We did our trip around the Netherlands with our parents. It is the perfect destination for cycling in family. Cycling routes are everywhere and altitude is not a challenge. However there are other challenges: the wind and the weather. We all ended up equiped with waterproof capes.
If you want to make a budget trip we recomend staying with inhabitants. You can join the association: http://www.vriendenopdefiets.nl/ and for a symbolic membership fee you can benefit from a very good tarif in their network of inhabitants who accomodate cyclists.
We only had a week and wanted to cover a big part of the country without carrying our lugage. Therefore we opted for the car and bicycle model. We drove to a place did a day cycling and moved forward.
We followed the national cycling roads and we bought the Landelijke fietsroutes maps: http://www.fietsplatform.nl/routes/
This was really helpful.
you can find our tour on: http://maps.google.be/maps?hl=fr&tab=wl but note that this is only approximate given that the roads we followed were often only very small paths.
Here is the itinerary :
Day 1 - Maastricht - 20,5km
Day 2 - Maastricht - Sibbe - Elsloo - Rekem - Maastricht - 56,4km
This was the only hilly part of our trip. We strongly recommend to see Maastricht and its surrounding hills.
Day 3 - Park Hoge Veluwe - 59,8km
This national park with its sandy dunes and heather was a very nice surprise to us.
Day 4 - Meppel - Giethorn - Sint Jansklooster - Meppel - 58,6km
Giethorn is a touristic attraction but worth the trip.
If you want to make a budget trip we recomend staying with inhabitants. You can join the association: http://www.vriendenopdefiets.nl/ and for a symbolic membership fee you can benefit from a very good tarif in their network of inhabitants who accomodate cyclists.
We only had a week and wanted to cover a big part of the country without carrying our lugage. Therefore we opted for the car and bicycle model. We drove to a place did a day cycling and moved forward.
We followed the national cycling roads and we bought the Landelijke fietsroutes maps: http://www.fietsplatform.nl/routes/
This was really helpful.
you can find our tour on: http://maps.google.be/maps?hl=fr&tab=wl but note that this is only approximate given that the roads we followed were often only very small paths.
Here is the itinerary :
Day 1 - Maastricht - 20,5km
Day 2 - Maastricht - Sibbe - Elsloo - Rekem - Maastricht - 56,4km
This was the only hilly part of our trip. We strongly recommend to see Maastricht and its surrounding hills.
Day 3 - Park Hoge Veluwe - 59,8kmThis national park with its sandy dunes and heather was a very nice surprise to us.
Day 4 - Meppel - Giethorn - Sint Jansklooster - Meppel - 58,6km
Giethorn is a touristic attraction but worth the trip.
Day 5 - Grooningen - Haren - Oudemolen - Norg - Groningen - 72,7km 
The tour in the Drenthe countryside was very pleasant and Groninghen is a nice town.
Day 6 - Niekerk - Lauwersoog - (Schiermonnikoog) - Vierhuiwen - Niekerk - 60,4km
I have to say that the trip to Schiermonnikoog was a bit expensive for what you get. You have to pay 14€ per person and the same price for your bike and the countryside there is not very different from the rest of the coast.
Day 7 - Alkmaar - Heiloo - Wormerveer - Wijk aan Zee - Egmond - Alkmaar - 88,9km
Day 8 - Middelburg - Zoutelande - Westkapelle - Domburg - Veere - Middelburg - 55km
In both last two days we followed the coast for at least a part of the trip and cycling in sandy dunes was very pleasant though it can get boring. Veere is a nice town among those we saw in our last round.
TOTAL - 472,3
The tour in the Drenthe countryside was very pleasant and Groninghen is a nice town.
Day 6 - Niekerk - Lauwersoog - (Schiermonnikoog) - Vierhuiwen - Niekerk - 60,4km
I have to say that the trip to Schiermonnikoog was a bit expensive for what you get. You have to pay 14€ per person and the same price for your bike and the countryside there is not very different from the rest of the coast.
Day 7 - Alkmaar - Heiloo - Wormerveer - Wijk aan Zee - Egmond - Alkmaar - 88,9km
Day 8 - Middelburg - Zoutelande - Westkapelle - Domburg - Veere - Middelburg - 55km
In both last two days we followed the coast for at least a part of the trip and cycling in sandy dunes was very pleasant though it can get boring. Veere is a nice town among those we saw in our last round.
TOTAL - 472,3
2 comments:
This sounds great. Did you rent your bikes or did you take them with you? Thanks. Barbara
We took our bikes with us. There are plenty of places where you can rent your bikes in Netherlands. However I suppose you always have to bring them back to the point of departure.
daniela
Post a Comment