‘Hoek’ opens visitors’ eyes to another side of Holland

Hoek van Holland is not The Netherlands of art museums and glass-topped canal boats. It’s nutsand-bolts Holland.

If you are here, it is probably as a passenger on one of the ferries that cross the North Sea from England. These are among the hundreds of ships that come and go each day up the canal to the Port of Rotterdam. Hoek van Holland (also called “Hook of Holland”) is at the port’s entrance. Hoek means “corner” and the canal and the sea form a 90-degree angle.

In winter the Hoek and environs are Europe’s garden. Sixty-five square kilometres of farmland are covered by greenhouses within which are grown the vegetables that feed much of the continent. Sometimes, the only part of a farm that isn’t under glass is the house.

And in summer, the Hoek is Rotterdam’s beach. Special trains bring sun worshippers to its vast seashore to play on its sands and sit in its beach clubs as the great ships pass.

But if the Hoek welcomes the sea, it also guards against it. Upstream is an astounding structure called the Maeslant Storm Barrier. On either shore lies a great arm the size of the Eiffel Tower. When seas are high, the arms swing together across the canal, then sink to the bottom to protect Rotterdam from flooding.

So before you get on that train to Amsterdam, rent a bike in the station. Ride the endless dune trails and see the glass city of greenhouses.

Eat a bowl of soup in a beachfront café and watch the big ships. Ride to the storm barrier and visit its excellent museum. See the real Holland.