Introduction

This website is a mainly pictorial record of an eight day escorted River & Canal Cruise holiday by my wife and myself in the Netherlands & Belgium during April & May 2023 orgaqnised by Great Rail Journeys. Day one saw the tour group travel from London St. Pancras to Amsterdam Centraal via Eurostar where we joined our cruise ship Amadeus Cara. On day two we travelled by coach to Hoorn for a trip on the steam hauled Hoorn to Medemblik Railway. Following the return to the ship for lunch we had some free time to explore Amsterdam. During diner on board we departed from Amsterdam along the canal & river network bound for Ghent in Belgium. On day three we arrived in Ghent and after breakfast we had an on board talk by Colonel Piers Storie-Pugh MBE about the battlefields of Flanders. Following this we  departed by coach for a tour of the WW1 Battlefields & Ar Cemeteris in the Ypres area (Sanctuary Wood, Hill 60 & Tyne Cot). On day four whilst remaining moored in Ghent we enjoyed  walking tour of the City and returned to the ship for lunch with some free time on board befor diner. On Day five we again travelled by coach to Bruges for a walking tour of the City with some free time to explore on our own before again returning to the ship in time for afternoon tea before we departed for a leisurely cruise along canals & rivers towards Arnhem. On day 6 we continued our cruise before arriving in Arnhem just before lunch. After lunch we were taken by coach to visit the nearby Netherlands Open Air Museum to learn about Dutch history & traditions. On return to the ship I had some free time to walk over and explore the famouse 'Bridge too Far' before diner and departure for the overnight cruise back to Amsterdam. On day seven after breakfast we enjoyed an informative talk on board by TV Personality Charlie Dimmock before departing by coach to visit the nearby Keukenhof Gardens before returning to the ship for a farewell diner. On day eight after breakfast we walked the short distance back to Amsterdam Centraal Station to finish our tour and travel back to London via Brussels.

Link to Section 1 - London to Amsterdam