Day 13 - Denekamp
Denekamp isn't a bad title for this post though I branch off the Saksen Route before reaching Denekamp and stay overnight south-west of Denekamp just outside Rossum. For context I am cycling south down from Lauwersoog at point A down to Enschede at point B. I am currently in the hamlet of Junne where I slept last night at the blue spot which is close to Ommen. Junne itself is part of an Estate with farms rented out and has a very special charm with its cluster of traditional farm houses and small scale integrated farming practices. Tomorrow I pass through Enschede and stay overnight south-west of that town in the outskirts of Haaksbergen. As you can see I get up close to the German border but don't cross it. The map also helps explain the name of this trail, Saksen Route or Saxon Route.
Yesterday I was tired, dog tired, and made a point of getting caught up with the administration of the trip such as the Kröller-Müller museum tickets, logistics and routes to accomodation then getting to bed early. Sleep is always the best recovery technique. Feeling more human this morning I can face another 45-mile day though checking the forecast the wind is from the east and today I travel eastwards into it. I am away cycling for 25 days and this is day 13 so the mid-point.
Sand dunes are a thing in the Netherlands though I suspect a humorist had a part to play in the naming of these dunes.
I can't overstate how good the cycle infrastructure is in the Netherlands so I'll just keep saying it.
I have mentioned the stork announcing a birth before and this third sighting warranted a photo.
I am currently cycling through pastures and I am delighted to see that all the grass has been cut and is being turned over and fluffed up to wilt and dry out a little. This is better than a Met Office weather forecast because it is a sure sign that drying weather is here and will stay for a few days; twelve farmers can't all be wrong about the weather outlook.
I enjoy the local histories you pick up along the way. Here, a peat digging entrepreneur has a peat bog named after him though you would think they could have thought up something better. I am being a bit flippant for which I apologise but do read the notes if they are legible on your device. The second language isn't pure Dutch but a local dialect as indicated by the white horse on a red background; a form of Low Dutch spoken in the North East.
After 27 miles I have stopped for coffee and cake. Taking a seat the waiter comes and I ask for "a coffee and cake please". The waiter doesn't query the request and brings coffee and cake. No long list of coffees, no new cake concoctions, just coffee and freshly baked cake. I love the simplicity.
I see these home-made gates alot. They make use of a counterweight to enable the gate to ge moved and often the counterweight is a stone or two chained up.
At Ootmarsum I pause again as it is a beautiful town with characterful houses and, unusually, a fully stone built church.
A water screw or more properly an Archimedes' screw . You don't see these that often but they can be found in the UK. It is on the far right so you can't really see the cylinder with helical blades.
Church in Rossum.
Arriving early at Rossum I decide to head off to eat in Oldenzaal which is the nearest town 15 minutes away; I judged that I didn't need a route as I would just head to the Centrum. Big mistake as I spiraled around town before repeated map checks finally saw me arrive at the centre. A sip of beer and all is well again. It is a matter of 60 seconds to map the route back to my accommodation.
