Hook to Hook

For anyone out there within easy distance of Harwich, Stena Line run a very handy ferry to the Hook of Holland. To maximise your saddle-time, this has an overnight crossing that leaves towards midnight and arriving at 8am-ish. Trains run to Harwich International, which is beside the embarkation area, direct from Liverpool Street, Chelmsford, Colchester or you can get other services and change at Manningtree.

Once off the boat, you are a short ride from a web of cycle paths that cover this small, flat country and make the Netherlands very accessible by cycle.

Our route was a simple one – to follow the coast, more or less, north then east to finish near the Germany border. This would conveniently complete the 900-mile English Channel route from Roscoff that I and cycling buddies have ridden - bit by bit - over the last few years.

The Ferry

The 19.32 from Liverpool Street arrives just before 9pm with plenty of time to board. This is an off-peak train with the bikes going into random carriages. Reservations are not required with Greater Anglia. There is a wee cycle from the train to the check-in, followed by a peculiar spiral of a ramp before heading back down to get onto the ferry.

The ferry has cabins that can be booked quite cheaply for single overnight use but means a return journey adds up to at least £150ish (May 2018), a tad pricy though you can get two full days of cycling on the first and last days of your tour. A clear case of opportunity cost. There are restaurants and bars with the usual ferry fare. The breakfast is expensive but can be pre-booked at a discounted price.

The Netherlands vs Holland

Holland was once a region of the Netherlands but in 1840 was split into the present-day North and South Holland districts on the western side of the country. The country is a less than a third in size of that of England with less than a third of the population. Excluding waters, the Netherlands has a density of 510 ppl per sq. km), making it very cramped. The bulk of the population live across the middle in the conurbation of Den Haag, Amsterdam and Rotterdam. All of this means that the area around the Hook is busy! Much of its land is either very close to sea level or has been reclaimed and is subject to flooding and is protected by dykes that, collectively, should be one of the wonders of the modern world.

Day One Hook to t’Zand. 85 miles

For the most part, we followed LF1, a north/south national cycle path, whose GPX can be downloaded from www.hollandcyclingroutes.com. This stuck to the coast for the main with a few suburbs of Den Haag, Haarlem and Ijmuiden thrown in for variety. After a few early rush-hour stragglers in ‘s Gravenzande and Monster we reached the coast for one of the Netherland’s very few natural sights – the dunes. Virtually every aspect of this country is man-made with nearly 17% of the land having been reclaimed and, without its dykes and flood control, half the country would be underwater. While the dunes are natural they have been managed and encouraged by the planting of binding shrubs, grass and trees though they still manage to retain a wild look. 2018 is seeing a re-paving of many of the LF routes and the path through the dunes was excellent and varied with some rare, roller-coaster hillage to be found. With the sea being kept at bay with dykes and said dunes, it is not often visible though small resorts, sprinkled along the sands between the major coastal towns, offer a glimpse of the browny-grey murkiness of the Nord Zee from the saddle.

Having turned down the opportunity of the €15 euro breakfast on the boat we were in need of a coffee and cake stop. At Sheveningen we were introduced to Apple pie and cream - appeltaart en slagroom, which hit the spot. The Dutch coffee, however, didn’t.

At Noordwijk we cut inland to have a look at the tulip fields of the Duin en Bollenstreek (dune and bulb region). These are best seen in the spring/mid-April for their famous patchwork fields of vivid colours - vibrant blues, reds, yellows, greens - by mid-May and it’s all over bar the shouting – well, a few lingering fields were still in bloom – the less popular colours such as beige and magnolia.

The route glanced by Haarlem before our lunch stop in Driehus, a suburb south of Ijmuiden. If you have never heard of Dutch cuisine there is a reason – they have none – indigenous cuisine that is. Just as some say Britain does not have a climate – it has weather; the Dutch don’t have cuisine, they have food. Needless to say, chips are a popular dish. For pudding, it is quite likely you will be offered the previously mentioned apple pie and cream – perhaps not a great idea to have it twice in one day.

Ijmuiden looks awkward to get through but Strava just took us to the ferry – free for bikes – that runs every ten minutes or so across the enormous NoordzeeKanaal, around which Ijmuiden has grown.

After Beverwijk, it was back to the dunes through Castricum and Egmond aan Zee. This path wriggles about in a disconcerting variety of directions and when it actually went briefly south we took another path and lo and behold, with us being so knowledgeable of the area – not, this path went south-east before taking us on a deviation worthy of Dad’s Army. 

