Site 1 of 20: Camping International, Netherlands
The Meek Family
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On previous trips to the Netherlands, we've headed to the more well-known tourist spots such as Delft and Amsterdam but this time we swung south upon arriving in Rotterdam. The ferry docked at 8.30 in the morning after a calm crossing over the North Sea from Hull. We tapped the name of the first site into the Sat Nav and before long we were driving through the flat landscape of the Netherlands. Our route took us towards the coast and the journey to Camping International took little more than an hour.
Camping International is near Renesse on one of a cluster of islands south of Rotterdam. It is one of many, many caravan campsites positioned along the coast, near the sandy beaches that border the North Sea. The site is large and spacious offering approximately 300 pitches for motorhomes, caravans, tents and chalets. There is a designated motorhome area on concrete and gravel pitches neatly surrounded by hedges. The neighbouring fields house caravans and small areas are dedicated to attractive looking chalets. A couple of large toilet blocks are situated amongst the pitches and have warm showers, toilets and dish-washing facilities. The central hub of the site is where the reception can be found. In this same area, there is a Spar shop that sells a wide selection of goods, including fresh bakery items. Outside the shop is a play area with a fantastic selection of equipment for children to play on - the trampoline proved to be the most popular attraction for children (including our own!). For adults, there is quaint bar called the Traveller's Bar that opens in the evenings. A selection of events are offered. During our two night stay, there was a games evening and live music. We had fun joining in with the games evening, although we arrived late and our scores we not recorded (luckily!). The game was called Sjoelen; it involved sliding large palm-sized, wooden counters along a board through holes into numbered slots. You are given approximately 30 counters and get three attempts at scoring as much as possible. After each round any counters that have not entered the scoring slots are returned to the start for the next attempts. Those that had entered the competition played in pairs and moved around the boards, declaring their scores at the end of each turn. It was a wonderfully sociable event and the others in the bar all seemed to be enjoying it.
This site suited all ages. At this time of year, there were of course many families and the site catered for them brilliantly. For younger children there was a playground and teenagers had a dedicated youth room with activities on the timetable. Everything is aimed at Dutch and German visitors therefore activities and signs for them are understandably in both of these languages.
Holland is of course popular for cycling. There are bikes everywhere and everyone has a bike. The site itself also offered bike hire, near the reception and there were a selection of routes from the site. There are also bike racks everywhere and if there aren't cycle paths then the roads show clearly marked wide areas for bikes.
One of the main attractions for this site was the beach ('strand'). It was a short away - through the campsite gate (accessible by barrier card) and across a road. It is a sandy beach with miles of space. Every mile or so there is a beach cafe, selling food, drinks and ice creams. During the summer and on warmer days the beach can get very busy but there is so much room, you can easily pick a spot and settle down. We headed down to the beach as soon as we arrived and spent a few hours playing games on the sand. The sea is very inviting but we weren't tempted due to large number of jellyfish that were being washed up on the sand.
As well as other tourists, you also have to share the beach with other visitors - seals! The Camping International site logo features a seal and the reason is that so many seals can be seen nearby. Many congregate on a large sandbank not far from the beach but some come on to the beach and can be seen swimming in the sea. There is a seal sanctuary nearby that allows visitors.
As a day out we headed to the Oosterschelde National Park, located to the south. It is the largest national park in the Netherlands and offers many cycling and walking routes on which to explore the surrounding area. The nature reserve offers a dynamic natural environment where salt and fresh water attract a diverse range of flora and fauna. Affected by the tide, whole areas of land become submerged at high tide. Thousands of birds are attracted to the food-rich sand banks of plates of land including oystercatchers, wigeon, eagles and gulls. Seals also visit the area as well as harbour porpoises so take along a pair of binoculars and try to spot them. Alternatively get into the water for some snorkelling or even diving! Other popular watersports in the area include kite surfing and wind surfing.
For a great family day out there is also the Deltapark Neeltje Jans. It is an educational theme park with a water playground, hurricane simulator, boat rides and shows with seals and seal lions. The park also focuses on Netherlands' history with water: the flood disaster in 1953 and the construction of the Delta Works. Visitors are given the opportunity to visit the impressive storm surge barrier from the inside and outside and gain an understanding of the power of water and how the barrier works.
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