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River cruises on the Scheldt
These cruises take about 1 hour 45 minutes, with departure and arrival
at Temse, Quay Wilford.
Short cruise from 02.00 p.m. till 03.45 p.m.:
The first cruise from Temse goes in the direction of St-Amands. Temse
is well-known for its shipyard the 'Boelwerf', situated along the Scheldt.
At this point the Scheldt is still called the 'Sea Scheldt'. This refers
to its direct connection with the sea, making it still subject to the
tides.
The first village we are passing is Tielrode, situated at the Durme
estuary and formerly known for its brickyards. Next we pass Weert, situated
on the right bank, with a very interesting local museum with varying
exhibitions.
We continue passing Hamme-Driegoten, with its ferry service, the nature
reserve 'De Bunt' and the monument for the writer Filip De Pillecijn.
We travel through the valley of the 'Silent Waters'. Since this television
series was broadcasted the village of Mariekerke became very well-known
for its ferry service. A little further we arrive at St-Amands, the
native town of the writer and poet Emile Verhaeren, who described the
river Scheldt like no one else could. He is buried there, together with
his wife, in a tomb on the bank of the river Scheldt.
The boat turns back to Temse
In summer the picturesque villages along the Scheldt, with their attractive
outdoor cafés and the appetizing menus attract a lot of tourists.
The region is known for its culinary speciality of 'stewed eels in chervil
sauce'. The dikes along the Scheldt are perfect for a walk or a bicycle
tour!
Short cruise from 04.00 p.m. till 05.45 p.m.:
The second cruise goes in the direction of Rupelmonde. We are passing
the bridge of Temse. This is the longest car and railway bridge over
the river Scheldt, it measures 365 metres and was built in 1955. The
region we navigate through was formerly very well-known for its brickyards.
The old quarries between Steendorp and Rupelmonde still testify to this.
The clay layer has completely been removed, leaving valuable nature
reserves with deep ponds teeming with fish.
At the Rupel estuary the boat turns back. Rupelmonde is situated on
the left bank. This is the native town of the famous geographer 'Mercator',
that is also well-known for its tidal mill dating from the 16th century,
the "Tower of the Earls" dating from the 12th century and
its sundial walk.
We navigate back to Tamise, passing by Hingene and the "Wimsbroek"
on the right bank. A little further we can see a building called the
'Notelaar', an ancient hunting pavilion of the Dukes of Ursel. This
magnificent restaured building was one of the settings of the television
series 'Silent Waters'.
Next we continue along the 'Buitenland', this is a hamlet of Bornem,
an the 'Buytenland Schoor', and after passing under the bridge of Temse
we arrive back at the Quay Wilford..
Long cruise on the river Scheldt:
This long cruise, from 02.00 p.m. till 05.45 p.m., on the river Scheldt,
is a combination of both short cruises as mentioned above.