Maassluis - Brielle - Rockanje
- Distance: 28km
- Duration (with breaks): 8h 00min
- Route type: point-to-point
Today starts my 3-day hike alone. This is the first time I’m going on a multi-day trip all by myself. Very exciting! My target for this trip is to hike the rest of the Dutch section of GR5, so I’m planning to finish in Bergen op Zoom. That also means that all 3 days will be quite long (+25km) with basically two stages per day. I’m counting on a flat landscape to help me in this quest.
At 9:00 I was already in Maassluis, waiting for a ferry to take me to the other side. Friendly ferry staff were curious where I’m going and gave me a few direction tips for Rockanje – my destination.
I quickly passed the outskirts of a still quiet Rozenburg town and started my walk towards Voorne Island where Rockanje is. A 2km section on a bike path with three bridge crossings was not as dull as it sounds. I got to observe the commercial Netherlands and even saw the first bridge lifted for a ship to pass.
Once on the island, I was back in nature with peaceful Brielse meer and grassy area all the way till Brielle town. Close to Brielle, I found a dream area to live in: beautiful dutch houses arranged in a half-circle and surrounded by water, lovely!
The town itself was very cute and charming. Surrounded by a moat, with cobble streets everywhere, it felt very medieval. Even leaving the town meant walking past several city walls with decorative (or so I thought) cannons.
Once Brielle was behind, I got to walk on a dyke for the first time! It was a pleasant section with lovely weather and being able to observe the landscape from above.
As I came to an old watchtower, that was the place for lunch, my first hot lunch as I brought a stove. It was super easy to set it up and in 10 min I was eating my first trail meal – Mixed vegetables (basically mashed potatoes with a few carrots and onions) from Adventure Food. Quite flavorsome and very filling, it was way too much for me.
After extensive lunch, it was time to move on as I was still a few hours away from Rockanje. From the tower, I soon entered a bit more forested area, while the path itself was rather sandy. I am getting close to the coast. Most of this stage is on a sandy walking path, which reminded me that the Netherlands is not all about bikes 🙂
The last 2 hours until Rockanje lead through Voornes Duin dunes, a lovely section zigzagging up and down sandy hills. I was enjoying it a lot until… I met a couple who warned me that there are cows on the path in the direction I was walking. Not any cows, the Highlanders. Yep, those massive beasts with horns half a meter long. That’s how I perceived them…
In a few minutes there they are, slowly munching the grass. They were HUGE. Sure, those hippie-looking cows look cool on the hipster posters, but here in nature, they looked very majestic and intimidating. Right on my path. Honestly, I was quite scared. What if they decide to check me out?
But ok, I have to get over and walk around them. I decided to create as much space between us as possible. Crouching through the bushes, I was circling from my left the first obstacle aka cow when I saw the other hippie on my left. Shit, I have to just go forward, no other way around them. Those 5 meters between us will do.
Once past them, I sped as fast as I could occasionally looking back and listening to whether any of the hippie monsters will follow me. In a few minutes, I saw the gates which meant I’m leaving their territory. Hallelujah, I’m alive!
Later in the hotel, I read that they’re in fact very chill cows, they really don’t care about you, unless there’s a baby cow with a mom cow. Those need to be avoided for sure. Any animal mom with a baby should be avoided, they’re very protective and will not take chances with strangers on their baby’s path.
Just before Rockanje, there was another section where I entered the hippie Highlander kingdom, but this time I was left alone. Phew. What a day!
Day 2 tips
- If you're looking for a day hike, I'd definitely recommend the section between Brielle and Rockanje. It is a pleasant and quiet path (at least in November) and you're in nature all the time. Cow fans will be happy too.
- Brielle is a great place for lunch, you can easily get cold or warm snacks from a bakery, supermarket, or a food stall, they have them all!
- One thing I was struggling to find is drinking water. Besides Brielle, I could not find places where to refill. I ran out of water 3 hours before Rockanje, which was not great. Thankfully there was a hotel close to Voornes Duin, where I got tap water.