Ferry nice way to go Dutch

Sep 27 2008 by Our Correspondent, Huddersfield Daily Examiner

THERE was a time when my wife and I found that occasionally flying off to Europe for a short break served as the perfect palliative for jaded palates and business-weary brows.

But not any more for, while the periodic break may still be desirable, the mode of transport clearly isn’t.

The present day expense, hassle and extensive queuing has certainly deprived airports of much of their holiday magic, leaving the door open to the much more sensitive approach offered by the shipping lines.

Whether holidaying at home or abroad I have always felt the need to hit vacation mode almost on leaving the house. While you do need a couple of hours to drive to Hull docks from my home base, the anticipation of some relatively stress-free checking in before smoothly sailing off from the Port of Hull aboard a vessel of the 10-strong P&O Ferries fleet is always a good start.

After last year’s off-the-beaten track visit to North Holland, our latest venture abroad was a voyage of discovery to sample the delights of Zeeland.

This began with an overnight North Sea voyage to Zeebrugge on board P&O Ferries’ the Pride of York during which we enjoyed dinner and breakfast the following morning in P&O’s floating version of Langan’s Brasserie, named after a top eatery based in London’s West End..

Patience was the only prerequisite required the following morning. Led by the trip organisers from P&O and the Netherlands Board of Tourism, our party of travel journalists assembled waiting to disembark before beginning the hour and a half drive from Zeebrugge to Zeeland. This was to prove pretty painless, thanks to some very driver-friendly roadways.

A province of South West Holland, Zeeland consists of a number of islands and a strip of land which borders Belgium. Its capital is Middelburg, which houses a beautiful abbey. Over the years, fleets of ferries which linked the islands have been replaced by masterpieces of Dutch engineering in bridges and tunnels such as the three-mile long Zeeland Bridge completed in 1965, which links the islands of Schouwen-Duiveland and Noord-Beveland and the Westerschelde Tunnel opened in 2003 which runs underground for more than four miles linking both shores of the Westerschelde River.

Considered to be something of a mecca for sun worshippers, Zeeland is said to boast the most hours of sunshine of any area in the Netherlands.

First stop for our group of travelling scribes was the fishing port of Yerseke on the island of Schouwen-Duiveland.

Dubbed the Dutch capital city of mussels and oysters, it was at Yerseke where our understanding of shellfish received a massive boost courtesy of experts at the mussel museum and an illuminating tour of the oyster beds.

Lunchtime on day one of our Zeeland experience found our party in Zierikzee, dubbed “the town untouched by time.” Here, visitors can see and climb the legendary “fat tower”. During a guided tour of the town, looking through one of the original gateways complete with drawbridge was almost like peering back 200 years through a time portal at this quaint little seaside town which was awash with picturesque beauty.

On the seafront there were shops selling not souvenir versions but real-life wooden shoes to help farmers combat the muddy soil of the area.

A number of restaurants, a notable one of which was the Brasserie Maritime, serve up generous portions of a veritable seafood lovers’ delight with lunch majoring in oysters and mussels.

The afternoon found us in the town of Dreischor which, surprisingly for Holland, housed a vineyard.

De Kleine Schorre vinery is a family owned and run establishment and, while the guided tour includes wine tasting, there were also some pretty palatable bottles containing fruits of the vine on sale in the shop.

By then it was time to depart to our hotel for the night, the quite comfortable De Zeeuse Stromen in the seaside village of Renesse. Dinner in the evening found us sampling further delights of the shellfish products of Zeeland at the Grand Café Helder where local oysters and lobsters featured highly on a very extensive menu.

After breakfast on day two, the whole party enjoyed a bracing walk along the golden beach behind the hotel before taking a coffee break in the thoughtfully sheltered beach café.

Then it was time toŠdepart for the city of Veere. An interesting guided tour took in the extremely picturesque harbour, a monumental church building and the so-called Scottish Houses, built in the 17th century when Veere was a prosperous trading city, doing business especially with Scotland.

Before leaving for Rotterdam and the overnight journey back to Hull on board the P&O City of Hull, our final port of call was the Delta Park De Neeltje Jans, where all manner of water sport options are available.

Here there is also a hugely impressive creation once dubbed the eighth Wonder of the World, the Delta Works and the Oosterscheide Storm Surge Barrier. These were constructed to prevent the horrendous flooding last seen in 1953, which had a devastating effect on the people of Holland and the east coast of England.

So, whether you are hiking, biking courtesy of the excellent cycle route network, keenly into sailing and water sports, strolling through some truly enchanting villages, or just sitting at your easel taking advantage of that special Zeeland Light to create your own artistic masterpiece, this part of southern Holland is definitely one not to miss the next time you cross the North Sea.

P&O Ferries sails from Hull to Zeebrugge or Rotterdam once a day. Motorist mini cruise fares for a car and two passengers on the Hull - Zeebrugge or Rotterdam routes start from £66 per person, based on two people sharing an en-suite standard cabin. Alternatively, passengers seeking a longer break can spend up to five days on the continent from just £109 each way for a car and two people, with an en-suite standard cabin. All taxes are included in these prices.

Customers can book on www.poferries.com or call 08716 64 64 64.

Hotel De Zeeuwse Stromen, Duinwekken 5, 4325 GLŠ Renesse, The Netherlands www.zeeuwsestromen.nl E: info@zeeuwsestromen.nl

Yerseke, Kerkplein 1, 4401 ED Yerseke, E: info@vvvyerseke.nl, W: www.vvvzeeland.com. Guided Tour incl. Oyster Beds start from 7.50 euros per person

Maritime Brasserie, Nieuwe Haven 21, 4301 DJŠ Zierikzee W: www.brasseriemaritime.nl (only in Dutch), E: info@brasseriemaritime.nl

Vineyard ‘De Kleine Schorre’, Zuiddijk 4, 4315 PA Dreischor, T: +31 (0)111 401 550, F: +31 (0)111 401 946, W: www.zeeuwsewijn.nl (only Dutch). Guided tour inc tasting of the 2 wines and local nibbles is 13.50 euros per person

VVV Zierikzee, Nieuw Haven 7, 4301 DJ Zierikzee, T: +31 (0)118 630172 E: info@vvvschouwenduiveland.nl W: www.vvvzeeland.com. Guided tours start from €75 euros per guide.

Grand Cafe Helder, Hogezoom 139, 4325 CH Renesse T +31(0)111 462 246 E: info@grandcafehelder.nl

VVV Veere, Oudestraat 28, 351 AVŠ VEERE, E: info@vvvwnb.nl W: www.vvvzeeland.nl