Civil Airfield Norderney (EDWY)

I was a schoolboy – nearly 50 years ago – when I first read The Riddle of the Sands by Erskine Childers. This extraordinary novel, written in 1903 – (it was made into a film in 1979 starring Michael York and Simon MacCorkindale) - predicted the First World War; it may, some claim, have even helped start it. But like all great thrillers, the power of its plot is matched by the potent magic of its setting. The irony is that although nowhere in Germany feels further from Britain, this brooding hinterland of Edwardian espionage is actually the corner of the Federal Republic that is closest to the UK.

The East Friesian Islands, 5 of the 7 having hard runway airfields, on the barren north shoulder of Germany, is still a place apart – overwhelmingly rural, and unscathed by tourism. It is an isolated patch of land where both Holland to the west and Germany to the east seem like foreign lands.

Childers was transfixed by the islands' bleak and unforgiving beauty, and in his book he maps this barren scenery in almost obsessive detail. You can practically use Childers' novel as a guidebook – so meticulous are his descriptions, and so little has this lonely landscape changed. If you want a holiday break with nightclubs, top restaurants, Go-go dancing etc. then the East Friesian islands are definitely not for you! The pace of life is very genteel with few or no cars, Most restaurants (and even hotels) lock up at 10.00pm. If, though, you want to ‘get away from it all’, enjoy the wild countryside, like to walk or cycle, simply relax in bracing sea air, have an interest in ‘bird watching’ (and theoretically you can do both kinds since Norderney claims the longest nudist beach in Europe!) or want to go from one island to another (5 minutes flying time!), it is one of the most arresting places I've ever been to.

EDWY Norderney, 1000m asphalt. The second largest of the seven East Friesian islands, but still only seven miles long, and barely a mile across. There is only one town - which shares the same name as the island - but its imperial grandeur is out of all proportion to its size. Its smart avenues are lined with elegant whitewashed villas – architectural relics of Germany's affluent, self-confident Second Reich. In Winter it's funereally quiet, but the town still gleams in the pale sunlight, as if its neoclassical façades had been scrubbed until they shone. Childers' "great white hotels" are all still there, and so is his "gorgeous casino". Even the municipal post office looks more like a metropolitan town hall. More information on the Island’s website https://www.norderney.de/

Cars are confined to the town, at the western end of the island, and the only way to see the eastern end is by bike or on foot. Cycling east, you soon become lost in a maze of sand dunes, flanked on both sides by miles of brilliant white beaches, battered by a restless sea. I have stayed at Hotel Friese *** http://www.hotel-friese.de/ which, unusually for a hotel nowadays, has 18 single rooms – very convenient for pilots on ‘fly-outs’ and is indicative, perhaps, of the (rich?) German widows who reputedly come here to inhale the bracing air and find a replacement husband!

NOTES: Avgas: None of the Islands have Avgas (except occasionally Borkum, but at Borkum prices!) When re-fuelling is necessary, one can easily fly to the ‘mainland’ to either Wilhelmshaven EDWI - BP Card - or Elden EDWE, both all of 15 minutes flying time away. But not to EDWS Norddeich which does not have Avgas.

Fog: If there is one ‘weather fact’ that dominates The Riddle of The Sands it is sea fog! Childers even describes how it was so thick, “charging up the street in dense masses, that it was impossible to see across Norderney harbour”, let alone fly! At times (especially in winter) it can stay all day.

Bicycles: These can always be hired in the local town and nearly always at all the airfields as well – provided others haven’t got them first! (For this reason – W & B permitting – I try travelling with a couple of fold-up bikes in the hold).

Tie-downs: As well as the fog, The Friesian Islands are renowned for the wind – even in Summer. As most of the islands are only about 4ft above sea level, the ground is always very wet and soft. Good tie downs using skewers are recommended, if not essential.

Waterproofs: Even in Summer, it is advisable to have a good waterproof (and windproof) anorak plus a good pair of walking/waterproof shoes. Even walking around the aircraft for its pre-flight can sometimes be a very muddy business.

If you have a somewhat heavier aircraft and it has rained a lot beforehand, you should try to reserve one of the limited asphalt parking spots (by phone first thing on the morning of the flight); then it works out fine. The on-field restaurant has unfortunately been closed for several months. No successor is in sight either, which of course detracts from the airfield. The MOOEV ride-sharing service is no longer available on the island, either. Bicycles are, of course, still available. The restaurant “Düne 13” is a quick walk. “Weiße Düne” isn’t that far either; crossing the dunes on foot is doable (2.3 km). It’s a nice restaurant with very good service, a bit pricey. Otherwise, we occasionally go to Cornelius, a fairly good Italian place right on the beach. To get there you definitely need a taxi (about 25€), or you can rent bicycles. Nice beaches in the north. It’s fun to ride around the island by bicycle, especially along the dike in the south of the island.