The 5th Tank Bag Tour of 2018 has the start and end points in Spijkenisse. A nice route for the touring foodie through a region of the Netherlands with more water than land. The eternal struggle against the sea resulted in beautiful tour roads across dyke and Delta works. With the swimming trunks in the tank bag you come across rural simplicity, fishing ports, white beaches, basically just sun-drenched salt.

Just after the start in Spijkenisse you will be directed to the coast as pleasantly as possible. Along Vierpolders, fully enjoy the landscape and chew on a name that means exactly what the hamlet suggests: space in the polder. Swirling on polder and dike roads with a view of vast fields that were once regularly irrigated with unwanted sea water. Nowadays, but especially in the summer, the connected islands are only flooded with tourists. Completely unhurried and brash on your motorcycle over land where people had to struggle for a long time. The ongoing battle against the sea began 15,000 years ago, even the Romans settled in the delta. The whims of the sea brought uncertainty, but prosperity rippled in the 15th and 16th centuries to cities such as Middelburg and Vlissingen. Hardened by the elements and a forced adaptability, that formed the character. In the meantime, the Eilandrijk is doing well in tourism and the engine is a permanent part of that.

On the Dammenweg you can smell the sea while driving, which will undoubtedly be detected by the increasing grins on tanned faces. Then on the N57 of Goeree-Overflakkee a beautiful view of the North Sea and on the other hand the Haringvliet as inland sea. You then drive on the Delta Works. A technical ingenuity, the construction of which started in 1960 and which permanently kept the salty danger off the sea. A welcome recommendation is a short stopover in the fishing port at the Binnenhaven. Colorful fishing boats with huge nets are a cool backdrop for a photo. Anyone who wants to indulge themselves at the sea banquet must pay extra attention to winged pirates. Loudly they drown the engine noise hungry and transform them into talented dive bombers in search of crust. So vigilance is required. The route takes you further through the polders, past sandy meadows and then through Ouddorp. There is ample parking space on the Brouwersdam, near Port Zeelande. The sea is literally open to you here. The perfect opportunity to enjoy the vast beaches or elevated terraces with panoramic views. Pay attention to the formation of sand on the asphalt of the Brouwersdam. The road usually extends straight. On the last part of this land dam you actually enter Zeeland.

Along Scharrendijke and Brouwershaven you tap on Schouwen-Duivenland the southernmost part of the route. The small country houses with a bent roof are typical of Zeeland. You regularly experience the touching nature of it from the saddle. In addition, the lack of age-old, large agricultural and economic prosperity translates into the practical simplicity of the villages and countryside. Even in the high season the inland is rarely used by the 'other' traffic. The national tour is therefore mainly lacking traffic lights and a cacophony of traffic signs. A pleasure for cruising leisurely alongside the ship. Caution is advised in the bends between the fields, because there is already loose gravel on it. A nice sight are the boat masts that sometimes protrude above the dikes at the end of the fields. Then an inland waterway or river is betrayed behind a vast, vast landscape in which sea and meadow birds live beak to beak. On the navigation screen, fresh, salt or brackish water have the same color, but they constantly alternate. The route keeps you safe outside the various village centers, but you can of course also visit it on your own initiative.

In Bruinisse you are about half way through the ride. Fish restaurant Btu17 is located on Havenkade to eat a mussel or something. After all, Bruinisse is known for that, but otherwise delicious seafood is also offered. To illustrate this, a large plastic mussel is displayed in the harbor as a symbol of the economic relationship with this shellfish.

You leave Zeeland via the N59, over the headland between the Grevelingenmeer and the Krammer. Via Oude-Tonge, the place that was heavily hit by the flood disaster, you set course for the southernmost part of Goeree-Overflakkee. After Ooitgensplaat, the straight road follows the Langeweg to the junction with the N59. Along the way you may still be stared at by a herd of wild horses or heck cattle. In any case, you can once again enjoy a wide view of the water on the Haringvliet Bridge before accelerating your motorcycle on the elongated polder roads of Voorne-Putten. For a short sailing moment you take the ferry at Nieuw-Beijerland. Then a final stretch of polder land follows towards the end point in Spijkenisse. The tour took a tasty and relaxed tour through the region, which breathes peace, pleasure and simplicity. Engine with the fish. (Source: Promotor 06-2018).

Because I have driven this route myself, this route gets 5 stars.