1st - 10th April 2015. Our last few days in Schagen. Our friends join us in a farewell trip from Schagen harbour along the North Holland Canal..

We have enjoyed a final visit to all of our favourite walks around Schagen. Shannon still goes into the water at every opportunity, no matter how cold it is.

The local Texel lambs are growing up.

Some of our good friends from Schagen have joined us on The Puzzler for the first part of our long trip south into France. Frank and Fedde are sharing the steering with Andy on this part of the trip.

This windmill, with a thatched cap, is very much traditional for this part of North Holland.

The party continues inside for a splendid meal, which was provided by our guests.

The other side of the table is not so formal, with food and cameras the priority. Hanni is very hungry. She has been celebrating her success against us at Bridge yesterday!

Our friends having left us, we carried on, leaving the North Holland Canal to go towards the sea, on the smaller Hondsbosshe canal. Leaving the boat, we walked the last mile or so, but when we reached the sea wall, we could not get to the beach, because of the new sand dunes which are being created artificially, further out. This is the old sea wall, with the new dunes to our right.

We continued on to the end of Haargervaart, and managed to turn on this narrow canal, near the village of Hargen. The woods can be seen beyond The Puzzler.

There are so many different tracks to choose from in these wooded sand dunes.

The scenery throughout this area is quite different to anywhere else we have seen in Holland.

We cycled to the North Sea at Camperduin, where Shannon tried to bury Andy!