Oost Achterom

Hindeloopen is a small town on the IJsselmeer coast of Friesland, and among the Eleven Cities of the famous Frisian skating tour it counts as the smallest. It was once a prosperous trading and shipping port, and the old town retains its tight pattern of narrow lanes, canals and small bridges. Oost Achterom is one of those lanes, a quiet back route through the old centre that gives a sense of the place away from the harbour front and the busier streets.

What makes Hindeloopen unusual is its strong local culture. The town developed its own painting style, used on furniture, chests and household objects, recognisable by its floral patterns and rich colours of red, blue and green on a dark background. It also had its own dialect and a distinctive costume, shaped by the sailors who brought back ideas and goods from the Baltic and elsewhere. Traces of this tradition appear in the houses along the lanes, where decorated doors, shutters and gables stand out against the plainer brickwork of other Dutch towns.

A walk along Oost Achterom is best taken slowly. The houses are small and close together, with little gardens, tiled steps and window displays, and the canal bridges invite photographs. It is a residential street, so visitors should keep voices low and respect the privacy of people living there. The route can easily be combined with a loop through other lanes of the centre, ending at the harbour.

The harbour has plenty of life, with pleasure boats, sailing barges and the traditional Frisian vessels known as skûtsjes among the craft that moor there. Close by is the First Frisian Ice Skating Museum, which tells the story of skating on the frozen waterways of Friesland and of the Elfstedentocht, the 200-kilometre race that passes through the town and was last held in 1997. The tour has become a national symbol, and the museum gives a good account of its history.

The town suits couples, photographers and anyone who enjoys small historic places. In summer it can be busy at weekends, so a weekday morning is calmer. The coast beyond the harbour has beaches and a long dyke walk. A visit takes about two hours, and the town fits easily into a day with nearby Workum and Stavoren, both on the same stretch of coast.