Cycling UK Forum

I am planning a two week tour of holland in may. I am after any info regarding campsites in holland. I am also after any info on the best maps to use for this trip. What is the cycling like in holand?. Any info at all will be most welcome.

What is the cycling like in holand?.

This surely ranks as a witty question.
FLAT;
A good many Netherlanders come to the West country with heavy loads in their pannier bags,
probably to Land's End! Hard for them, and with the heaviest of bikes.

What is the cycling like in Holland?.

As gar states, it is flat !!
Actually, I've only been once - and that was in 1967 passing through by coachon a school trip to Switzerland Now there's a cycling destination !!!

OK so there are no hills to labour up in Holland, but the flip side is that there are no hills to come soaring down !! As I remember, the scenery isn't exactly very inspiring either, unless you have a particular penchant for windmills.
A couple of days cycling through might be ok but two weeks ???

Thanks for pointing out the bleeding obvious.The information i am after is states of the roads i know there are flat. cycle lanes ,are the natives friendly, What are the campsites like how much do they cost.What are the best maps.

Take a look at www.fietsplatform.nl Click on the English version at bottom of the Home page, this will give you information on maps and cycle routes. I have never used any publications listing campsites, always seeming to find one where and when I wanted one. Camp sites are of high standard and reasonable cost. The V V V is a tourist information organisation with branches in many towns in Holland where you can pick up cycle route maps etc, Also the ANWB offices are a map source, something similar to our AA or RAC.
The natives are definitely friendly and nearly all speak English.
Without knowing your interests, it is difficult to say what might interest you.
There are canals "everywhere", some scenic, with pleasure craft, others busy with commercial traffic. Great expanses of sandy beaches, opportunities for bird and nature spotting. Interesting even just to see the great variety of bicycles. You can have peace and quiet or the bustle of the city in Holland.
Highly recommended!

The routes between Rotterdam and Arnhem are lovely and usually you get a favourable wind. As you get out of Rotterdam you leave the built up bit of The Netherlands and pass through well kept countryside. Often you ride on dykes with good views and see huge ships passing by seemingly in the middle of the land. (the Rhine). Near Arnhem you pass through Oosterbeek. The Operation Market Garden museum here is worth a look. North of Arnhem on the way to Apeldoorn is the Hoge Veluwe, which is slightly hilly forest and moorland with lots of good cycle tracks away from roads. Also very intersting are the Islands in the south west; Zeeland. You can cycle over the flood defences built between the islands after the 1953 floods and visit a museaum all about how they work.

Enjoy.

We toured with a tandem and camped several years ago and got all the information from the Dutch tourist information service whilst still in the UK. The small country lanes are good, cycles are prohibited from the major roads, this can be a problem if you are used to cycling on busy roads at home. The compulsory cycle tracks wind about all over the place and take you miles out of your way. Although flat the wind can be a killer to ride into on the seemingly endless shallow drags they prefer instead of hills!
We landed at Europort and headed South East to Eindoven then down to Belgium/Luxenburg returning three weeks later up the North sea coast to Rotterdam. It was great fun although we enjoyed Belgium and Germany more than Holland, because of the annoying cycle tracks.

cycling in holland is OK, apart from the fact you have to keep pedalling as there are no hills to ride down.
i spent 2 weeks in and around Eindhoven, cycle lanes every where and all the traffic has to give way to cyclists. very disconcerting to start with cars actually have to stop for you........... you just don't expect it. all the locals ride those great big sit up and beg town bikes, and all at the same speed, slowly. they also give way to the faster rider. although a bell is usefull when approaching from behind.

Overall, it's very pleasant. The paths really are a network. They don't leave you stranded in the middle of nowhere, so trust them and you'll find you can go anywhere you want and navigation is easy because they're well signed.

All major roads have paths beside them, but the paths further from roads tend to be more pleasant.

Some paths have a slightly grim cobbled surface, but many paths are as well surfaced as roads. Some are actually surfaced better than the road alongside. They're nearly always wide enough to ride side by side in comfort. I've put some photos of paths in different parts of the Netherlands here:

http://hembrow.dyndns.org/netherlands.html

I'm not sure where you'll be, but if you get off the ferry in Hoek van Holland, the LF1 North Sea route is right to hand. It is very pleasant, and goes past a lot of campsites (camping seems quite popular).

There are good hostels too:

http://www.stayokay.com

I've lived and worked in the Netherlands for around 2 years and I cycle every day.
Overall the whole place is set up for safe and relaxing cycling, nearly everyone here uses bikes on a regular basis.

There are traffic free cycle paths that go into beautiful places, for instance you could ride the the North Sea route for days wandering along the coast and through dunes.

Overall it's much safer and more relaxing than any other place I've ridden a bike, even when you are mixed with traffic most drivers are very considerate. I'd recommend any cyclist to give it a try.