This aire is a haven of
peace compared to Gent and we had an excellent night's sleep. It was
overcast but dry in the morning so we decided to investigate the
area. First on the list was the windmill next to the aire, which
turned out to be a modern (1993) reconstruction of the Spinnewyn Mill
that dated back to some time before the 18th century. We
then walked into the town wandering around the centre and then out to
another windmill on the other side of the town. The Noordmeulen Mill
may be the oldest mill in Europe, according to the information board.
This is based on the fact that they found a beam in the mill with the
date 1127 carved on it. Perhaps they should use dendrochronology to
confirm the date of the beam. Anyway it is a very impressive
windmill. We were amused that we were staying in a French village
with two windmills when, despite seeing many lovely windmills when we
were driving, we didn't manage to get a close-up look at any Dutch
windmill.
We thought that we
might move on to a campsite today but the aire was good and tempted
us to stay another night.
Photos: Hondshoote's
Town Hall – ghosts, warlocks and witches were streaming out of here
when I passed it last night. It was very frightening, although I
suspect that it might have been a children's early Halloween party!;
The Noordmeulen Mill.
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