On our way to Muiden and the Vecht, we pass two traditional mainstays of the local economy here. The reeds are collected on flat boats, piled so high that the steerer cannot see in front of him, and stored in these lovely floating barns. There's so many waterways here that fishing boats are a regular sight, as are the warning 'withies' (tall twigs stuck in to the water) to stop your prop getting tangled in underwater laid nets.