Fort Honswijk

Once the rain eased we decide to look for a village mentioned by E and N, the couple we have exchanged homes with, we found it and afterwards decided to follow the signs to a fort. This is it. 

It was built during the mid 19c along with others of varying designs along the bank of the river Lek as part of a defence system.  The walls are deep although we didn’t see inside, only pictures. The overall plan was to flood the area under potential attack, the water had to be deep enough to ensure the military couldn’t wade through it but not deep enough to allow a boat to cross. I found a long article translated into English, a complex system. Eventually the Netherlands decided to become a neutral country. 

Extras show the barracks on the right, some are now commercial offices, I came across a plan to revamp it all into accommodation, cafe, museum, the plan didn’t win the bid. The small oval door, I couldn’t find out their purpose, they are around the base of the fort. 

We spotted a few barges passing by on the large river, some of our fondest memories from the motorhome days are watching huge barges moving up and down the river, there are places to park up overnight, others must enjoy the same pastime.