This book should really be titled ‘a very very very slow boat journey in the Netherlands’.

During the previous winter we had agreed to be positive and make a long and new journey in 2008. In the event we made a relatively short journey and proceeded very slowly and with many stops and few starts. It was magic. Neither of us were very fit in April and May so days drifted by whilst we read, eat and generally enjoyed doing very little.

It did not matter one iota as we enjoyed ourselves and experienced many wonderful things. I am certain that we shall re-visit Drenthe and Friesland in the near future.

Whilst on Cobweb we keep a detailed log and diary neither of which make easy reading nor do they benefit from photographs. I have always made holiday books and the event of digital book printing services makes the whole process easy. This book contains brief notes of what we did each day and acts as a repository for the numerous photographs taken.

Photographs are a problem: what do you do with them? Wall space is limited, slide shows are boring, especially on computers and modern ‘stick in’ albums nasty. Like old fashioned albums digitally printed books provide a superb way of presenting photographs and text in a way which will stand for many years with no further reliance on technology.

I used a small digital camera which is ideal for holiday use. Taking landscape pictures from a moving boat is contrary to all good practice but it does ensure that one looks ahead and tries to envisage what will soon drift past, and then soon be lost.

We trust this book captures a flavour of our journey.

Joy and Ian Castle