#XploreMore 2014 - Site 15 - Koningshof

Site 15 - Koningshof, the Netherlands

After an exciting ferry trip from Hull to Rotterdam, we drove up to Koningshof, a large European site situated not far from Amsterdam. There was a really different feel about the site; it welcomed a range of different nationalities and housed a wide range of caravans, motorhomes and tents in all shapes and sizes. The atmosphere was very relaxed and friendly.

The site was self-contained with a cafe, restaurant, well-stocked supermarket and plenty to entertain including an indoor and outdoor swimming pool, a playground and small lake. You could easily spend all your time on the site but we made efforts to explore the local area and visited Leiden, Delft and Amsterdam. We had hoped to make use of the Park and Ride facilities but this is not the same as back home and is merely a car park near a bus service. What made it difficult for us was that most the car parks were underground or had height restrictions so larger vehicles could not enter. Fortunately we were able to find parking outside the towns that we visited or near to the train station. We can highly recommend catching the train into Amsterdam - the service is regular, reasonable cheap and the trains are comfortable (providing free wifi). The cities of Leiden, Delft and Amsterdam are all beautiful with intricate multi-coloured buildings lining quaint streets and canals. There are bikes everywhere - literally! The culture is cycling is very strong and the road network accommodates with ease. Cars drive more slowly and the awareness of cyclists is high. If we had had more time, we would have hired bikes and explored the locality further.

On our last day we visited the capital, Amsterdam. It was a full day, packed with culture. We had pre-booked tickets for the Anne Frank museum online (something highly recommended if you to avoid the queues) and after a fascinating morning we headed over to the Resistance museum. This relatively new museum provided hours of fascination and we didn’t even get to the end!

We loved spending time in the Netherlands - the people are wonderfully friendly and the pace of life is pleasant. I am sure this would be a wonderful place to live!