There is really little excuse for bungles these days as most mobile data plans include roaming in the EU. But, I had loaded a ‘lite’ version of the Benelux openstreet maps onto the Garmin 810 to try to avoid any of the software events I’d enjoyed with my Garmin on previous trips. ‘Lite’ meant the maps showed virtually nothing – especially other route options. We eventually caught up with the correct route just as it nestled in beside a sea dyke just after Groet. 

From Petten we headed north east through Sint Maartenzee to ‘t Zand and the Hotel Ark.

This sleepy village either side of the Den Helder-Amsterdam canal, the Noorhollandsch Kanaal, was the only place we could find with a reasonably priced hotel in this area, the trekkershuts having all been booked up. Still, there was a pleasant bar a few yards over the lock gates that served food.

Trekkershutten (www.trekkershutten.nl/en)

These are chalets usually bookable in the Netherlands (and Belgium, notably in Ypres) by the night unlike those in France that require booking for three nights or more. In the main they are quite basic with no cooking, toilet or washing facilities. They also require that you bring your own bedding for the bunkbeds. At €40+ for the night they are good value as they can sleep up to four adults. They require booking well in advance as each campsite may only have two or three chalets. Some require money upfront while others just need payment upon arrival.

There are trekkershutten at Callanstoog and in Alkmaar but these had already been nabbed by early birds.

Day Two ‘t Zand to Holwerd 72 miles

Hugging the coast, LF10 heads eastwards to the border with Germany and crosses Afsluitdijk, which dominated the morning’s adventure. 

After meandering over to Den Oever, we alighted this wonder of the industrial world.

This 20-mile dyke separated the Zuiderzee from the Waddenzee to create the Ijsselmeer, the huge freshwater lake in the middle of the Netherlands. It took five years to build in between the wars. It is home to a dual-carriageway and a cycle path. Locks at either end allow vessels through while massive sluices control the flow of water and generate electricity. Half-way along is the man-made island of Breezanddijk.

The ride was seemingly simply a matter of mind over matter – 20 miles in a straight line with the same view in every direction. Will I go doolally and do a wobbly because it is boring? Will the headwind do me in? Neither of these were a bother. What was a bother was the incessant noise of the motor traffic roaring past (speed limit = 81mph). But that was nothing compared to the real bother.

We had stopped for a coffee at a cabin by the harbour in Den Oever just before the start. There was something fishy in the air plus a few flies. They looked more like horse flies than the bog standard, invasive fly. They didn’t bite or harass, they just hovered about. We finished the coffee and started off along the dyke to find that these flies were everywhere. Up to our left there were clouds of them all along the top of the dyke and along the path. With the slight headwind and the fair pace of 14mph we were knocking out, the flies splatted onto my shirt and shorts. They got in my eyes, ears and nostrils and occasionally I had one buzzing in my mouth. Don’t let this put you off the dyke – just make sure you have sunglasses and a snood! It could have just been the time of year…

Monument to the man who built the dyke by himself - I might have got that wrong.

The island in the middle is occupied by grassy areas that provide temporary relief from the fun and games of the dyke. It is free of flies and houses a tankstation – a Texaco with a coffee machine and snacks.

There are not so many efforts on Strava for the dyke. We saw occasional hardy road cyclists zoom by the in the opposite direction, head down and availing of the tailwind perhaps to post a fast time but they would be left with the issue of how to get back. The loaded touring bike was the main user it seemed – many 26-inch wheelers with butterfly bars and packed to the rafters.

Back on the bike and before you know it you are heading through Zurich! – this is a small village at the eastern end. We ate some well-earned stodge in Harlingen then continued onto Holwerd. There is a lengthy stint by a Sesdijk – a very pleasant ride and would have been fantastic had we not cycled by a very similar dam the day before. 

This was a pretty, shared path with sheep grazing either side. Vast fields extended eastwards while the 30-foot high dyke was on our left. In Dutch terms, this area is quite sparsely populated. There are just more farms and their polders and their unusual barns. Dutch farmhouses and their outbuildings, snug in road-side corners of their fields, all seem to have come from the same mould, with the barn having low, brick walls and a very tall, deep roof. 

The Wadden Zee is very shallow in these parts - so shallow that at certain times - and with a guide - it is possible to walk to Schiermonnikoog and Ameland, two of the Frisian Islands that run parallel to the coast and on into German waters.

Birdlife: My colleague, expert in many fields – wildlife, meteorology, extreme survival techniques – pointed at a medium-to-large-sized grey bird on one occasion as we sat enjoying another serving of appeltaart en slagroom. ‘Eagle!’ I shouted enthusiastically – ‘no, that’s a jackdaw.’ In my zest for all things wild I then observed the singular lack of pigeons (add also the lack of seagulls). There was no explanation for thedominance of the skies by jackdaws, though on the coast they were joined by terns. 

