Everyone should make the Netherlands a destination.

[toffee]

• how many bicycles there were - about thirty i'd guess

Came back on the ferry on Wednesday last week and there was only Mrs T and I on bikes. No Hemlet's and hi vis for us but I would say over the couple of years we have been going to The Netherlands the number of people wearing hemlets has gone up.

 

[toffee]

I think there are more Dutch people (well they may not be Dutch I suppose) riding non traditional Dutch bikes. These are the ones wearing helmets.

Nearly all cyclists on our boat out were wearing helmets. They were all British

 

[Donger]

I've only had one holiday in the Netherlands where I've taken my bike. I was based near Giethoorn in the Wierribben-Wieden (?) Nature Park, so there were some great quiet little villages, lanes and traffic free paths with bike ferries. Thatched wooden houses and lots of storks. That sort of stuff. The only holiday when I never wore a helmet. Loved it. But the only two occasions when I took the wide, straight cycle paths along the sides of main roads between towns, I soon got bored and turned around. I don't rule out taking the bike back to Holland ... perhaps the dykes around the Enkhuizen/Hoorn area or the bulbfields in Spring. I prefer the Belgian Ardennes, though, for much more interesting and varied cycling.

 

[Sixmile]

..and we're off to Holland in the morning!

I've tried to prepare the other fella's as best as possible (I've booked all the flights, hotels, planned routes, sent checklists, planned an overnight trip two weeks ago, had a dry run of packing our bikes away last week, send a gear list & itinerary well in advance etc) but there's one panicking he can't dismantle his bike, one's concerned we're doing too many miles and another still hasn't worked out how he's getting to the airport! Should be fun!

 

[Sixmile]

Just thought I'd provide a little follow up to our trip. Simply amazing, enjoyed every minute of it. What a beautiful country and shows how good cycling can be with a little thought toward planning and infrastructure. We covered 250 miles on our hybrids (I took advice to bring these instead of road bikes, good shout!) from Friday afternoon to Monday afternoon. We took a little longer to get out of the airport than first planned, no small part to rebuilding issues. My screw that attaches my rear mech to hanger was missing so I had to cable tie my hanger to the frame until we hit Haarlem and I was able to get a new screw in a shop there. The cable ties were surprisingly sturdy.

The lockers are no longer available at Schipnol, only baggage storage available at 12euro per 24hr. We managed to squeeze 3 of our bike bags into the fourth, so only paid 48e for storing 4 bike bags over the 4 days. The area to build the bikes was decent, although there was no track pump unlike some other airports I've been to. My Garmin refused to work until day 3. I had tried to load the full 250mile route as one navigational file and the Garmin just couldn't cope. Next time I'll split the files into individual days.

The cycle roads/paths were exceptional, it really shows up how bad the facilities are here in Northern Ireland. We have a few ok-ish greenways which we think are grand, but they are few and far between. Holland really has put thought into their network and it was so enjoyable to ride around. Each of the four days was like an individual experience on its own. Day 1 from Haarlem to Rotterdam was through the sand dunes, a truly beautiful ride in glorious terrain. Day 2 from Rotterdam to Utrecht via Kinderdjck was through grasslands, windmills, lakes and canals. We even got stopped by a lovely dutch lady on the way and fed free dutch pancakes at a Church party. Day 3 from Utrecht to Ede to Huizen was mostly through forest and one particular trek through the woods was breathtaking. Day 4 from Huizen to Amsterdam was probably the least scenic but it was good to visit Amsterdam itself and see it first hand. It rained that day so we weren't in the mood for much sightseeing! All in all, a fantastic experience and as I said, we loved every minute and already I'm looking into bringing the family over for a few weeks next year. I just need to work out how best to do it.

 

[mmmmartin]

moved back up North

Jolly good, @ceepeebee
Fancy meeting up with a few friends
You know you want to.....

 

[ceepeebee]

Jolly good, @ceepeebee
Fancy meeting up with a few friends
You know you want to.....

Almost definitely (unless it ends up being my leaving do for current role - I mean, I should be leaving this week, but, we’ll, that won’t happen...)

 

[ceepeebee]

And some of my Dutch photos from last week

 

[tribanjules]

One of our group is bringing his dad's Dawes. We're not bringing our road bikes after reading others experiences. We're going for hybrids in more casual clothing.



I'm not bringing mine but 2 guys are (4 going).

Also doing the Holland trip again in July.
Also going to take hybrid instead.
I use cycle gear as normal tees fees are waaay too sweaty

 

[User169]

I tried out pole camping last weekend: the dutch forestry commission have a few sites where you can camp for free - no facilities, so you have to take in and take out everything with you. The sites are each indicated with a pole hence the name.

The website is here with the various locations, although it only seems to be in Dutch...

https://www.logerenbijdeboswachter.nl/paalkamperen

I went to the one at Austerlitz which is about 10km from Utrecht. Only down side, and it's a biggy, is that there was quite a bit of bog roll around left by previous campers. So gross.

The idea is that they're accessible for walkers and riders, so may be worth thinking about if you're on a tight budget.

 

[HobbesOnTour]

I tried out pole camping last weekend: the dutch forestry commission have a few sites where you can camp for free - no facilities, so you have to take in and take out everything with you. The sites are each indicated with a pole hence the name.

The website is here with the various locations, although it only seems to be in Dutch...

https://www.logerenbijdeboswachter.nl/paalkamperen

I went to the one at Austerlitz which is about 10km from Utrecht. Only down side, and it's a biggy, is that there was quite a bit of bog roll around left by previous campers. So gross.

The idea is that they're accessible for walkers and riders, so may be worth thinking about if you're on a tight budget.

I've used a few over the last few years. Usually no potable water available, but sometimes it is. There can be fire pits and "natural" toilets in some, but not many.
It appears that they have been growing rapidly in popularity and some have been closed because of too many issue with groups, noise and rubbish.
This is a website put together by a guy about these places. https://sites.google.com/site/paalkampeerders/English
On the Dutch homepage he issues an urgent warning for people to behave!

This is a Belgian version: http://bivakzone.be/

 

[tribanjules]

Having a fantastic week in Netherlands.
Scorchio but still getting the I'm in . Fab country. Now chilled in vondelpark