Suggestions needed for 5 day short distance Holland tour

Cycle-touring, Expeditions, Adventures, Major cycle routes NOT LeJoG (see other special board)
Tangled Metal
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Joined: 13 Feb 2015, 8:32pm

Re: Suggestions needed for 5 day short distance Holland tour

Post by Tangled Metal »

North of Ijmeuden up the coast there's a few hills in the dunes. The highest dune in Netherlands is up there a bit inland.

There's a small town with a cafe bar on a square with a tall sand dune with trees and scrub around it. Families seem to eat there where the parents can watch their kids play on the dune slope. Kids seem to like all the effort to get to the top just so they can run down it as fast as they can knowing the sand is soft if they fall. Lunch and entertainment from the little nut jobs! Our son did it but was a little too shy to make friends. Actually funny.

I'm not sure whether that was the highest dune or not but the town claimed the highest dune there. Certainly the route back to route 1 went up and down quite a few steep dunes. That town or village had a nice campsite near an old windmill on the other side of town to the dunes. Halfway to den helder.
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MrsHJ
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Joined: 19 Aug 2010, 1:03pm
Location: Dartmouth, Devon.

Re: Suggestions needed for 5 day short distance Holland tour

Post by MrsHJ »

bainbridge wrote: 18 Jan 2022, 10:09pm Thanks everyone for your responses. I'm less sure now about the plan now, because of so many great suggestions!

In addition to some fantastic suggestions for places to visit, I'm now also pondering the following:

Upping the daily mileage slightly.

Heading out somewhere and getting the train back.

The wind! I once cycled from the Hook to Amsterdam into a strong headwind which was constant all day. It's so flat and open so no respite. I was shattered!

Thanks again, I'll do some more research and will check in again nearer the time to see what people think.
My strategy when cycling with family is if I get to cycle I focus the rest of the trip on making them happy. You seem to be doing the same. Having a fixed base for some days might reduce the cycling pressure and making sure your partner gets what she wants- whether it be stroopwaffels or national parks or whatever is a good way to get her to go on a joint cycling trip again. Some days off the bike might also help. I’m not sure if increasing the mileage is a good way to go- you’ll both have to be the judge of that- I’d also vote for some train legs.

I agree with the comments about wind and a lot of parts of the Netherlands don’t have many trees but do get a lot of rain which makes for a brutal combination if there’s a heavy downpour. If i was selecting a first time cycle tour I can see a lot of pros for the NL but also a few negatives- it probably wouldn’t be my first choice.

My family now drops their eyes and takes a step backwards when I suggest a cycle holiday but I expect I’ll drag them along again some time if I’m subtle enough. France seems to be our preferred territory (what can I say- we’re a greedy bunch!).
willem jongman
Posts: 2750
Joined: 7 Jan 2008, 4:16pm

Re: Suggestions needed for 5 day short distance Holland tour

Post by willem jongman »

This online routeplanner may help (it has an optional English interface): https://routeplanner.fietsersbond.nl/?# ... N1EALw_wcB You can use it to create gps tracks for your Garmin etc.
ossie
Posts: 1793
Joined: 15 Apr 2011, 7:52pm

Re: Suggestions needed for 5 day short distance Holland tour

Post by ossie »

bainbridge wrote: 17 Jan 2022, 9:46pm
I'm looking at the map and thinking of heading east from the hook and going anti clockwise around to Amsterdam, spending our last night somewhere between Amsterdam and the Hague, so on our last day we can visit the Hague while heading south and then on to catch the overnight ferry at the hook.

Any advice or comments will be much appreciated, thanks
That sounds good. Keep it simple. If you turn left from the ferry terminal and head NE through Monster it's just a lovely route.
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