Netherlands > By Boat to Ameland

It’s Good Friday and Nicolette and I are going away for a weekend to Ameland. I’ve never been to this Frisian island before, and Nicolette only a very long time ago. Around eleven o’clock we set off. According to the GPS, it’s a two-hour-and-twenty-minute drive. We aim to catch the two o’clock ferry to the island. We take the A7 via Amsterdam. Everything goes smoothly until just before the Afsluitdijk. Suddenly, there’s a traffic jam. Roadworks are taking place on the Afsluitdijk and all traffic is reduced to one lane. The bridge must also be open at the same time, because we come to a complete standstill for over ten minutes. This might mean we won’t make the ferry. After twenty minutes of delay, we pass the Stevin Locks. There are more works further along. The dike is being reinforced along its entire length and the asphalt is being replaced. At the Lorenz Locks, traffic grinds to a halt again. We abandon the plan to take the two o’clock ferry. Not a big problem, really—there’s a departure every hour. Just before two o’clock we drive into Holwerd. The overflow parking lot is still closed, meaning there should still be parking space close to the ferry terminal. The website warns that on busy days the P1 lot can be full, with a shuttle service running from a more distant location. The lot by the ferry is almost full.

Netherlands - The ferry to the Wadden island Ameland

We manage to find a spot right at the back. It’s exactly two o’clock when we leave the car. In the departure hall, we can still see the two o’clock ferry docked. Passengers are still waiting to board. We quickly scan our e-tickets and join the line. The first foot passengers are already walking on board, and the last cars are driving up the ramp. It looks like we’re in luck. A few minutes later, the ferry sets off towards Ameland. From the upper deck, we watch Holwerd grow smaller. There’s a brisk wind, so we take a seat inside on a bench. The crossing takes just fifty minutes. Soon, we see the island appearing on the horizon. It’s busy on board with tourists—clearly, we weren’t the only ones who thought of spending the weekend on Ameland. There are many German tourists; they have a holiday during this period, and I’d guess they make up the majority around me. At around three o’clock, the ferry Oerd docks at the pier on Ameland. We walk ashore. We’ve rented bicycles for the coming days, and the bike rental is located right on the pier. The rental process is well-organized; despite the steady stream of customers, we barely have to wait. As an extra service, they deliver our luggage to our hotel. We also arrange for them to pick it up on Monday.

Netherlands - The freestanding church tower of Nes

We cycle to Nes. Nes is located in the middle of the island and close to the harbor. The center looks charming, and the terraces are busy. It’s clear that bicycles are the preferred mode of transport on Ameland—there are parked bikes everywhere. We ride out of the village on the opposite side. Our hotel, Duin en Bosch, is just outside the built-up area. We’re welcomed warmly. The room isn’t ready yet—no problem, as we were planning to have a drink in Nes anyway. The owner promises it will be ready when we return. At a terrace in Nes, we order a beer and a glass of wine, watching the tourists pass by. The center of Nes is full of old, small commander’s houses. These houses, some with dates from the seventeenth century, date back to the whaling era, when wealthy whaling captains built stone houses on the island. We decide to book a restaurant for tonight right away—given the number of tourists, it might be hard to find a table later. In the evening, we walk to the restaurant. Finding the exact way takes a bit of figuring out. The restaurant, Binnen, turns out to be a good choice. Afterwards, we stroll through the streets of Nes for a while. Our sense of direction still isn’t perfect—when we spot the windmill in the dark, we realize we’ve been walking in the wrong direction. Between the windmill and our hotel lies a nature reserve, so we have to backtrack a bit to get on the right route.