Holwerd is home to one of the many campsites about the country that offer Trekkershutten.  Holwerd  (€43 including 2 x 50c showers) itself is a quiet village with two hotels one of which takes orders for food until approx. 8pm – bit pricey, though, for standard fare.

Day Three: Holwerd to Meerland 65 miles

Prior to leaving the UK the weather forecast, up to the boat edging out of Harwich, had this, our third day, as just about written off as a thunderous, lightning-infested, deluge-filled washout. With these delightful prospects in mind, we dumped the 80+ mile coastal route in favour of a direct, canal-side route, using Google Maps, through Groningen that was an hour or two shorter so as to avoid the worst of the weather. The day was, until, 5.13pm, bathed in sunshine and so all went to plan as, by then, we were fully installed in our pre-booked deluxe trekkershutten and had battened down the hatches - and buttoned down the hutches.

Dokkum is a charming town with its fort and Zeldenrust, a 19^th century smock mill – and picturesque canal. 

The fort is a feature in many towns in the Netherlands and due to the lack of hills these are protected by a moat. For the most part, they are now residential or commercial areas but Dokkum still has a windmill. Bourtange, way over by the German border in the east is another worth seeing if you are that way.  
We found a hotel – by canal - that did a fabulous...apple pie and cream, which, the patron explained, was the favourite of bikers.

We headed on to the Van Starkenborghkanaal that would take us most of the way to Grooningen. Google Maps took us through someone's back garden - well, almost.

Canals seem like a good idea as they are often fast and direct and inherently flat. But after several miles, despite easy-on-the-eye avenues of trees, quaint boatage, windmills, lolling livestock and other miscellaneous chirping and squawking wildlife, you wish for a bend or a wee hillock. 

With this in mind we took the road into Groningen.

I live in a big town and like to get away from it all by not going to big towns. Groningen is such a place and while that did not appeal, a garish loud sprawling funfair made it even more of a turn-off. However, we did discover, Albert Heijn, a fancy-dan supermarket chain, and enjoyed yet more apple-pie and cream at a de-rigueur canal-side cafe. Just the two portions today.

The journey to Meerland was along the Winschoterdiep, a canal that extends to Germany. The canal is host to many shipyards in places such as the delightfully-named Foxholsterbosch. One of the shipyards, Ferus Smit, at Westerbroek, is well-known for the launch of its apparently over-sized ships. 

Youtube has plenty of footage of huge vessels rolling off the company’s facility into the narrow waterway and the resulting tidal wave. 
If Foxholsterbosch has unleashed a hitherto concealed delight for charming place names in the reader, visit Gasselterboerveebschemond perhaps which is not too far from Gasselternijveenschemond.

Despite the great weather we were mindful of the likelihood of heavy rain. N, my cycling buddy, is, as previously mentioned, a man knowledgeable in many disciplines such as wildlife, survival and cloud formations, explained how quickly storms – and their clouds – can build as hot air does this while the cold air does that. So, under blue skies, we made good time to another Albert Heijn outlet in Winshcoten to get food and necessaries before the three miles to the deluxe trekkerhutten - Luxe comforthut at the campsite in Meerland. 

Though the hut was tucked away among bushes and trees, it was very relaxing and comfortable and only a wee bit costlier at €47 than the very basic hut in Holwerd.  The deluxe hut has a shower, cooking facilities, tea and coffee, and a nice veranda with table and chairs. A very good-value breakfast can be ordered at €5 each. Contact Bas at campingmeerland@gmail.com.

There was an almighty storm with thunderous and electrical special effects at 17.13 that lasted a good three hours.

The Dutch and their bikes: The classic Dutch bicycle – an Omafiets - has high handlebars with grips curving back at a right angle. 

These allow the cyclist to ride with their arms folded and are also ideal if so inclined for reading a book, writing emails on a tablet and even taking a nap – seemingly. 

A recent modification to the classic bike is the electric motor, fuelled with the plentiful supply of renewable energy from wind-farms and the sluices of the big dykes.

Day 4 Meerland to Assen 31 miles

The first part of the day was the 30-mile or so ride to Assen to catch a train to Den Hagg. The rules for an assembled bicycle are quite simple – they must not be on a train between 16.00 and 18.30 – even if your journey started prior to 16.00 - and, along with your ticket,  you must purchase a Dagkaart fiets binnenland, a day pass for your bicycle, which are currently €6.20. These are available on the day from machines.

Warning: If you are approached by a balding, white male in his early sixties on a bicycle and wearing steel rimmed glasses who vehemently says you categorically cannot cycle to Assen using the most direct and obviously quieter route availing of the Pekelerhoofddiep canal and on to Gieten via some very nice, quiet roads - just nod your head and ignore him.

