For the first time this winter, the Dutch are skating on natural ice

The Netherlands may have only had a few days of frost, but the first three skaters on natural ice were spotted near the Frisian village of Ryptsjerk on Thursday morning.

The three diehards took to the ice in the partly-flooded Ryptsjerker polder where the temperature was -4 Celsius. ‘The ice is getting better by the hour,’ one of the group told news agency ANP.

In Noordlaren in Groningen province, a skeeler track has been turned into an impromptu ice rink with a thin layer of water. The rink should be open to the public on Friday.

However, any skating fun is set to be very short-lived. The thaw is forecast to set in on Saturday.

Watch the video

Thank you for donating to DutchNews.nl.

We could not provide the Dutch News service, and keep it free of charge, without the generous support of our readers. Your donations allow us to report on issues you tell us matter, and provide you with a summary of the most important Dutch news each day.

Make a donation