Shortly after the entrance there is a lock that is regulated by a traffic light but closes only when the algae growth on the Volkerak becomes too much of a nuisance. We have found that it can be a real pain trying to motor through a sort of spinach soup (15 August 2011). As we approach the lock I take a look back and what where there was only quiet water a minute before, there was now a flotilla of yachts coming our way. With wind from behind, the long wait for the traffic light was a bit of a mess. The big yachts with diesel engines go forward gingerly and then gear into reverse and come to a sudden stop, leaving us motoring in circles in the spaces between them.
There are several yacht harbours on the Dintel river, and even public moorings on the town centre.
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| Free, public moorings close to Dinteloord town centre. |
Leaving Mekicevica resting in the afternoon sunshine, we borrowed some two-wheel contraptions that once must have been bicycles, and wobbled our way to town.
Dinteloord is a "modern" town in Prisenland, which was poldered only in the early 17th century. It was built from scratch using the standard layout of the time, the same that is found in many towns in this area. Wikipedia informs us that although it is in the province of Noord Brabant, it was settled by people from Zuid-Holland, just across the Volkerak. Allegedly, still today, the local dialect is Hollands, and not Brabants. Yes, Dutch can be very discerning on accents and can spot whether somebody comes, for example from Rotterdam or Delft 10 km away.
Sadly, they let builders and decorators loose on the town and everything is so tidy and renovated that the town lost most of the charm. Sorry, Dinteloord, but Oud-Bejerland which has the same layout is much more interesting (9 July 2011).
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| Dinteloord, a bit too renovated for our taste. |
