Exploring the Dutch waterways: A rowing tour through the canals and lakes of Overijssel

A group of 28 enthusiastic rowers from eight rowing clubs across the UK recently swapped their home waters for the unique, tranquil waterways of the Netherlands

This was part of a British Recreational Rowing European Tour; previous tours have included the descent of the Douro in Portugal  (2024), Berlin (2023), the descent of the Lot in France (2022) and Lithuania (2021).

Organised with their customary efficiency and good humour by John and Caroline Turnbull of Wayfarers Rowing Club, this three-day rowing tour offered a rich blend of scenic beauty, physical challenge, and cultural immersion.

The host club, t Diep, based in Steenwijk, welcomed the visiting crews with warm hospitality and an impressive fleet of stable touring boats — a mixture of quads, doubles, a triple, and even a wherry (a heavyweight double carrying a cox and a passenger—not the fastest boat in the fleet). With local knowledge and logistical support provided by t Diep, and three days of glorious sunshine the stage was perfectly set.

Each day, crews rowed approximately 30 kilometres through a landscape shaped as much by history as by nature. The routes criss-crossed the stunning 1,000 hectare Weerribben-Wieden National Park in the province of Overijssel — the largest continuous fenland in northwestern Europe. Once a centre for peat production up until the Second World War, the region is now a thriving wetland known for its ecological diversity and traditional thatching reed industry.

“Paddles had to be deployed to edge along the gardens of a row of cottages”

Rowing in the Netherlands offers a very different rhythm to British waters. The canals ranged from wide and open to narrow and meandering. In some places they were too narrow to row and paddles had to be deployed to edge along the gardens of a row of cottages. The crews navigated low bridges (requiring the novel call of ‘Duck”), winding passages through reed beds and lakes where they dodged cruisers and sailing boats. Meeting a rowing boat and passing it safely seemed to be a novel experience to some of the motor boats encountered.

Lunch each day was taken at riverside cafes or bars in picturesque villages where the canal banks were lined with immaculate thatched cottages.

Wildlife was abundant and occasionally spectacular. Purple herons and the more common grey herons stalked the shallows and high above, white storks flew overhead or perched in their huge nests on specially erected poles or trees. A sighting of otters was promised but sadly did not materialise.

The tour was an opportunity from old friends from previous tours to meet up and with 28 rowers from clubs including Wayfarers, Broxbourne, Hexham and Isle of Ely, new friendships were forged over strokes and stories.

This tour wasn’t just about rowing. It was about exploring a new culture through its waterways, embracing the Dutch philosophy of life close to water, and connecting with fellow rowers through shared purpose and plenty of laughter and beer.