Goes

Goes is the market town at the centre of Zuid-Beveland, the peninsula between the Oosterschelde and the Westerschelde, and it kept a compact old centre with a harbour running into the middle of it, a large late Gothic church, the Grote of Maria Magdalenakerk, and a market square that still holds a Tuesday market. Its distinguishing feature is the Stoomtrein Goes-Borsele, a heritage steam railway running about ten kilometres from the town along the old Zeeland line to Hoedekenskerke on the Westerschelde, with restored Dutch and German locomotives and pre-war carriages, operating on set days through the season. The Bevelanden around are fruit country and the orchards flower in April. The Zeeland tradition of ring-riding, in which horsemen at the gallop spear a small ring on a lance, is strong in the villages here through the summer.

History

Goes was founded in the 10th century on the edge of a creek, the Korte Gos, and by the early 12th century had a market square and a church of Mary Magdalene; by 1300 it had a brick castle. William II of Bavaria granted it city rights in 1405 and the right to build walls in 1417, and its wealth came from cloth and salt until it declined in the 16th century as its link to the sea silted up (Wikipedia, Goes).

What's there

• A harbour into the centre - the water running to the market square.
• A steam railway - ten kilometres of restored line to the Westerschelde.
• A Tuesday market - the old function of the town still running.
• Ring-riding in the villages - the Zeeland horseback tradition through the summer.

When to go

April to October; April for the blossom. A day.

Practical notes

The steam railway runs on set days only, seasonal, and books up - check the timetable. Ring-riding events are village occasions on scattered dates. The town centre is small.

Nearby

The Oosterschelde is north; Middelburg and Veere are west.

Key facts