Lake Kralingen.

In northeast of Rotterdam is an old lake, created by peat-diggers a century ago. It's a recreation park today.
A peaceful piece of nature in the middle of the big city hectic.
Many of the Rotterdam inhabitants agree with that. That's why it isn't peaceful at all any more on sundays. Then it looks more like a refugee camp for people fleeing their upstairs flat.
Anke, one of my girl friends, also has hers near there. Without any garden, or even a platform outside.
But she's overenthousiastic about the lake recreation's delights. In the scene's much more happening than there's at home. She likes a good discussion on a shady park bench. But a nice biketour along the lakeside as well. It's the reason she can often be found near the lakeside, especially when weather is fine...

“Can you really do there some nice laps?” I ask myself reading the e-mail a local skatefreak sent me after reading my internet stories. About the Kralingen Lake skate scene.
“Yes”, agrees he. “Tout wheeling Rotterdam gets there. It's really the most trendy place to be !!”
A recommandation like that is usually no reason at all for me to hurry myself on wheels to the skating incrowd at the lakeside situated Minang Kabau-house. I prefer the vaste polder landscape touring. Or at least some freewheeling on a quiet, asphalt surfaced forest path.
“There are parts where you push yourself to heaven”, Putting continues in his e-mail. “Especially on the pathway along the Bosdreef circular route !”
“Okay”, I consider, with less reserve than before, “that sounds a lot better.”
At least, such a mission should result in a recreational afternoon for me. And a new skate story for the site of course, if possible....

I didn't consider the subject any more. Till we had a nice alcoholic meeting with my friend Anke, some weeks later. Because of the wine I offer Anke to deliver her home, just on the opposite shore of the Kralingse plas. And suddenly, on my way back, I saw the light....
"I passed this Bosdreef route so many times", I realise myself. And it never struck me before...
Such an incredible long ribbon of asphalt here in Kralingen, so close to my home! With a virginal, red skatepath of the same lenght along eacht side of it!

Next sunday afternoon, there's an unusual lot of sunshine according to Rotterdam notions. So it's time to roll myself on wheels to that skate-incrowd paradise. And not just to have a slight glance from behind dark ray-ban glasses at some attractive female skaters . . .
No, I myself am here just to ride a skeeler tour !
It's a short way from the Bergse Bos. Via Terbregge, the former village. For more than thirty years it tries to get rid of the ever continuing flow of traffic, wriggling through the narrow main street. On the just as narrow bikepaths alongside however, there's still plenty of space for skating. You only have to be alert when passing the traffic-lights crossing beside the Huifkar open air tent-expo.
There the world famous (in Kralingen) asphalt path alongside the Bosdreef stretches in front of me. I'm out! Ron Putting didn't mail me one word too much.
You really push yourself to heaven here ! Fun for lots of kilometers !

From a comfortable car, together with Anke, the part near the marina seems much easier to do than on skeelers.
Don't bother, just switch. Another long, tiled cakewalk along the Kralingse Plaslaan waits in front of me. As a rolling architect I'm lucky here to concentrate myself on the Bauhaus and Postmodern architecture beside me. Beautiful examples from the thirties and ninetees. Together with Anke in my car I usually lack the attention for it. This Putting guy is really right: it's great here !!
The tiles have intervals of about a skatewheel's size. It keeps me as close to the skeeler-lessons as necessary. I manage to roll along the last white Rietveld styled villas without crashes. Suffering is over. The Kralingseweg has red, smooth bike-asphalt again. Just before the golf course I turn left. A brandnew path towards the deer-park. No other collegues on rolling shoes here. But the walkers take it all over. So many people here on sunday. Lucky for me both the two- and the four-legged make way just in time...
At this spot I did about three quarters of the lake tour, but still didn't see any fast sunglasses on wheels!!
I feel a little sorry about it... Not a single trail of that superfast Rotterdam skate-scène to be seen. Where do they hide around here ?!?

Past the deer-park I turn left again, a very sharp turning point. Back to the Kralingseweg again. This route follows the much more crowded Plaszoom ave. Again a beautiful, red skeeler path. Again many oncoming people.
The first sunglasses I recognise from his miserable skating-style and the housing ghettoblaster on his shoulder. The Rotterdam skate-scène! So here it happens !
I manage to avoid the rolling discothèque without any damage, however my Zandstra skates have no brakes.
The confrontation with a second ray-ban I only survive thanks to my superior skate technique. At the very border between the bikepath's end and the café pavement start, he suddenly stops his BMW right in front of my Zandstra skates, which still have no brakes... Straight over the ideal track I planned myself to skate...
I only manage to avoid a very heavy confrontation by following a less ideal track. Over the cobblestoned Plaszoom avenue!!
I see this bloodstaining manoeuvre admired by many of the sunglasses and super girls at the nearby café terraces.
But I suddenly am fed up with this roller-incrowd. With my knees trembling all over, but fortunately no other damages, I slip away from this disaster area near theSter and Lelie windmills. Back to the Kralingseweg again. And further on over the Boszoom, where normal persons can skate in a bit more quiet way. No skate-scène for me any more! How do you ever see where you are rolling by the way, with such sunglasses on your face?!

Only some hundreds of meters past the Huifkar-tentexpo the trembling in my undercarriage seems to calm down again. The (almost) perfect cadans returns in my legs ! And, slightly higher, I even feel a little satisfaction coming over me.
I have been part of that incredibly Rotterdam skate scène for a short while!!
Anke and Ron, it's really perfect entertaining around the Kralingse plas. But be careful for yupping skaters in BMW’s!

Route map...

Route description and info...

The parcours of this trip:

1. I started at the northeastern side, near the Bosdreef, Boszoom and Terbregseweg crossing.
2. But there are many more places to start along the route. With car parkings and public transport access as well. Like the subway station Voorschoterlaan, which is near the south side of the lake.
3. Over the Bosdreef crossing at the traffic lights, and directly turn right. There is busy traffic here!
4. Now follow a kilometers long, smooth bikepath till you reach the Prinses Beatrixlaan.
5. Take the bikepath turning left, at the end right again onto the Langepad. Smooth asphalt again, but be careful because of grid on the road.
6. Left onto the Kralingse Plaslaan bikepath, just after the marina and before the crossing.
7. The path has (loose) tiles, but further on, where it is called Kralingseweg, the perfect asphalt is back again.
8. Where it's sloping down a bit, and just past the parking place, there's a smooth forest path towards the "hertenkamp" (deer park).
9. At the hertenkamp a sharp turn left to the Plaszoom avenue. Many café's, windmills and terraces along the waterside invite you for a stop.
10. Where you meet the Kr. Plaslaan again, turn left and you'll remember that you rolled here on the Kralingseweg before.
11. When meeting the slope and the parking place again, just go straight on, till you reacht the Boszoom. There is busy traffic here, so cross only when the lights are green, and turn left again. Now you skate over the tiles back to theTerbregseweg and the traffic lights, where I began the trip.
12. If you like another lap, don't cross back to theTerbregseweg, but turn left for another ride over the amazing red bikepath to the Prinses Beatrixlaan.