I follow as much English language Dutch news as I can get my hands on (started during the early pandemic days and now I'm hooked). At the end of the summer, an article was posted about the town that was voted the most beautiful fortified town in the NL for 2021. I searched for Gorichem on my google maps to see where it was and saw that I had a camping ground starred just outside. I have no idea who recommended it (friend, facebook group, or otherwise), but I visited the website and it looked awesome. Like a carnival meets camping ground with a Dutch hippie chic vibe. I booked in for a weekend mid-September when we didn't have a baseball game on the calendar.
Our camping gear hadn't gotten any use since last summer, and I was excited to go again! We were so fortunate with the weather, which you never take for granted here. The property is on a lake and we were feeling the summer vibes!
After setting up camp, we headed to the restaurant on-site for pizzas and beers. Our camping friends booked to join us, but Sara and Julian couldn't come until the following day due to sickness sadly.
A highlight of the campground was an antique swings ride that ran for 1 hour each day. They blasted tunes and a hippie dude would hold out a straw for the kids to try to grab. Good times!
I walked the grounds at sunset and captured this beauty over the lake. There was a big tented formal dinner there. Apart from normal, Dutch-style campsites (aka, tents and RVs set up on a flat field), the property had a ton of really cool accommodations (like yurts, converted buses, etc). The place had such a festive feel with lots of groups gathered looking to have a good time. Not a place to go if you seek the peace and quiet of nature.
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| Saturday morning pancake masters |
The campground had some organized activities for the kids- Saturday morning it was a potion-making workshop (and a great chance to read a good book by the communal camp fire, drinking hot cocoa). Afterward, we set out to see Gorichem. The town square was especially charming with the ivy-colored buildings and fountains. We had a nice lunch and walked along the walls and town for a bit before returning to the campsite to take advantage of the lake on the warm, summer-like day.
The biggest disappointment of the weekend- the advertised 3-4 pm happy hour at the lake was not on. We still enjoyed the sun. Some braves ones swam in the chilly water and we took in the sceney scene, wondering where the heck we were!
Right across from our campsite was the area shown below, which hosted a big wedding Saturday night. Definitely not your average camping experience! Sharing the communal washhouse with progressively drunker and drunker wedding guests, listening to their live jazz band, waking in the night to some debauchery outside our tent was not what we expected, but made for a memorable time. We were very tempted to crash it, but enjoyed our campfire and company instead. The campground was hosting an open mic night, which was packed. The grownups took turns checking it out after the kids were asleep. When Pete and I went by, there was a guy free-style rapping in Dutch to a roaring crowd.
We definitely hope to go back to this fun place! Maybe through a soiree of our own one day!
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