Suggested Routes - Netherlands

[moralcrusader]

I'm thinking a doing some touring in the Netherlands next year - around 10 days, starting and finishing in Hook of Holland. I'll probabl be looking to do around 30-40km per day.

Has anyone been there, or have any suggested routes? There are so many cycle routes in Holland that I'm ot sure where to begin!

 

[User169]

Anything in particular you want to see or places you want to visit?

 

[moralcrusader]

I must confess that we've not been to the Netherlands on holiday before to the trip is a bit of a "blank slate" for us. As such, we don't have any major sights that we want to see although having been to the port of Rotterdam a few times with work I suspect that getting out of the area fairly swiftly would be good?

 

[SavageHoutkop]

I'm thinking a doing some touring in the Netherlands next year - around 10 days, starting and finishing in Hook of Holland. I'll probabl be looking to do around 30-40km per day.

Has anyone been there, or have any suggested routes? There are so many cycle routes in Holland that I'm ot sure where to begin!

What time of year - around the tulips?

 

[rich p]

I did a week tour in the spring averaging 50km a day I think.

here's a link to my route and report if it's of any use.

http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/6840

It's a circular route starting and finishing at the ferry at Hoek

 

[snorri]

although having been to the port of Rotterdam a few times with work I suspect that getting out of the area fairly swiftly would be good?

It depends on your interests. You refer to an interesting part of my last tour, observing the wondrous assortment of floating plant in that area, and visiting the only dredging museum in the world at Sliedrecht! http://www.baggermuseum.nl/

Of more general interest you might consider the LF1 route following the coast up to Den Helder from where you could take a ferry over to the island of Texel, or follow the LF1 down the coast to Belgium.

You might be interested in a visit to the windmills at Kinderdijk, a UNESCO World Heritage Site not far from Rotterdam.
It's worth aquainting yourself with the Knooppunt system of onroad navigation before you leave home, you will never be lost for long if you do.

 

[laertes]

Could you do a chunk of the North Sea Coastal route? My link

Its not circular obviously, but might be a start.

 

[d87heaven]

I recently went to Holland on my bike for my first ever tour. From the Hook you can cycle right up the coast on the LF1 route along the national park. You go through small towns, dunes, forests, beaches and the beachs are lovely. I stayed in Beverwijk with relatives for 2 nights and got the flying ferry to amsterdam which I thought was a bit of a dump to be honest. On the way back I went down the other side of the national park which was gorgeous. I stayed in Gouda and Delft which were both fanastic to visit. You can plan on the fly as there are maps of the cycle routes about. I bought a map book with all the routes on which was very handy, I also used this site to plan a rough route routeplanner Its in dutch but fairly easy to work out. Have fun, I did

 

[User169]

How about heading south from Hoek down to Middelburg, east to Breda and then back to Rotterdam via Dordrecht and Schoonhoven.