playbook
Renting a rowboat on Heegermeer
Two hours on calm water near Heeg in an open rowboat. A short route close to the shore, no crossing of the lake. Important: bring your own properly fitting child-sized life jacket, not every rental operator has one.
2u
duration
€ 80–160
budget
Ground
pace
Heegermeer lies between Heeg and Woudsend in the southwest of Friesland. It is a wide lake with shallower, sheltered water along the edges where many children go out on the water for the first time. For a morning or afternoon with a toddler, two hours of renting a rowboat is just right: long enough to head away from the shore, short enough before a child gets restless.
With every rental operator, ask in advance about life jackets in children's sizes, not as a minor detail but as a firm requirement. An oversized vest is no help at all. Plan a route that stays close to the shore, with a halfway resting point where you can moor or anchor. Bring bread, water and something to draw with on board, because a rowboat stays in the same spot for an hour and a half.
Checklist
0 of 6
Zwemvest kindermaat bevestigd
Zonnebrand op voor instappen
Water en brood aan boord
Droge kleren in drybag
Schepje of tekenboekje mee
Reservering op naam bevestigd
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by PlayTryBe team
Choose a rowboat rental operator at Heegermeer. Check in advance whether a boating licence is required for the engine size, what the minimum age is and how many people are allowed on board. Preferably book a week ahead for weekend slots.
Bring your own properly fitting child-sized life jacket. Not every rental operator has one, and the loaner life jackets often do not fit well. Your own jacket is always the right size and saves waiting time at the desk.
Spend the first ten minutes cruising slowly along the shore, letting the toddler get used to the sound of the engine.
Moor halfway at a quiet bank or a small natural beach for a short break.
Head back at least twenty minutes before the end of the rental period, so you can moor without rushing.
A toddler on the water will remember the silence of the engine, not the beautiful clouds.
For anyone copying this
Do as we did
Suggestions
- Vraag de verhuurder vooraf of de motor traag genoeg kan voor stapvoets varen.
- Smeer zonnebrand voor je inscheept, op water reflecteert de zon harder.
- Neem een dun dekentje mee voor de bank, hout wordt snel hard.
- Pak een setje droge kleren in een drybag voor het geval er een glas water omvalt.
Variations
- - Maak het een lunchvaart en leg aan bij een aanlegplek met terras.
- - Huur een grotere sloep voor twee gezinnen samen, dat verdeelt de huur.
- - Vaar in plaats van rond het meer een stuk de Wijde Wymerts op, smaller water.
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Rent a sloop in Workum towards the Frisian lakes
Renting a Sloop in Lemmer
Adapted sailing holiday with a wheelchair
Evening ritual at the camper pitch with a young child
Midsummer Evening on the Water
Birthday on the Stadsdommel
Arrival Evening at Villa Casa Blanca