"How did it go?" - friends asked after I got back home after my first solo two-week bike tour trip around the Netherlands. "Amazing" - I would say, but it's impossible to describe the experience created by all the things you see along the way and people you meet. Not to mention the freedom and taste of a good meal after a day's ride or the sound of frogs waking you up in the morning. I often stopped and took pictures to try and capture some of this, but most of the time I just enjoyed it.
Planning the trip
My trip started out on June the 18th at my hometown Breda, which is located in the south of the Netherlands (province Noord-Brabant), near the Belgium border. Because of COVID-19 I had to plan more carefully and camp sites at the time were still restricted (you needed to provide your own toilet). The rule was relaxed just before I left but it left me looking for alternatives. I only packed a small lightweight tent and somebody on Reddit pointed me to CampSpace.com (thank you kind stranger!). Basically, it's airbnb for people who only need a place to pitch a tent and it was exactly what I needed.
I knew from training trips in the previous months that around 100km a day would be a doable distance, allowing for enough recovery in the evenings without the need to have any full rest days. So I found camp spaces along the general route I would like to cycle: going clockwise from Breda to Zeeland, then up north following the coast until Noordwijk. At that point I decided to leave the coastline and aim for the central region of the Netherlands, around Utrecht, before going back up north to Friesland and Groningen. Then I would return along the eastern provinces: Drenthe, Overijssel, Gelderland and back home to Brabant. This would take 14 days.
Initially I also wanted to include Limburg in the south, which is a beautiful hilly region, but that would take me an additional 3-4 days and I didn't know how exactly how I would feel after two weeks of cycling so I decided to keep it as an option. As it happened, the weather turned at the end of the trip so I saved Limburg for another time. Another region I skipped mostly was Noord-Holland, Amsterdam and the islands (Waddeneilanden). That's because I already went camping and cycling in that area few years ago, and it's difficult to plan a tour which includes this and the central part of the Netherlands around Utrecht, which is also one of the most best parts including national park the Veluwe.
But if you're new to Holland, I would recommend cycling through Amsterdam. There is no experience quite like it.
Bike
My bike is a Kona Sutra 2020 which I bought earlier that year. I did a lot research going from Koga’s F3 and Gazelle Worldtravellers to Genesis and Surly bikes. I definitely liked the latter but they were more difficult to come by in the Netherlands and also a bit more expensive then the Kona which was 1500 euro's and a great all round steel bike for sweet long rides.
So far, it's been a great choice, I didn't have any issues with the bike or any punctures with the Schwalbe tires. I especially like the Brooks leather saddle because I was afraid that saddle soreness would ruin my trip, but this saddle turned out to be a lot more comfortable then the race bike saddle I have on my Bianchi race bike which is okay for trips up to 3 hours.
Gear
All the gear fitted in three bags of type Vaude Karakorum: two rear panniers and a top case which is zipped on and can also be used a backpack. I managed to fit everything I needed in these bags so no need for any bags on the front side of the bike. The most important stuff for a good nights rest was a lightweight 1-person tent, sleeping bag and air mattress (these were all Forclaz Decathlon). I was very happy with the tent and sleeping bag but I'm considering a better self-inflating mattress for my next trip. Also, I underestimated the need for a pillow and improvised using a bag with clothes but I might look into a more comfortable solution.
For cooking, I used a Coleman feather stove which runs on plain gasoline and had a small pan and kettle. I had a couple of basic herbs and spices (italian mix, chili flakes and salt) but all other ingredients were bought along the way in local shops. Meals typically were spaghetti with Parmesan cheese and a salad on the side, or beans in tomato sauce with chorizo, zucchini and eggplant. And of course coffee in the morning with something from a local bakery.
The rest of the space in the bags was mainly occupied by clothes were I applies the "3X" principle: three of everything. One set you wear, one clean and one used. I packed some liquid laundry detergent and washed my clothes whenever I could which worked out fine. I had three water bottles: two on the frame and one larger 900ml bottle in one of the bags. On some of the hottest days I had to refill these multiple times, which was never an issue because there are a lot of free public water taps scattered all over the Netherlands or you can of course refill at any pub along the way.
