Day 4. Vierhuizen to Delfzijl.
Within the hour we hit Uithuizen and came across the Menkemaborg. This is a large Dutch style castle with a moat round it and a cafe located in stable and out-houses. We figured that coffee and cake would be a good idea and thought about eating lunch here. So did that strange man in the red jacket. It was now just after midday and was a good time to stop and sit somewhere warm. There is apparently a museum of WW2 somewhere in the grounds, but even if we had known that we did not have the time for a visit.
The menu was not so inspiring so we settled for caffeine and calories. The apple cake was good without being amazing and the coffee was a welcome warm up. It was also good to be out of the wind and to be able to stop somewhere warm. We did not stay too long as we were mindful of the train journey back to Utrecht.
For the first half hour it felt rather cold as we had all warmed up in the Menkemaborg. After Rodeschool we ended up in Oosternieland which is not on the route of the NSCR. If I remember correctly this was due to a navigational error, although it did take us past the ancient St Nikolaskerk. This was another nice example of the problem church tower builders have had in the past. The tower was demolished a long time ago and since then the church bell has resided in a small 'towerlet' added to the top of the church.
Once back on track we were back in the open polder landscape. There was not much to see until another example of problems with church towers. In Bierum we paused to take photos of a church. Damae described it as the 'Elephant Church' a good description as far as I can see. It is a pretty impressive example of a flying buttress though.
The last stretch that took us to Delfzijl was in the shadow of the sea dyke once again. The sheep were thankfully predictable although we cycled a little more slowly to be sure and because we were turning ever so slightly into the wind once more. As the residential, industrial and dockland sprawl of Delfzijl approached we realised that our tour was nearly at an end.
Paul took a picture on the dyke before we descended into town to find the station. Four happy and cold cyclists at the end of a tour. It took a few confused minutes to find the station and then buy tickets. Karen decided that she wanted to go all the way to Nieuweschans so we said our goodbyes. The three of us bought tickets and took the first train to Groningen. The trip passed uneventfully enough except for the grumpy conductor when we changed trains in Groningen. As a result Paul ended up in another carriage. We were re-united in Amersfoort where we had an extra change due to problems on the line.
Once in Utrecht we cycled slowly home, leaving Paul at his house on the way to ours. It had been a fine trip for all of us, and when Karen arrived a few hours later, one where we had all achieved our goals.