When waterways in the Netherlands freeze into glittering paths, overjoyed residents take to the ice. To make it even more special  is to skate, in the UNESCO World Heritage site of Kinderdijk  in between the windmills that once pumped water from the lowlands into the surrounding reservoirs.

The historic village off Kinderdijk is about 15 miles from Rotterdam in a peaceful setting for one of the country’s favourite winter pastimes weather permitting.