Day 1: Leaving home (123km)
The Netherlands are famous for their bike paths and there are several long distance cycle routes available. The one I was interested in for my first part of the trip was the LF13 which From Breda I followed the LF13 which runs in the south from the German border to the north sea in the province of Zeeland.
My first camp space was a bit before the end of this route, in Zuid-Beveland. At the end of a dead-end street in the middle of nowhere I slept in a tent in a beautiful garden with sheep, chicken and a very friendly dog.
The owner also had a fascinating big barn full of second-hand children books she sold online. As it happened to be, a tent - pitched by the owner for a previous visitor who didn't have a tent - was still available and I was welcome to use it if I wanted. It even had a real bed in it and together with a small kitchen I could use it was a pretty luxurious start of this trip. I made dinner during a thunderstorm and enjoyed my meal in the garden afterwards when the sun returned.
Day 2 - Zeeland (102km)
The next day, I continued my trip towards the coast where I would pick up a different long distance route: the Kustroute (coastal route). It runs all the way north towards the German border.
The peninsulas of Zeeland are connected by road with dams which are part of the famous Delta Works, built after the great flood of 1953. If you are not familiar with it I highly recommend visiting Neeltje Jans located on one of the islands which has a great exposition about this amazing piece of engineering.
The bike path on Schouwen-Duiveland - the next peninsula - was one of the best of the whole trip. Small forests, dunes, little villages and of course the sea and beaches, all compressed in a small area on roads with hardly any cars. Don't forget to stop along the way for some delicious kibbeling or verse haring!
Most of the time, winds blow from the west/south-west in the Netherlands, so the next few days would be relatively easy if not for the sometimes steep dunes (Dutch mountains!). Crossing the Brouwersdam I finished in Goeree-Overflakkee, the most Nordic peninsula which is actually part of the province of South-Holland.
Day 3 - Two worlds (98km)
Normally, the coastal route will now lead you through the Maasvlakte where you take a ferry to Hoek van Holland to continue along the coast. However, it was a Saturday and due to COVID, the ferries where running on a winter schedule, which meant no ferry for me. The Maasvlakte is a massive industrial area on an artificial island and the contrast with the scenery of silos, ships and pipelines could not be any bigger when you approach it from the dunes in the south.
I decided to cycle the south edge of the Maasvlakte to Brielle - a nice little town - which I entered on a small bike ferry from the north. After lunch, I followed westward towards Rotterdam and two other major industrial areas: Botlek and Pernis before I could finally cross the water myself using the Beneluxtunnel. This tunnel has a separate entrance for bikes using an elevator if your bike is heavy.
Along the way, a friendly older man was standing near a massive metal pulley of the Botlekbrug. He came up to me and told me everything about the bridge and the pulley. Apparently, this bridge was constructed in 2015 and is one of the largest vertical-lift bridge in the world. Each pillar contains eight of these massive pulleys, sixty-four in total. Today I learned!
After getting some tips from the friendly old man about finding the tunnel, I emerged from the other side and left the city behind. Again, the scenery changed dramatically. This time into the most typical picturesque Dutch scenery: windmills, dikes, cyclists and green fields. It was the day with the most diverse scenery I would see: heavy industry on one side and the beauty of South-Holland on the other.
I pitched my tent at a camp space between the green houses of the Westland, which this area is known for, and cooked myself a meal.
Day 4 - Dutch mountains (73km)
It was a Sunday and cloudy with a chance of rain later that day. Until then I didn't have any rain except for a very short and small drizzle on the first day which was hardly enough to get wet at all. But today I would meet with a friend and cycle along the coast together to Scheveningen where we had burgers and a beer. As a foodie, one of the bonuses of trips like this is you can basically eat without restrictions. Each day I would burn at least an additional 1500-2000 calories so I stopped at many, many bakeries along the way..
After lunch I continued on my own north until Noordwijk and finally left the coast going inland towards Leiderdorp where I would have another camp space. The sky turned dark and rain seemed imminent but it stayed dry except for a few drops. I could use another already pitched tent at the camp space and went to sleep before it got dark. It was midsummer, the sun didn't set yet but I felt pretty exhausted from hilly dunes.
