AMSTERDAM TO ZEELAND. JULY 2014
From Amsterdam we headed south past the airport and onto Noordwijk for the first night. From here we continued around the coast line until we hit the Hook of Holland and headed into Zeeland staying at OUde Tonge. The final day we cross Zeeland via Weere and around the coast line to Middelburg.
A fun 3 day tour out of Amsterdam, and our friend, Ben Evans, first cycle tour.
Day 1: Amsterdam to Noordwijk
46.5km
http://www.strava.com/activities/174955363
Heading out of Amsterdam early on a sunny Friday evening always feels good, and tonight was no exception as we were on our touring bikes heading south.
Joining Leah and I was Ben Evans, a fellow Amsterdam Triathlon and Cycling club member, and good friend, who was on his first cycle touring adventure.
Getting out of the city always takes longer than expected, and eventually we hit the Amsterdam Bos and then the airport before following the Leimuiderdijk south for some way, passing the Westerinderplassen lake on the way. Eventually we cut out towards the coast and the destination for the night, Noordwijk.
Noordwijk is a Dutch seaside tour. Not really knowing what to expect from both the beach and the town, we were surprised to see a sandy beach, and a seaside town that had more class than expected. Our expectations were pretty low!
The highlight of the day was a good meal, then a glass of wine tucked away out of the wind at one of the seaside cafes.
Day 2: Noordwijk to Oude Tonge
124km
http://www.strava.com/activities/174958280
Today we will follow the coast all the way to the Hook of Holland, before heading into Zeeland proper and staying on one of the large Zeeland islands.
The coastal route was pretty as we headed down following the dunes all the way south until we hit the Hook Of Holland and unfortunately we missed the opportunity of seeing the town of Monster. The Hook of Holland is at the start of the Rotterdam harbour and also the gates that can be closed to stop the Rotterdam and Zeeland areas flooding. This area flooded very badly in 1953, and after this a large scale gate and lock system was built to stop this repeating. If there is one thing the Dutch do well, it is manage water!
After a quick coffee in the Hook of Holland, there is not much there, it was on to Rozenburg via a ferry and then to Brielle for lunch. Brielle is another old walled city, with a star moot around it. We did a quick explore of the city, but it was not looking it’s best as it was festival time, and the main square area was covered in tacky festival rides. Across the causeway an onto the island where we would be spending the night and eventually to Oude Tonge.
There is not much in Oude Tonge, but it had everything we needed. A small guest house and restaurant, a shop and a picturesque harbour for us to wander around.
Day 3: Oude Tonge to Middelburg
99km
http://www.strava.com/activities/175795447
Today we hot scorched across the islands on our way to Middelburg, where we trained home.
First up was the causeway/ islands on our way to Zierikee for coffee. A very pretty small town and served a good coffee, as we a head we had a 6km causeway, and if going by past experiences, we expected headwinds all the way. Luckily Leah had a strong coffee and she dragged us across the causeway, with Ben and tucked in tight behind her. No complaints at all. From here we headed across Kamperland, yes that is way the town is called, and it felt that way as well. There must be 50 camp grounds in the area, and it was crazy. Our destination was aferry that we needed to catch to Weere. Arriving with 45 mins to spare we got another coffee.
Weere is very pretty, but was also very busy. It felt like everyone from Kamperland was here, and there were bikes and people everywhere. We found a table and had some lunch, but did not feel like exploring too much. A shame as it is another walled village, and very picturesque. I also got a flat tire here, so we had an extra stop for me to make a quick change.
From Weere we headed out to the coast and the dunes as we had planned on going the long way to Middelburg. This was very busy, with 1,000’s of people going to and from the beach on the twisting bike path. We passed straight through Domburg and kept going as I have never seen so many bikes. Domburg was on our list of places we were meant to stop at. Onward to Middelburg.
In Middeleburg it would have been good to explore a little but there was also a festival on here, so we hightailed it to a Hema store for snacks, then onto the train back to Amsterdam.
