Workum to Makkum

Today's great voyage was 15km from Workum to Makkum on the Ijsseleer coast with 5 lift bridges. 

The canal outside Workum makes an abrupt right turn. This is what is known as a "trekvart" - in olden days the barges would have been pulled along the canal by horses. 

This was our warmest, sunniest day although we did end up with occasional showers this afternoon - when we were out on the bikes, naturally. There were plenty of boats out and about, but few sail boats on this stretch of canal. 

Our mooring in Makkum. Actually, we moved eventually, a little way down the canal as Skip wanted to watch the F1 Grand Prix and we couldn't get a satellite signal through the tree.

Makkum is yet another boat center with HUGE boat building sheds especially the Feadship shed which must have been 200m long. There is also a small fishing harbour and a quay full of lovely old sailing barges used for charters. The 4 marinas must have had 500 boats between them.  Thankfully that was all beyond the last bridge and lock out into the meer. 

I took these photos from the top of a bird-watching tower. The area across the canal is a nature reserve.

The town side was much quieter and we have a lovely grassy mooring next to a willow. Not beneath the willow. We learned our lesson about mooring underneath trees full of birdies the hard way. Between the poop and leaves, it's not a good idea. 

We cycled across the bridge to the island where there is a holiday/camping village, just to take a look see. There is a nice beach and plenty of restaurants, but it all seemed a bit downmarket for what my mother would call the bucket-and-space-brigade. Evidenced by ...

It is Sunday and everything except the bars and restaurants are closed and there is hardly anyone about. Except the harbormaster who collects the money :) of course  … 15euros, all in. It's not our favourite place - OK, but not a patch on Lemmer, for example. Everything seems a bit tattier.