Day 5 - Utrecht (109km)
The weather was sunny and I still had the wind in my back but my legs felt tired so I kept the pace down and stopped a lot to enjoy the scenery. This part of the Netherlands has a lot of lakes which are results of digging for peat in the bogs until coal replaced it as a fuel resource in the nineteenth century.
En route to my destination I planned to cycle along the Vecht for a while. This meandering river is famous for the country estates along its shores, which were built by rich merchants from Amsterdam. I didn't mind waiting at one of the many bridges, opening up and letting boats with sunburned pass by. This is no place for people in a hurry.
In the afternoon I arrived at National Park the Utrechtse Heuvelrug, a ridge of low sandhills and forests, the highest being 68 meters. It's very popular among mountain bikers with many challenging single-track trails. I rode one of them a year earlier on my mountain bike but this time I would stay on the road and meet up with a friend where I would spent the night.
Day 6 - Going north (95km)
A heat wave was predicted for the next four to five days, with temperatures above thirty degrees Celcius. Good thing I was going up north! Today wouldn't be a problem because I would ride a good part of the route through the forests of the Veluwe, probably the biggest national Park in the Netherlands. My legs were feeling stronger again and I reached the town of Kampen a bit early in the afternoon, which left me with enough time for some grocery shopping and sightseeing, especially since I stayed at a B&B in the historic center of town.
Day 7 - Giethoorn and Friesland (150km)
II decided to leave as early as possible to stay ahead of the heat as much as possible, so I left for Giethoorn at 8 AM after a very nice chat with the owner of the B&B during breakfast. Giethoorn, located in national park Weerribben-Wieden, is famous for its canals instead of roads and sometimes referred to as Dutch Venice.
Thanks to a marketing campaign for Chinese people this small town is flooded with hundreds of thousands mostly Asian tourists each year. But this year, when I cycled through the town in the morning, I hardly saw anybody for obvious reasons. I saw some locals fishing in front of their house in the empty canals and wondered if they were happy with the quiet canals and empty terraces.
Sightseeing Giethoorn took some extra time and a lot of photo opportunities, but I had to move on to Friesland. The only province in the Netherlands which has their own language recognized as such. In fact, the people of Friesland have a rich history and their tribes used to control the area along the coast until what is now Belgium.
Nowadays, the region is also famous for the Elfstedentocht. An almost mythical long distance ice-skating event which only takes places in the coldest winters when all the lakes and canals freeze until they are thick enough to hold all the people. The last one was in 1997 and people wonder if it will ever take place at all, due to climate change and rising temperatures.
But you can also cycle the Elfstedentocht and I would be doing that partly, going through places like Sloten and Sneek until finally reaching my camp space on a farm not very far from Harlingen.
Day 8 - Dokkum and Lauwersoog (105km)
Today and tomorrow would be the hottest days but I figured It would be a bit cooler once I reached the sea in the north. But first I would cycle through Leeuwarden, the capital of Friesland and from there to Dokkum with Bartlehiem along the way. Every Dutchmen will recognize Bartlehiem, even though it's tiny with only around 70 citizens. The reason is again because during the Elfstedentocht this is the only place where one can see the skaters from three directions.
The route to Dokkum is beautiful along the water with boats sailing by. It's also a pretty popular cycling route with parts being pretty narrow where you can barely pass each other. Being a weekday, most people I saw were senior citizens, often on e-bikes.
Remember when I told that the wind mostly blows from the West in the Netherlands? Well, the exception is hot weather, then the wind often blows from the East or South-East. So when I reached Lauwersoog and the sea I got the cool refreshment I wanted, but also a difficult last part of the day, until I reached my camp space for the day. A beautiful large garden with an orchard. One other Dutch couple already had their tent up. I chose a quiet spot at the edge of the garden overlooking fields.
Day 9 - Groningen (90km)
It was early when I woke up but the sun was already shining fiercely on my tent and it was quickly getting too hot to sleep. I had breakfast with coffee and some sweet baked goods I bought at the local store the day before, packed my stuff and left. I was already in the province of Groningen and would stay there the whole day, paying visits to friends and staying at my wife's uncle's place in a small town called Alteveer where a real bed.
