Week 33 Into The Turfroute

Week 33 Into the Turfroute

Cheryl, Agnes and I went into Gorredijk on Tuesday afternoon

This week so far...

Monday

Dokkum to Eastermar (the Frisian name of Oostermeer - Oost is east in Dutch - the name comes from the village's location on the East side of the Burgummermeer (Lake Burgum).

Still a bit of work to do :-)

Janny told us that a number of people from here shared a huge Postcode Lottery - not sure how many, but at least two of them shared 30 million Euros. I think it is based on the postcode (obviously) but you still have to have a ticket :-)

Janny took Alexander home so that she could then take him to the train early on Tuesday morning. We have been following his hiking progress just a little. We think he had a relaxing time on the boat - his job is pretty stressful, apparently, as he is already just one of very few people in Melbourne who can do what he does - all way above my head, of course.

He showed me how to do a time-lapse using his portable gimbal on a tripod...(probably too big for here), but I may be able to edit it.

Farewell Alexander...

Into the Turf Route

I did a Google Gemini deep research of the Turf Route - published in another blog...

https://twiw2025.blogspot.com/2025/08/history-of-turfroute.html

This shows the "thinking" of Gemini as it gathers information....

...and a brief summary...(I think the thing that impresses me the most is that it was such a big deal as a form of energy for the times)

The Turf Route (in Frisian: Turfrûte; in Dutch: Turfroute) is a historical network of waterways in Southeast Friesland, the western part of Drenthe, and a small part of Overijssel, Netherlands. Its history is deeply intertwined with the large-scale peat excavation that took place in this region between the 17th and 19th centuries. The main artery of the route is the Opsterlandse Compagnonsvaart.

The Age of Peat

The Compagnons: In the 16th century, wealthy entrepreneurs, known as "compagnons" or "veenbazen" (peat bosses), began to systematically exploit the vast peat bogs of Southeast Friesland. Peat, or dried-out fen, was a crucial fuel source for heating and industry in the pre-industrial Netherlands.
A Network of Canals: To drain the bogs and transport the peat to the west of the country, the compagnons had a vast network of canals and "wijken" (side-canals) dug by hand. The most significant of these was the Opsterlandse Compagnonsvaart, which began construction in 1630 near Gorredijk.
The Opsterlandse Compagnonsvaart: This canal was an engineering feat of its time. It took nearly 200 years to complete, reaching the border with Drenthe in the 19th century. The canal climbs over 12 meters in elevation between Gorredijk and Appelscha, necessitating the construction of nine hand-operated locks.
Peak of Activity: The period from 1850 to 1880 was the heyday of peat transport. In 1876 alone, over 15,500 boats were counted passing through the locks in Gorredijk, carrying millions of pieces of peat. The boats, often "snike" or "snikke" type ships, were frequently pulled by horses or people along the towpaths (schipperspaadje).

Decline and Rebirth

End of an Era: The peat trade began to decline after 1880 with the rise of coal as the dominant fuel source. The waterways, having served their purpose, fell into disuse and disrepair. Many canals were filled in or threatened with demolition.
A "Nije Kompanjons": In the 1970s, plans were made to fill in the Opsterlandse Compagnonsvaart in Gorredijk to create a parking lot. Local protests led by community members, notably Father Van Ulden, succeeded in stopping the project. This led to the creation of the Stichting De Nije Kompanjons (Foundation The New Compagnons) in 1974.
From Trade to Tourism: The foundation's goal was to preserve the historic waterways and make them accessible for recreational boating. Bridges and locks were restored and made operational again. The old peat route was revived as "De Turfroute," transforming from a functional trade route into a beautiful circuit for pleasure craft, cyclists, and tourists.

Today, the Turf Route is a popular recreational route that attracts thousands of visitors each year, allowing them to follow the historic path of the peat skippers through a landscape of canals, forests, and heaths, all while passing through quaint Frisian villages.

We went to Gorredijk via Nij Beets and a couple of locks...

Getting the hang of it...

We also picked up our van from Heerenveen and so Janny left the car for me to drive home early on Wednesday morning - for my check up at Groningen Hospital.

Nice to be home for a bit - to see Boeke and say hello to the clients...

Wednesday afternoon...

Gorredijk to Greethilda and Alberts place...

We were lucky in that we only had to open one of the four self-service bridges along the way - the kids were still on school holidays - so they get 1 Euro for opening the bridge for us :-) - it makes it very easy!

Albert gave us a tour of the works in progress...

Thursday morning...

Past Felder's Boskje and on to Klein Groningen (Wijnjewoude) for a shower. In 2014, I wrote an email to Andrew & Terry saying that the newspaper had a story about new facilities being planned - but they weren't built until probably 5 years later! It is still not a great spot for boats - no water or wifi - not even a sign to announce it's presence - but the facilities are well used (and maintained) by the local neighbourhood.

I spoke with the cleaning lady - who said she remembered me from my Conversational English classes of 2013.

It's all in the planning...

A less ambitious plan had evolved - we'd go to Oosterwolde for the night and head back to Heerenveen by Friday - so we'd have a few days rest - and pack the TWO 23kg suitcases that Cheryl is allowed. I could catch up on some chores and prepare for the next week - heading off on Wednesday again for Dokkum and the Admiralty Days Festival - music, food and drink and oh, a few special boats to look at.

Oosterwolde

Information from the navigation app...time to let Janny know so she can pick us up...

So, On Friday we did the 6 hour trip from Oosterwolde to Heerenveen - sharing 4 lock passages with 3 German boats.

One of the boats had a father and son - heading off to Lemmer and then back to Germany.

The second boat was husband and wife - he went crooked a few times and she was yelling at him quite often - shit happens ...

The third boat had Youtubers Pia and Olli on board. Olli was getting around at each stop with a flash looking camera - so I asked him if he was doing professional stuff - no, a Youtube Channel - Cheryl looked it up as we went to the next lock - where I could chat again. They were on a very expensive Linssen boat - but it was not theirs - he explained that they charter the boats and that part of their "message" is that "you too can do it".

Pia has a TV production job and Olli does online stuff that he can do anywhere - just like Ben does.

Youtube Skipper & Co.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9cIqOZ_kkGhbGVIofxmY2g

I asked him how he does his map animations - I've been trying for years! Easy, he said...and explained something with Adobe After Effects - I'll have to look it up. They're using the same navigation app as we do - so it may well be possible - a nice winter project.

I think they do it for a German audience - but the limited viewing that I have done came across in English - so a bit more viewing coming up...we'll show up in one before too long :-)

They had this camera going the whole time as well has the hand held...mmm, maybe next year...