Going Dutch

BY the time we set off, I had got used to the bemused reaction when people asked where we were heading.

To my reply "Holland", friends and family would invariably struggle to arrange their faces and eventually come up with a muted, "Oh, that's, well, different... I'm sure it'll be lovely."

I have to admit, it's not a common destination and we picked it only after favourite holiday haunts such as the south of France and Italy had to be ruled out thanks to our daughter Maddie's belief that any journey longer than an hour is Truly Terrible.

Having now had a great family holiday in the Netherlands, I can't see any reason why it shouldn't be top of the list.

A short hop to Hull - well within daughter boredom limits - and we boarded P&O's Pride of Hull. It's the largest ferry in the world so you can leave your sea legs and sick bags at home, relax and enjoy the ten-hour crossing to Rotterdam.

Our en-suite cabin was clean, spacious and greeted with great excitement by Maddie, ten, and Clementine, seven, who claimed the top bunks. On-board entertainment including the relentlessly jolly children's club and the cabaret kept us busy until bedtime.

Waking in port at the other end, within half an hour we were driving across Holland to our destination, Ter Spegelt leisure park at Eersel, just south of Eindhoven.

It looks a trek on the map, but thanks to modern Dutch motorways which seem almost deserted after our car-clogged roads, we were there in just under one hour, feeling as though we had somehow cheated the system: we had managed to reach our holiday destination without delays, stress (us), whingeing (children), or getting lost.

Ter Spegelt is a five-star park with camping, mobile homes, entertainment, cafes and supermarket as well as superb leisure facilities, all tucked away in the woods. It feels as if it could have been a forerunner of the modern CenterParcs idea: you unload your kit, park your car and get on your bike for the duration.

Many of the homes are owned by Dutch families, giving the place a community spirit.

As the site caters almost exclusively for the indigenous population, everything is in Dutch with a bit of German thrown in for visitors from across the border, from the welcome pack to the caf menu. We were left to fend for ourselves and it seemed daunting at first - my Dutch is, or was, non-existent so dank Gott im Himmel for my German A level - but it's amazing what you can pick up through necessity and trying to work things out became the theme for the week.

The lay-out of the camp is ingenious, with the holiday homes nestling in small clusters among the trees and the pools were fantastic: a large heated pool, a toddler pool, a huge, bubbling hot tub and water chutes. Alongside was a lake and beach enclosed in a giant glasshouse, and outside a large natural lake with chutes and slides, surrounded by a sandy 'beach' - the seaside without the chilly sea breeze, pesky tides or tangly seaweed.

A busy children's club had as it's theme for the week 'Op een onbewoond eiland' - quite - and there were countless activity sessions, from keep fit and scuba diving to mountain biking - yes, I know Holland is flat - and crazy golf.

What impressed us most was the way everyone got on with enjoying themselves quietly, without bothering anyone else. Everywhere you looked, families were playing badminton, teenagers were hurtling down water chutes, groups of pre-teen boys were cycling around and there was a lot of late-night socialising in candle-lit groups. But there was no yobbish behaviour, no rowdiness and even the school parties at the pool were courteous.

We gave Eindhoven itself, known as Phillips-town thanks to the towering presence of the electrical giant, a miss and headed south to Maastricht, of treaty fame. A medieval town dominated by fantastic architecture, Maastricht is a gem with ancient streets and alleyways punctuated by beautiful civil and ecclesiastical buildings.

Heading back north, we drove through farmland studded with pretty villages where families cycled along tree-lined avenues and every other building seemed to be a caf with tables spilling on to the pavement. What a great way to spend an afternoon: cycle to the caf, sit with a few drinks and a few friends then pedal hazily home.

Back to the north, Neunen was a delight. The home village of Van Gogh, it must be on many a tourist trail but it has maintained its dignity to great effect. The family home is identified by a plaque so insignificant we missed it initially, but on the large village green is a lovely bronze statue in memory of the artist, overlooking a Chinese bridge more like something from a Monet waterlilies canvas.

We decided to spend our final day in the beautiful city of Delft. Twenty minutes' drive from the ferry at Zeebrugge, it was a must-see, especially as I had so enjoyed reading Girl With A Pearl Earring, the novel based on the Delft artist Vermeer. It was thrilling to see the streets, squares and landmarks in the novel for myself, and Delft is such a picturesque and unspoiled medieval city you can easily imagine the characters in the book going about their business.

The pretty bridges and alleys straddling the river were crowded with a flea market the day we visited, adding to the atmosphere.

We just had time to dive into one of the many souvenir shops

to pick up some of that blue and white Delftware, made in the town since seventeenth-century traders brought Chinese porcelain to Holland, and then it was time to board the ferry for the return crossing, laden with souvenirs and happy memories of a picturesque, well-ordered country populated by welcoming and helpful people.

And we are all determined to return soon and discover how something as delicious as fresh cream cake comes out as slagroomtart in Dutch.

Updated: 16:24 Friday, February 04, 2005