More than a week into the trip, I noticed my legs got used to the daily work which they accepted as "the new normal" as long as I kept the pace reasonable. I think my average speed was around 20km/hour. It was lower on Strava because I never turned it off, even when doing groceries or visiting something local on foot.
Day 10 - Dolmen in Drenthe (107km)
My route for today was across the province of Drenthe which would intersect with two highlights: the dolmen (near Borger) and National Park Dwingelderveld. The dolmen are actually scattered all over the place and I encountered several smaller ones en route to Borger where the largest one can be seen. There is also an open air museum but the dolmen can be visited free of charge. The rocks used have been transported here all the way from Scandinavia during the last ice age.
In the afternoon I cycled through national park Dwingelderveld, a so-called wet heathland but little did I know it would become much wetter shortly. The heat wave was finally coming to an end which meant major thunderstorms sprang up all over the country. In these cases, you can't depend too much on buienradar because the storms are too unpredictable. I saw dark clouds on the horizon and the wind was picking up and I thought I could race to the nearest town for shelter but it was hopeless. The clouds opened up and I was soaked in a matter of minutes.
When you are wet, you can't get any wetter. So I decided to cycle along until I found shelter on a deserted terrace and changed into some dry clothes. After half an hour, the rain passed and I cycled along to my camp space where I was allowed to sleep in the sauna in the garden (the sauna being off obviously), so I didn't have to pitch my tent, which was nice because it still drizzled a bit. But my shoes would be wet until the next day.
Day 11 - Salland and Twente (75km)
Didn't get a good nights sleep last night, probably something to do with the weird environment of sleeping in a sauna. But I only had a short trip planned and at least the weather was dry and the wind somewhat in my back. Today I would climb the Lemelerberg, a mighty 80m "mountain" part of Sallandse Heuvelrug National Park. Apparently you can get nice views from up there but not from the bicycle road, so I continued downhill towards my next stop in Tubbergen. A small town in this region called Twente.
I was supposed to have an B&B here, but due to a reservation mistake on my part I ended up in a nice little hotel in the middle of town. An excellent bed, view on the main street and breakfast all for 55 euros, which is pretty cheap. For comparison: most of my camp spaces ranged from 10-20 euros, and while I wasn't on a strict budget I did try to do the trip economically. Afterwards I calculated I spent about 18 euros on food and drinks each day (on average).
Day 12 - Twente Airport (119km)
Twente also has an airport, and as it happens to be, a friend of my has a company recycling airplanes at the airport which I was invited to visit. I was more than happy to go the extra miles for this one, I mean whenever do you get the chance to climb in a stripped airbus? Very cool stuff, and as bonus, a Boeing 747 landed in front of us! Which does not happen that often but Lufthansa plans to "long term park" six of these big boys at this airport which is closed for normal passenger flights.
After Hengelo, I had lunch in a small village. Somehow, I got a craving for smoked salmon sandwiches during the trip. Must have a eaten at least half a dozen. Salmon contains a lot of protein which helps repairing muscles so maybe that's why? Anyway, after lunch I continued to my final camp space in Rheden. This little town is located near Veluwezoom, another National Park which has a couple of serious climbs. This area is most beautiful in late summer when the hills are purple from all the flowers, but it was pretty nice now too. Although the cloudy weather did not invite for any good pictures.
At my camp space, in the garden of a nice family, I pitched my tent between four gigantic plane trees.
Day 13 - Wind and rain (113km)
I decided to cut my trip a bit short because the weather was getting worse. It was gray, windy and rainy, although it didn't rain all the time. I just planned the shortest route to Mierlo where my parents in law live. There is just no joy in taking in the scenery in these conditions, which can always happen in Dutch weather.
Day 14 - Home sweet home (89km)
My father in law - who is an avid cyclist himself - accompanied me on my final stretch home. We watched the weather forecast which predicted mostly dry conditions in the afternoon, so we had a slow morning and waited for the rain to stop. Finally, around 12 AM, it did and we quickly left only to be caught in heavy rain half an hour later. There wasn't much we could do, so we continued with a nice pace and stopped in Hilvarenbeek for coffee and cake. At this point the weather improved with een some sun trying to peek through the clouds. With a sugar rush from the cake we made good time and I arrived back home around 4PM, 14 days after I left.
Already planning my next trip!