Saturday 14th June 2014 Veerlveen to Wedde. 14.4kms 1 lock

Windmill at Veelerveen

12.9°C Grey start then sunny spells with increasing numbers of white clouds. Wind picking up from breezy to very windy by the time we’d tied up. Mike and I got up at 8 am and had breakfast then he moved the car to Wedde and walked back - 6kms!! He returned at 11.15 am. I made a cuppa. As it was breezy Mike suggested that I walk to the bridge, which I did. Veelervensterbrug was fully automatic, just press two buttons – bridge up and bridge down – and one each way for the traffic lights. Soon on our way again, passing the first windmill on our way to Vriescheloostersluis. The name of the canal had changed to B. J. Tijdens kanaal.  Two men on cycles stopped to watch us lock through. Key in the slot on a post on one of the wooden posts for tying to, turn

Groenesluis - straight through today - a flood lock

it and take it out and the lock worked – bottom end gates closed and the lock filled, top end gates opened and we went in – I pressed the green button on a post and the gates closed behind us, paddles up and we soon dropped down 1.5m. Bottom end gates opened and there were two small open motor boats waiting to come up. Mike took the mast off and laid it on the roof as the rest of the bridges were fixed ones and lower than the height of the mast at 3.4m, averaging about 2.5m. The canal was straight and had a cycle path on the left and a busy minor road on the right. After a short distance we

Groenesluis - looking back to T-junction

turned left on to the Veendiep expecting to have to work a lock but found Groenesluis. a flood lock, had both sets of gates standing open – no need to stop! The canal beyond was narrow with high banks on both sides and rocks edging the right bank. I made sandwiches for lunch. Left again when we came the junction with the Westerwoldse Aa, now a much broader river channel edged with reeds between water meadows with grazing cows. A harrier carrying lunch for its nestlings flew low across the reeds. A few lapwings flew across the navigation. Under several more low fixed bridges and we went into a wooded area where there was a yacht

Moored on Westerwoldse Aa at Wedde

harbour at Wedderveer among the islands in the river. Another offline basin was filled with trip boats. The banks were lined with holiday homes, chalets, bungalows, caravans and tents, either they were all watching the football (World Cup has just started in Brazil) or nobody was home. Under one more low bridge and there was an empty basin with one large gent fishing. The banks of the river were sprouting large stands of Giant Hogweed. We reached the head of navigation at Wedde at 3 pm and tied to a wooden staging – the wind was directly from behind and blowing us off the staging so a nifty bit of rope work and we were snugly tied up.