Durgerdam

A peaceful, little-known hamlet that sits on the lakeside coast of the Netherlands is a mere seven kilometres from Amsterdam (arrive by bike or boat – either are easily doable) is a world away from the buzzing lights of the city where Old Masters collide with creative nightlife.

Here in Durgerdam, time slows along a winding street that hugs the shoreline of dyke IJmeer in the municipality of Amsterdam-Noord. Old fisherman houses, wrapped in wooden clapboard follow a traditional gabled pattern, punctuated by the Protestant church that dates back to 1687. Out at sea, sailing boats criss-cross the glinting waters and at intervals along the reed-dotted shore, wooden decking point like fingers into the lake for swims, dives or just a place to put the deckchair. Behind the village, wetlands and marshes are the residence of myriad birdlife in the National Park Nieuw Land which can be accessed by boat, bike or hike.

Fishing was the lifeblood of this 600-year-old village, whose inhabitants made their living from the waters, an often harsh lifestyle, especially when the lake iced over in winter. Durgerdam also became an important part of the East India Trading Route where VOC ships would drop anchor to deposit their oriental goods from Asia including pepper and cinnamon. For this reason, Durgerdam became a sanctuary for sailors, who would take refuge in the inn built in 1664, which also lured Queen Wilhelmina’s husband Prince Hendrik.

Today there is the briny air of a town on the up – a new hotel is in place of the inn, re-energised for the modern palette and the marina is full of smart, bobbing boats. It’s an Amsterdammer’s day-trip paradise yet it’s certainly got the feel of an international hang out – a Cape Cod of the lakeside, tantalisingly close and wholesomely here for the good times.