This route is the last of a group of 10 routes that form a 10 day tour from and returning to Harwich International Ferry Port. This route ends at the ferry port but stops overnight at an hotel in the Dutch Quarter of Colchester, just 30 minutes from ferry enabling you to catch the morning crossing to Hoek Van Holland.
Dutch Quarter of Colchester:
In the 1560s Colchester's economy prospered as a result of the arrival of Flemish weavers fleeing religious persecution after they had been defeated in a rebellion against Catholic Spain. Using workshops in the 'Dutch Quarter' they produced cloth that was lighter and cheaper than anything else made in England at the time. The cloth was called (bays) baize and is what is now used to cover billiard and snooker tables.
In Old English Dutch simply meant “people or nation". This also explains why Germany is called Deutschland in German.)
It is thought that the people of Colchester used the word 'Dutch' for all immigrants and not just those from Holland. There were many refugees fleeing religious persecution from France, Belgium and Holland and for some reason or other, Dutch is now used only for our friends from the Netherlands.
This is a very 'Dutch' route as it passes 2 windmills and travels through the Lincolnshire district of South Holland.
Some parts of this route have similar landscapes to those that can be found in NL, low lying, flat, fertile fields surrounded by drains (dykes).
Heckington Windmill at RP 11.
This unique eight sailed windmill is the only one of its type left in the world. Standing out against Lincolnshire’s big skies, the windmill forms the centrepiece of a complex set of historic buildings where visitors can experience how food is produced using natural power.
The mill was originally built in 1830 by Edward Ingledew of Gainsborough for Michael Hare as a five-sailed mill. Following a severe thunderstorm which blew off the cap and sails, it was repaired in 1892. The repairs were carried out by John Pocklington using a cap and eight sails from a windmill in Boston. The bricks from the Boston mill were recycled and used to build the mill house that stands at the front of the site. Heckington mill ceased work in 1946 and deteriorated until it was purchased by Kesteven County Council in 1953 and made safe. The mill underwent restoration in 1986 and further major repairs were carried out in 2004 and is now in full working order.
Moulton Windmill at RP 16.
Moulton Windmill is the tallest windmill in the country and stands at 100ft (30.5 m) high to the top of the cap. This colossal tower mill has the distinction of being the largest surviving windmill not only in Lincolnshire, but in the whole country.
It was built in about 1822 by Robert King. The sails were removed in 1894 after gale damage, when a steam mill with a two sack Turner roller milling plant was installed in the adjoining granary, steam power also being applied to the original stones.
A local campaign was established to restore the Grade I listed mill to full working condition. In 2003, the mill featured on the first series of BBC2's Restoration. The project won a large Heritage Lottery Fund grant, which, along with many fundraising events has meant that the "Friends of Moulton Mill" campaign has succeeded in raising enough money to restore and refurbish the mill's structure and add a new cap. The new white ogee cap, (which weighs 14 ton) is visible for miles across the flat Fenland landscape. A café and shop has also been built allowing you to have a coffee or lunch.