Lemmer and the surrounding area

Relax at the campground or go out and discover Friesland, Overijssel and the Noordoostpolder.
Lemmer (5-10 min. by car, 15-20 min. by bike) is an authentic fishing village and a pleasant water sports resort with shops, restaurants and a beach. Every Thursday there is a market in the center from 1 - 5 pm. Visit hartvanlemmer.nl with activities in and around Lemmer. The Woudagemaal is the oldest functioning steam pumping station in the Netherlands and a UNESCO World Heritage Site (Gemaalweg 1a, Lemmer). For more information about Lemmer and the surrounding area: Tourist Office Lemmer (Nieuwburen 1, Lemmer). 
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Urk (25 min. by car) was once an island in the middle of the Zuiderzee, until the reclamation in 1939. Book a ginkies tour through the small old streets of old Urk. Or start at the lighthouse and explore on your own. You can find an online guide here. Are you interested in the history of the Zuiderzee? Then go via the Markerwaarddijk through the IJsselmeer past  Enkhuizen, a nice place with the Zuiderzee Museum and imagine yourself back in time (1 hour by car).

Do you want to explore the Frisian Lakes? A small tour around the Slotermeer is recommended. Sloten (20 minutes by car) is the smallest of the 'eleven cities' with a restaurant on the water and worth a walk along the fortress walls. Then drive on to Woudsend. You can rent SUPs here or book a cruise. Thursdays between 17th July and 21st August there is a farmer's market between 10.30 am and 5 pm. You can find an online map here. For a day trip around the Frisian Lakes, the Frisian Lakes Route is highly recommended. The route passes Sloten, Woudsend, Wijckel, Balk, Heeg, Terhorne, Sneek, Grouw, Akkrum and Joure, among others.  See below at 'Food and drinks' for nice restaurants on the route!
If you want to enjoy Southwest-Friesland with a view of the IJsselmeer, we recommend that you visit Hindeloopen,  one of the "Eleven cities" (50 min. by car). If you are here for a couple of days, it's a must. You can combine it with a pit stop at De Mirnse Klif (30 min. by car). There is restaurant 't Mar with a fantastic view of kite surfers (only if there is wind of course) and the Rysterbosk with walking routes and a climbing track. Or drive further along the coast and stop at Het Vrouwtjes van Stavoren. 

Have you ever visited the Frisian Islands? You can visit Ameland as a day-trip. It's a 1 hour drive from the campground and the Ferry leaves every 30-90 minutes starting from 7.15 am. It takes you 20-50 minutes on the boat to Ameland, depending if you buy a fast-service or normal ticket. The last Ferry leaves between 6:00 and 8:00 PM, make sure to check the schedule and book your tickets in advance!

Leeuwarden (45 min. by car) is also an option for a day trip. Walk through the old center, visit Aqua Zoo, the Nature Museum and/or nearby the Eisinga Planetarium in Franeker (UNESCO World Heritage Site).

In the other direction in Overijssel lies the 'Venice of the North', Giethoorn (40 min. by car). Rent a boat or bicycle and enjoy the beautiful surroundings of Weerribben National Park. If you are interested in the technique and history of reclamation, stop halfway at the Waterloopbos near Marknesse. this was once the outdoor laboratory of the Zeeland Delta Works, among others.

Activities

Sailing, supping, fierljeppen... or ask the camping butler for personal tips!
Bicycles and e-Choppers. You can rent bicycles at Bas2Wielers, Rijwiehandel Boek or Iselmar in Lemmer (at Iselmar they have kids bikes and seats). There are beautiful cycling routes, for example along the Tjeukermeer (38 km). Check out an overview of routes on Komoot.nl or Friesland.nl. You can rent e-Choppers at Solexsloten.nl.

Sailing and boating. You can reserve a sloop in Lemmer at sloepjeshuren.nl. Be quick with good weather, because everything that can float will be rented out in no time. For sailing boats you can go to De Kikkert in Lemmer, at Sailing Center in Langweer (20 min. by car) or at Sail a Way on the Sneekermeer (30 min.). On Botentehuur.nl you might find other options!

Supboarding and kayaking. You can rent supboards in Lemmer at Skipperland. A nice sup route is Lemmer-Sloten (~4 hours). At the lake "Wellerwaard" you can also rent sups in the summer.  KayakTjongerTours in Delfstrahuizen  (20 min. drive) and Woodssteps in Rijs (25 min. by car) have kayaks for rent.
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Kitesurfing and wakeboarding. At Lemmer it is only possible to kitesurf between October and May - not in the summer. A beautiful kitesurfing spot where you can kite all year round is at The Mirnster Klif with restaurant 't Mar (30 min. by car). Look at Antixsports for renting gear or booking a kitesurfing lesson. There is also a German Kite School NRW in Nijemirdum. At Waterskibaan Sneek (30 min.) you can wakeboard from the age of 12.

Walking. Close to the campground is the Kuinderbos (10-15 min. by car). A starting point for a nice walk is at Natuurkampeerterrein de Veenkuil (Hopweg 21, Bant). For more trails, check out Alltrails.com. A little further away (20 min. from the campground) is the National Park Weerribben-Wieden, starting point is Buitencentrum Weerribben. Towards Hindeloopen lies the Rysterbosk (25 min. drive) with two walking routes of 3.5 and 6.5 km.

