Day trips: 3 Dutch villages in the Green Heart

The Green Heart of the Netherlands has some historical old villages dotted amongst its green farmlands. Some are close together and could be done in a day trip with morning coffee, lunch, tea and dinner in each. So get your google maps and camera ready and let's go exploring on one of those dry days in winter.

Travelling south from Woerden a trio of close-by villages are Linschoten, Montfoort and Oudewater. Linschoten is en route to Montfoort and the smallest of the three, just 3 kms south of Woerden. It has one little dorpstraat (main street), a few bridges, a canal running through and some delightful little houses and gardens if you wander through the little side streets.  The church is always the monumental building which has stood the longest, its steeples showing the way to the village centre. In Linschoten it is certainly skew, its foundations tilting a little sideways but when I visited, there were church goers bringing food packages probably for a charity hosting.  There is one restaurant and a grand-cafe opposite which were both busy despite Corona times. 

 

Wandering the side streets                    

    Village church

                      What an adorable tiny house! 

A few kilometres further south is Montfoort which hosts a little white tiny castle with a tea room in its garden. There are two churches in the little centre, both well kept and whose both bells chimed as you wander through the village creating a cute ambience.  There are a few commercial shops and modest Christmas decorations, with a huge tree next to the monumental city hall. Through its archway over the bridge and you are already in the tiny village's suburb. Entering or leaving the village there is a lovely windmill on a little hill with a shop and another tea garden. 

 

 

The little Castle 

 

 

Two churches which take up quite some real estate but deliver all its ambience

 

Village Street

Town Hall on the canal where the archway leads across the bridge to residential housing

West from Montfoort is Oudewater village.  A little more higgeldy-piggeldy in nature, this one has much character in its winding streets along a canal or two.  There are more shops, a grand cafe on a little square and churches of course, with residents on bicycles. Walk past sidewalk florists and beautifully kept monumental buildings with characteristic windows and old bridges dating back to 1651. This visit was in autumn  

 

Village centre 

    

 

In summer, canal cruises 

           Lovely red and black shutters with castle like metal detail

              Cute inner streets with vintage water pump

 

A small harbour with boats around the park 

Happy day tripping!