Do you remember Easter 2019? With it’s lovely temperatures from Good Friday until the week after? Anneloes asked me if I wanted to join her on a daytrip to the Dutch Wadden island of Schiermonnikoog. I immediately said yes and part of the reason was I had never been to Schiermonnikoog (in short ‘Schier’) before. So she picked me up from my home on Saturday morning and we took the 9.30 am boat to the island.
Renting a bike
The crossing on the ferry from Lauwersoog (easily accessible by bus from Leeuwarden and Groningen) only takes about 50 minutes. At 10.15 am we picked up our bikes. Luckily we had made a reservation up front as many people had decided that they were taking a daytrip on this day. When there are not enough bikes, you can take the bus or hike to the village (about 5 kilometres) to rent a bike there.
Daytrip Schiermonnikoog
It was quite windy biking on the dyke to the village. We took the long round to enjoy the dunes and the great smells: the salty smell of the wad, pine trees and the sounds of sea gulls, the wind and other birds. Instant holiday feeling!
Curiosity cabinet
In the only village on the island (they call it ‘Dorp’ which is Dutch for a small village) we decided to go to the Tourist Information to get a map of the island. All walking and biking routes are on it. We did some shopping in cute stores and galleries and then we ended up in the curiosity cabinet in It Aude Kolonyhus, just outside Dorp near the water tower. Here you can enjoy the remnants of some weird beings. There was also a great gaming machine from years back which tells you the future. I would love to have this antique machine in my house.
Beach pavillion Schiermonnikoog
We got back on our bikes and biked 3 kilometres for a chance to sit on the terrace at beach pavillion De Marlijn. We had to wait for about 10 minutes before we got our coveted seats. If you prefer, they can veganise a vegetarian dish for you here and they serve some lovely bites, herbal teas and juices. It’s a great spot to read a book or a magazine and enjoy the weather.
Wadden beaches
The Dutch beaches often dissapoint me a bit. Part of the reason is our weather probably. But the beaches are also bare and the water isn’t clear blue but greyish. The exception for me are some of the beaches on the Wadden islands. For some reason they look more attractive. We enjoyed shooting some pics, getting our feet in the sand and we were surprised how cooling the breeze was in the wind -> jackets on!
Engagement in the 70s
It was 3.30 pm already when we sat down on the terrace of De Vier Dames in the village. It turned out that my parents got engaged here in the seventies. We found this out by accident later. It had a different name back then, because it changed owners a few times. The chef was so nice to bake us some fries as there was no vegan snack on the menu. It was a grea(t)/(sy) end of the day 😉
We had to hurry back to the boat at four and bring the bikes back first. If you want to stay a bit longer and have dinner at the island, this is also possible. The last boat to the main land leaves at 7.30 pm. With a mean headwind with pedaled back (amply on time), my lungs had a great workout! Schiermonnikoog is definately worth spending a day (or more)!
Interested in other Wadden islands? Check out our blog about Borkum, a German Wadden island. Also perfect for a daytrip and get that instant holiday vibe!
