A fair wind...

After an evening sampling beer and good Dutch food in canal side hostelries, we depart from Matt and his flat mate on Saturday morning ( both of them were up ! ) The birding really kicks off as we pass canals and ponds - Great Reed Warbler and our first White stork of the trip, geese and every waterway home to cheeping ducklings, cygnets and mini-coots.
There are lots of traditional working windmills and we watch as 2 blokes struggle to pull the sack clothes over two of the sails to catch the high winds. Like on a boat, the material is furled to half its area as it is so windy. Despite the high winds the ancient ferryman has not gone to the pub, but takes us, his only passengers, across the Rhine in his brand new bike/foot ferry.


The strong winds are on our backs today, easing the ride to our WS hosts who live in a unique Eco village in Culemborg.


Miles to date 633

Location:Leiden to Culemborg