Goedereede

Goedereede was a busy port in the fifteenth century on the sea passage between the islands, with town rights from 1312, and its church tower - forty metres, square, brick, far larger than the town needed - was built partly as a seamark and carried a light for shipping, one of the earlier examples of that dual use on this coast. Pope Adrian VI, the only Dutch pope, was parish priest here before his elevation. Then the channel silted, the harbour became unusable, and the town stopped: what survives is a small grid of streets with brick houses and gabled fronts, the tower, the town hall and the old harbour, now a marina reached through a lock. The dunes and the Kwade Hoek nature reserve are a couple of kilometres away, and the whole island of Goeree-Overflakkee is quiet farming country.

What you actually see

• An oversized church tower - forty metres, built as a seamark with a light in it.
• A town that stopped - the harbour silted and the streets stayed as they were.
• The only Dutch pope's parish - Adrian VI served here before his elevation.
• An old harbour as a marina - reached through a lock from the water.

When to go

April to October. Half a day.

Honest expectations

The tower opens seasonally and the climb is steep. The town is very small - two hours. Public transport to Goeree-Overflakkee is slow. Little is open outside summer.

Nearby

The Kwade Hoek dunes are west; the Haringvliet dam is north.