When it comes to cycling, I'm a comparative novice. I've been riding for a couple of years, heading to work or the shops on my trusty five-speed town bike. This year, spurred on by an enthusiastic other half, I took the plunge and bought a Dawes Galaxy touring bike, built to go a little further and a little faster, and started thinking about planning a holiday around cycling.
The trip also provided Himself with the perfect excuse to build up a touring bike, so the classic British racing green Dawes was joined by a slightly unorthodox cyclocross bike in revolutionary green and red. Bikes sorted, we settled on ten days touring in the Netherlands for our maiden voyage, on the basis of its cycle-friendliness and the relative flatness of the terrain, as I'm still no good with hills.
Himself planned our route following the LF1 North Sea route along the coast. As first-time tourers, following a pre-set route and knowing we'd never be far from a bike shop outweighed the fact that Holland isn't exactly renowned for exciting scenery or food. We'd be taking things easy and staying in hostels and B&Bs rather than camping for our first trip, and travelling light with just two panniers each. Our route was planned with the aid of a paper map and GPS maps on the iPhone, although I'm very tempted to shell out for a Garmin next time round. In many ways, it was a tour of convenience, and a way to find out if we were really suited to touring.
After pricing up all the options, we opted for the overnight ferry from Harwich to Hook of Holland, which costs around £250 including a cabin, and meant no luggage fees or having to entrust your bike to airline baggage handlers. Check-in was smooth and easy, and we were soon sitting on deck watching the harbour lights recede. The first day took us from Hook of Holland to Haarlem, passing farms shrouded in fog and feeling like the rest of the country was still asleep. Just outside the Hague, the mist gave way to heavy, persistent rain, which would last for the next thirty miles. I wondered whether I was really cut out for this, and felt glad that we weren't camping.
The rain stopped just as we arrived at the flat in Haarlem, and with bikes safely stashed in the garden, we went out to explore the city, and reward ourselves with Vlaamse frites and cold beers.
Thankfully, the weather remained in our favour for the days to come. Heading out of the city, the gently rolling pine forests of the Zuid-Kennemerland national park provided a beautiful backdrop. We were heading for the quiet seaside town of Egmond aan Zee, but first we had to navigate the industrial harbour of Ijmuiden. The Dutch are known for their love of cycling, but it's not until you start riding there that you really appreciate how much thought goes into making the conditions perfect for riding. We'd ridden over 100km, virtually all on bike paths that were smoother and better maintained than many of London's A-roads, and on reaching Ijmuiden harbour there was a free ferry to take us to the other side. I was in love with the inclusive, relaxed style of cycling they had here. The wide, smooth, car-free paths attracted everyone from families in bakfiets to fast roadies on club runs. Arriving at the youth hostel in Egmond, we left our bikes in the massive bike shed and wandered towards the beach to drink a beer while the sun set.
The next day we set off for our northernmost point, the island of Texel. This quiet, windswept island was to be our base for the next two days, and having a break from the routine of packing up every morning was very welcome. Texel feels like a well-kept secret, its wide sandy beaches shared by Dutch and German holidaymakers (and seals). Dining on local lamb chops and pints of skumkoppe ale from the local brewery, we wondered why we hadn't seen more English cyclists out here. It was incredibly easy to get here, the cycling was great, everywhere sold delicious cakes, and it was incredibly relaxing. Was it just the language barrier? It seemed a shame that so many English tourists only ever go to Amsterdam.
Our route south took us through some beautiful towns, including Alkmaar and Leiden, and the busy and somewhat less lovely Hague. What had started out as a pragmatic, sensible option had quickly become one of the most enjoyable holidays I'd ever had. With no space to carry souvenirs, our holiday memories were instead of the things we ate and drank - beer, apple cake, fried mussels and kibbeling (a bit like cod nuggets) from shacks on the seafront. The journey was the point, not the destination. We rolled into town at the end of the day, hungry and tired yet quietly longing to be back on our bikes.
All too quickly, it was time to return to the ferry. In just ten days I'd been transformed from someone who just cycled to work, to a woman who looked on fifty-mile days and was not shaken. My holiday felt truly about travelling and experiencing a place, than just visiting a city in isolation. Himself and I were exploring together, working as a team, making plans for our next tour. While I didn't have any souvenirs, I had some amazing memories and some pretty good tan lines. And I'd definitely Go Dutch again.
The Route
Day 1: Hook of Holland to Haarlem
Distance: 78.7km Elevation: 217m
Strava: www.strava.com/activities/74862800
Day 2: Haarlem to Egmond Aan Zee
Distance: 44.3km Elevation: 122m
Strava: www.strava.com/activities/75123004
Day 3: Egmond Aan Zee to Den Burg
Distance: 68.4km Elevation: 152m
Strava: www.strava.com/activities/75328697
Day 4: Texel loop
Distance: 48.8km Elevation: 16m
Strava: www.strava.com/activities/75606181
Day 5: Den Burg to Alkmaar
Distance: 84.3km Elevation: 165m
Strava: www.strava.com/activities/75897997
Day 6: Alkmaar to Haarlem
Distance: 55.1km Elevation: 118m
Strava: www.strava.com/activities/76132021
Day 7: Haarlem to Leiden
Distance: 51.0km Elevation: 112m
Strava: www.strava.com/activities/76419278
Day 8: Leiden - Bodegraven - Den Haag
Distance: 72.2km Elevation: 31m
Strava: www.strava.com/activities/76673239
Day 9: Den Haag - Katwijk - Hook
Distance: 61.0km Elevation: 260m
Strava: www.strava.com/activities/76919573
Top tips for planning a bike tour
- Youth hostels and Airbnb are a great alternative to camping, and guarantee a comfy bed, laundry facilities and somewhere secure to leave your bike. Also worth exploring is Vrienden op de Fiets, which offers homestays with Dutch host families for €19/night.
- Pack the basics, not the kitchen sink. Unless you're going really far afield, you can usually find a shop selling whatever you've forgotten.
- Make sure your bike is in good condition and up to the journey - dodgy gears and a saddle that's not comfortable will quickly get on your nerves.
- Don't wear your off-the-bike clothes on the bike. Having clean clothes to change into at the end of the day is a great pleasure.
- Read bike touring blogs like travellingtwo.com and the CTC forum for ideas on what to pack and where to go.
- Listen to your body, and be kind to yourself.
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