speeding through the fields, kicking up dust. It seemed that it was awfully dry. I was getting hot, the pavement was hot and I was just looking for the next bunch of trees to be a bit cooler.

For those readers who remember my Hummm…blog from April that is when on this hike I started seeing American post boxes. I did think maybe I was starting to hallucinate, so I started taking pictures of each one I saw, just to make sure…I was still in my right mind.

One of the Dutch mailboxes along this same stretch of my hike.

Now I had to cross a railroad track.

The universe thought I needed to stop, for a train.

Heading now into a very industrial area the hike provided little in the way of scenery. Large logistical buildings lined my route towards the river front.

I was finally approaching my end point and hopefully a cup of coffee in celebration. I texted the Hubby and my motivation was killed as he texted back that the restaurant where he was sitting was closed. Oh my!

Last part of the hike for Day 1. The Dordtsche Kil River on the left.

When I arrived at the link up location the Hubby informed me of his less than enthusiastic adventure of dodging construction just to get to my location. If he only knew what was to come on day 2…

Day 1 hike total 9 km.