Last weekend we were allowed to try out Het Betere BoerenBed. We would like to go to Friesland and decide to go to Hoeve Waterschap.
On arrival we are warmly welcomed by farmer Gert. We are briefly shown around the yard and it is immediately clear that it is a cozy place where everything is allowed and possible. Our daughters, aged 6 and 8, immediately feel at home and we are also immediately "on the relax position".
Check here the farms of Beter Boerenbed
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The farm consists of a stable with sheep, lambs, goats, chickens, rabbits and 2 ponies, a cowshed and a large meadow. The children cannot be avoided from the lambs and rabbits. The lambs can give them milk and hug the rabbits as often as they want. The cows are milked in the morning at 07:00 and in the afternoon at 17:00 and you can also help with that if you want.
There are 10 BoerenBed tents in the yard of the farm Hoeve Waterschap. Our tent was called Grass Pipit and has a view of the meadow where the cows graze and of the canal towards the Tjeukemeer.
We have already seen a lot of photos of Het Betere BoerenBed, but our expectations are still exceeded. Everything is right! A beautiful interior with good beds, a lovely box bed for the children and also a bunk bed. And then that wood stove in the middle of the tent… great to sit around with hot chocolate in this rainy weather.
There is also, very nice, a toilet in the tent, a table with 6 chairs and a well-equipped kitchen. And because there is no electricity, we have to light everything with candles and oil lamps at night. Besides that it takes some getting used to, it is above all very atmospheric. In front of the tent are a picnic table and two lounge chairs.
What surprises us is that almost all tents at Hoeve Waterschap van Boerenbed are occupied. And that at this time of year. Very cosy, because the girls soon connect with twins and then spent the entire weekend with the four of them.
More information about Hoeve Waterschap can be found here
Spend the whole day outside in the meadow, in the playground or on the go-karts and in the stable with the animals. The stable with the lambs is of course a favorite! At one point the ladies come running with the announcement that a sheep was about to give birth. In the end we saw 2 lambs being born that first evening. Very funny!
In the morning it is a bit of a struggle, because when you get out of bed it is sooo cold! The wood stove had to be fired up considerably and after a while it is nice and warm again. After breakfast with fresh farmer's bread and fresh eggs, we can go out with farmer Stef, farmer Gert's father. All together in a box behind the tractor and then a long walk in the De Rottige Meenthe nature reserve. It's pouring rain, but that shouldn't spoil the fun, because the area is beautiful!
In the afternoon the children ride a few rounds on pony Montana while pony Janneke is on a rope nearby to ensure that Montana does not get restless.
In the evening we do slow cooking on the wood stove and then we go well packed into the basket to sleep. In the middle of the night we are suddenly awakened by the bleating of the sheep and lambs. They appear to have escaped from the stable and well, if there is a sheep over the dam…
You can read other affordable ideas for a weekend away with Pentecost at fellow blogger Tikva.
The next day we reserved such a nice hot tub. We actually wanted to arrange that in advance, but it didn't happen. Fortunately, there is still 1 available. All in all it takes about 4 hours for the hot tub to be ready; Fill with water for 2 hours and heat for 2 hours to get it warm. And meanwhile the girls come about every half hour to ask if they can “swim”. Bikinis are already fitted a day in advance, so they are all set…
After the hot tub, the cows still have to be milked, because we haven't done that yet and then we walk over the dike along the canal to the village of Echtenerbrug to eat at the Dikke Tut.
In the evening, when the children are snuggled in the box bed, we can finally go to the hot tub ourselves. What a wonderful experience to sit in such a warm bath in the middle of the farmland under the starry sky! First we get a little rain shower over us, but after that we only see stars, stars and more stars!
All in all, all four of us really enjoyed the weekend! Hoeve Waterschap is such a lovely place and Gert and Crista are incredibly relaxed and hospitable. We will definitely come back!
