HELLEVOETSLUIS VUURTOREN

Hellevoetsluis, Netherlands

This was the most difficult to find because I hadn't seen it on the way in. I believe this city had the windiest, smallest, and the most one way streets I encountered during my travels in Netherlands. I was in the mode of 'find the water and boats'. Always turning towards what I thought was the water and re navigating when I hit a dead end or a one way street from the wrong end. And then I happened to catch a glance of it but I was on a road that led nowhere in the maze of streets that is Hellevoetsluis. Finally, on a one way street going out to the water, I found myself in the parking lot of a nice waterfront restaurant, across the channel from the vuurtoren. 

It is just past dawn and I had come south from the Maasvlakte vuurtoren. I left Europoort area on N15 and turn left at N218. Right after you turn, there is a turn-off to the right to Oostvoorne and Rockanje. This is a very pleasant early morning drive through a more rural setting. Then you come to N57 and across into Hellevoetsluis.

Seems that this vuurtoren was built in 1822 by a K. van Golverdingen and first lit on September 1st of that same year. The tower is a little over 18 meters high and the light is 17 meters above the water. It is a white, red, and green light. I believe it changes every 10 seconds, but I did not see this characteristic. The light was not on. And best I can figure out is that the light was discontinued in 1901 and restored in 1965. I'll update when I get a better translation. The best reward for finding this little vuurtoren was when I turned around to get back in my car, I looked across the parking lot and beyond to the next channel and saw another lantern on a tower. What a great surprise. Go check out Noord Hinder.

Here's how I saw it:

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