The train ride was not spectacular – they were no views to be had but for the Dutch Serengeti, that N spotted. He'd read about this area of marshland, right by the track near Amsterdam, that has been used to try and ‘re-wild’ animals – red deer, horses and cattle. Unfortunately, the recent winter reduced the population from 5200 to 1850 due to starvation and the project could face being scrapped due to public protest.

More of a symbol of justice than a eyeball pleaser, Den Haag mixes the ugly and new with a diminutive canal-side heritage and so it doesn’t really trouble the scorers on photogenic sights to see – unlike Delft, six miles south. 

This was home to Vermeer and still is home to idyllic mini-canals, an impressive Markt and City Hall and at least two photogenic churches, Oude Kerk (where Vermeer is buried) and Nieuwe Kerk. It also home of the Delftware – or Delftblue style of ceramics and pottery.

The journey back to the Hook was predictably dull, as this corner is built-up, primarily will huge glasshouses that grow your salad. The South Holland rush hour was in full swing/gridlock, which wasn’t a pretty sight.

The high street on the town of Hook of Holland, Prins Hendrik Straat, boasts a few bars, a bakery, cycle shop, a Lidl and another Alfred Heijn. The supermarkets shut at 8pm and so if you require any nicknacks for the ferry, bear that in mind. Boarding the ferry is a doddle compared to the Harwich version.

Cycling in The Netherlands: The Netherlands seemingly sets the standard for cycle-positive infrastructure and attitudes. What is all about? I have now cycled in the Netherlands for a grand total of eight days spread over three trips, including the above, and therefore I am not qualified to have a meaningful opinion. But I can still have a good old, knee-jerk-reaction style few words to say.

In an ideal world more of us would be on bikes – or in public transport - with private cars and taxis severely restricted. The 20,000 licensed, 5-metre cabs in London alone take up 100km of the Central London’s 3000km of roads!  In the UK, 4% of all journeys are undertaken on a bicycle, in the Netherlands, it’s 27%.

They have a huge network of cycle paths and cycle routes that cover the country and totalling 35000km. Virtually every road has a cycle lane or adjacent cycle path. They have cycle specific traffic lights; vehicles will stop for you to cross as they come off a roundabout. If there is an accident involving a car and a bike, the driver of the car is liable regardless who was at fault.

For the most part a lot of people get about on bikes – be it to work, the shops or for leisure.  We do the same but on a much smaller scale.

The reclamation of much of the land has been quite recent and therefore the building of dykes and roads has included provision for cycling. The fact that the country is flat is a huge advantage – at least for cycling. Firstly, more people are likely to cycle when it does not involve hillage – especially the more senior among us and certainly those who are not fit. Secondly, it is easier to build cycle paths where it is flat – paths are straight and easier to construct. The Netherlands are not big on hedges. This allows for the wider – and flat - verge to be used for the path.

Following the death of over 500 children in car accidents in the late 60s and early 70s and subsequent protests -Stop de Kindermoor - the Dutch government pursued a policy to reduce the trend towards increased car journeys – this policy also reflected the hike in fuel prices following OPEC cutting supplies during 1973/4.

The Dutch are not fussy about cycle paths alongside busy roads – even motorways. Cycle paths are there for people to get from A to B as much as anything else. With a bit of thought, we could use the land either side of dual carriageways and motorways. For some reason their cities and towns have more space. This is in spite of their density of population being more than the UK’s. They not only have cars but trams and cycles – each at times with its own designated routeway. UK cities are notoriously difficult to mine for extra space – France, Belgium and The Netherlands all manage it. Creating the CS routes in London has been accompanied by a big old song and dance. The new super highway seems to link the Westminster, the City and Docklands with commuter train stations – the result of some skilled lobbying by a minority somewhere in a position of power. The Dutch example seems more universal.

What is cycling in a big Dutch city like? Crazy! There is so much you must keep an eye on – especially the trams and their potentially lethal tramlines. And, if the cars, trucks, buses, motorcycles and trams don’t get you another cyclist might. Dutch bike handling skills are a quantum leap from ours. They fly at you, you gulp and your buttocks clench in anticipation of a crunch but, at the last moment, they do a ninety-degree turn without slowing down or flinching. If that doesn’t grab you, try the city cycle lanes at rush hour and they really move, compared to our sedate and cautious CS routes. They think they have nothing to fear – unlike us, what with the random motion of taxis and the like. They talk on phones, have their arms folded on the handle bars and are extremely cool about cycling. Stop at a junction though and you might need sandwiches and a newspaper – all the other types of traffic get their turn and it can take a while to get moving again.

I’m sure others have had a different experience and mine may seem off the mark.