Beaches and swimming pools. There is a great large beach at Lemmer with a Beach Club. We are a fan of the lake De Wellerwaard with restaurant Bij Ons (15 min. by car), especially with small children a pleasant place. You can also drive a little further north to De Hege Gerzen. Not a very nice beach, but with kids it can be combined with Sybrandy's Speelpark or miniature golf. You can stop for a farmhouse ice cream at De Bûterkamp in Oudemirdum. The Aquapark in Sneek is a fun option for children from the age of 7. For swimming pools, you can go to Lemmer at Ny Suderse (small-scale, but you don't need much more for small children) or at the Subtropical swimming paradise Swimfun in Joure (20 min.).
More outdoor. Horse riding camps for children or private riding lessons can be booked at Stal Breimer (15 min. by car). Do you want to try out the old Frisian sport 'fierljeppen' (jumping over water with a stick)? Then take a look at Boerderijcreatie in Delfstrahuizen (20 min. drive).

​When it rains... If it's not weather to be outside, consider a day of wellness. In Lemmer, you can book pedicures and massages at Bruin & Cho. For a full wellness experience, drive a bit further to sauna De Woudfennen in Joure (18 min. by car).  In Lemmer you can lounge at the Beachclub, go bowling at hotel Iselmar or visit the Woudagemaal. In Heerenveen (25 min.) there is an indoor go-kart track and a cinema, for example to combine with dinner at 't Gerecht. Other options are: Pantropica (15 min. by car), a large indoor jungle or Escape Room Emmelocked in Emmeloord (20 min.).

With the kids The indoor jungle Pantropica is a treat for small children (15 min. drive). There are monkeys, flamingos, fish and birds to feed and a large indoor play area. If it's bad weather you can also go to Speelbos Joure (20 min drive), an indoor playground, or Jumpstyle in Heerenveen. In Emmeloord there is a petting zoo with goats, rabbits to pet, donkeys and peacocks (15 min. drive). In the petting zoo there is a small restaurant for a cup of coffee, sandwich or ice cream. In Oudemirdum there is Sybrandy's Speelpark and a barefoot path (25 min drive). Or go on an adventure at the Kameleon village in Terherne (30 min. drive), which can be combined with a visit to restaurant Picknickers or SALT. 

For kids between 7-10 there are sailing day camps of 5 days, from  (Monday to Friday, between 8.30 am and 5 pm) in Langweer (25 min. by car). Make sure to book in advance.

Events in April, May and June
Tulip Route (our campsite will be surrounded by tulip fields, mid April - early May), Lemmer Ahoy (with fair) (29-31 May), Lemster Visserijdagen (21-23 June). 
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Events in July
Beachrockers Festival (St. Nicolaasga, 4-5 July, buy tickets in advance), Pony fun days Stal Breimer (horseback riding for kids, registration per day), Friese Ballonfeesten (Hot Air Balloon Festival in Joure, 16-20 July).
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Events in August
Opening Sneekweek (1st August), Sneekweek (1-7 August), Skutjesilen, SKS Championship (26 July - 8 August),  Feestweek Lemmer/Lemster Wike (5-9 August),  Pony Fun Days Stal Breimer (horebackriding for kids, registration per day), Glemmer Beach Festival (Lemmer, 22-23 August, buy tickets in advance).

Wining & Dining

Our personal favourite places in the area
Brasserie no. 14 or ​Fem aan het Dok, in the centre of Lemmer at the water with a view of the boats that sail into Friesland from the IJsselmeer (breakfast starts at 10 am, Kortestreek 13 and 14). Tip: then get an ice cream at IIskald (Oudesluis 1, Lemmer).

Beachclub Lemmer, lounging on the beach with music in the background and a nice view of the IJsselmeer. (Industrieweg 2, Lemmer)

Bij Ons in the Wellerwaard (15 min. drive), relaxed beach bar by a lake. It is ideal with children, they can play in the sand while you sit on the terrace with a snack board. You can also rent supboards here (Friesepad 4a, Emmeloord).

Restaurant De Fûke in Echten (15 min.) serves honest good food with a great view of the Frisian meadows (Hoofdweg 24, Echten). You could combine it with a cycling tour around the lake "Groote Brekken".
In the harbor on Urk (20 min.) there are nice restaurants at the old fish slaughterhouse on the Oosthavenkade, such as fish restaurant Storm or restaurant de Boet (see Michelin.com).

Spot Langweer (25 min. drive) is a nice restaurant in the harbour of Langweer with view of the nearby lake and boats.

A little further away (30 min.) there are two places at Terherne where we like to visit. Picknickers (Utbuorren 54, Terherne), with a relaxed beachy atmosphere and SALT (Utbuorren 50, Terherne) ideal if you're with kids, because it has an outdoor playground next to the terrace. You can combine it with a walk through the old Frisian town of Terherne or a visit to the Kameleon village.

​Do you want to eat luxuriously? Think of the Boet in Urk or the Jouster Toer in Joure, more for a night out for two, slightly less suitable for children.