The Oosterscheldekering is nine kilometres of concrete piers and steel gates running across the mouth of the Eastern Scheldt, and it is the longest of the Delta Works. Sixty-two piers stand in the water, and between them hang sixty-five enormous steel gates, which stay open most of the time to let the tide in and out, and close only when a storm surge threatens. It was finished in 1986, and Queen Beatrix opened it that October. Riding across it on the road that runs along the top, with the sea on both sides and the horizon flat in every direction, is one of the strangest and most impressive crossings in northern Europe.
The history is dramatic. In the night of 31 January to 1 February 1953, a storm surge broke through the dykes of Zeeland and South Holland, flooding huge areas and killing 1,836 people. The government decided to close off the estuaries with dams, but when the plan for the Eastern Scheldt came up, fishermen, shellfish farmers and environmentalists protested that a closed dam would kill the tidal habitat and the oyster and mussel beds. The result was a compromise, a barrier that is open in normal weather and closes only in danger. It cost far more than a simple dam, and many consider it a triumph of Dutch pragmatism.
The ride is flat and exposed, and the wind is the main thing to prepare for. On a blustery day, the crosswind on the barrier can be fierce, and a loaded motorbike will be pushed around, so keep both hands on the bars and a steady speed. Traffic is moderate, and the road is smooth. Seals lie on the sandbanks nearby, and the water at low tide shows a huge shining mudflat, full of wading birds.
There are parking places along the way and a visitor centre on the island of Neeltje Jans, in the middle of the barrier. For fuel, the nearest sizeable town is Zierikzee, about fifteen kilometres away, which also has restaurants and supermarkets, and Haamstede and Kamperland have smaller shops. Eat mussels in season, from September to March roughly, or a simple plate of fried fish. Bring a windproof layer, even in summer, because the sea breeze is cold.