Visiting the Waterloopbos by happy accident

Friday afternoon I found myself going home from a work meeting in Marknesse. Walking to the bus stop I was happily surprised to see signs for entering the "Waterloopbos', an old outside experimental facility where scale models of harbors and rivers were built to assess impacts of water and waves on structures and sediments. I decided on impulse to wander into the forest, where nature has overtaken the old concrete and steel structures and machines. Two hours, and many photographs and exclaims of wonder later I emerged back into the normal world. What a great place to wander, explore and enjoy.


Part of the heritage of Deltares (formerly known as Waterloopkundig Laboratorium) is this "Waterloopbos" so I had no problem in imagining myself and my current colleagues in a setting like this; testing coastal erosion for Limsfjord in Denmark, the effects of tidal flow on the sluices in Volkerak or the strengths and effects of the Deltaworks in the Netherlands. I found myself feeling a slice of nostalgia for the experiments and outside fieldwork during my studies. Unfortunately I was carrying my laptop with me, otherwise I would have released more of my inner child and scrambled a bit more on and over the structures in the forest and played with the water.

Deltaworks scale model in Waterloopbos 2017

Original Deltaworks scale model in Waterloopbos (source: Natuurmonumenten)

As it was I opened my senses and drank in the wonders. Interesting mushrooms now grow in the waterway of Rotterdam, reeds have filled up the harbour of Warsa-el-Bargha in Libya, orchids grow over the salt water installation for Bangkok, and tiny frogs rule the Deltaworks. And since I have only seen a small part, I will be making plans to return and see and play more...

Further reading:
NOS: Spelevaren voor de wetenschap in het Waterloopbos
Natuurmonumenten: visiting Waterloopbos