EXPLORING NORTH HOLLAND CHEESE, WINDMILLS & TULIPS EXPLORING NORTH HOLLAND - SELF GUIDED CYCLING SUMMARY Explore North Holland, a land of cheese, windmills and tulips, by bike. Starting from Amsterdam, city of 800,000 bikes, your cycle tour takes in the highlights of Northern Holland. Pedal alongside windmills and atop the dikes protecting Beemster Polder UNESCO World Heritage Site, sample local Edam cheese at a cheese market and cycle with 800,000 fellow cyclists in Amsterdam on an absorbing Dutch adventure. North Holland is classic story book Holland. More than half the province consists of reclaimed land which is up to 6 meters below sea level in parts. These Polders, filled with Tulips, are land surrounded by dikes. Some date from the 1600’s and they are served by the ubiquitous windmills. Together they make up a delightful landscape which seems made for cycling. Tour: Exploring North Holland As you cycle through North Holland, you will ride along dikes, past meadows and farmhouses, Code: CHSENH through dunes and to the world famous tulip fields. You will also visit Texel Island, the largest Type: Self-Guided Cycling Holiday of the Dutch Wadden Islands and home to the Texel Nature Reserve. Price: See Website Dates: April – September This is a route stuffed with history and each day you can explore pretty villages and historic Nights: 7 towns boasting picturesque streets, squares and harbours. There are of course plenty of Days: 8 Cycling Days: 6 museums on route to help you discover the art and history of North Holland. Start: Amsterdam Finish: Amsterdam You 8 day cycling holiday through North Holland includes 7 nights accommodation staying at Distance: 270km (167 miles) excl. Texel 3/4* hotels on bed and breakfast basis, door to door bag transfers, a detailed information pack, Tour detailed turn by turn route notes, maps and emergency support. Grade: Moderate HIGHLIGHTS IS IT FOR ME? Cycling through outstanding historical towns Cycling through classic Holland Landscapes filled with windmills, tulips and dikes. and picturesque villages, alongside windmills Visiting Beemster Polder (1612), a UNESCO World Heritage Site through unique landscape while sampling Texel Nature Reserve on Texel Island local cheeses and trying on clogs. This is a wonderful taste of all North Holland has to Zaanse Schans a recreated and inhabited 17/18th century village offer Sampling local Gouda & Edam cheese at a cheese market WHAT’S INCLUDED? Why choose a self guided cycling holiday in Holland with us? Accommodation: 7 Nights accommodation There is no doubt that Holland boasts the world’s best cycle infrastructure; dedicated cycle lanes and in 3/4* hotels. paths, proper cycle lanes, clear signage throughout and it’s flat. No wonder there are more bicycles than Meals: 7 Breakfasts . Dinner is not included people. This makes a cycling holiday in Holland a delight and the perfect way to discover the villages, but can be added as an option landscape, food and people of Holland. It is particularly well suited to families and children as the routes Baggage Transfer: Door-to-door baggage are predominantly traffic free. transfer. Bike Hire: Not included but we can arrange Our turn by turn route notes, detailed maps, comfortable cycle friendly hotels and reliable baggage service this for your cycling holiday and is an option mean you can relax and enjoy every moment of your cycling holiday in Holland with us. on the booking form. Information Pack: Comprehensive route directions, information pack and maps. EXPLORING NORTH HOLLAND CHEESE, WINDMILLS & TULIPS Then get back on your bike and cycle the rest of DAY 5 ITINERARY: CHSENH the way back to the beautiful town Alkmaar. Famous cheese market on Thursdays. Cycle to Medemblik - 50km/31m Cycling Days: 6 The area just south of Den Helder has developed Overnight: Alkmaar Nights: 7 into one of the largest flower bulb growing areas Days: 8 in the world. Most of the bulbs are for export. In Grade: Moderate DAY 3 spring, when tulips, hyacinths and daffodils come Cycle to Dan Helder - 40km/37m Day Route into bloom, the landscape is a sea of colour. The You continue your cycle through and behind the route continues through Wieringermeer, a polder 1 Arrive in Amsterdam dunes and woods up the North Sea coast to Den drained and desalinated between 1927 and 1934 2 Cycle to Alkmaar: 55 km Helder. You will pass pretty seaside resorts and to create new arable land of which there was a 3 Cycle to Dan Helder: 60 km Zwanenwater, a nature reserve with a mix of great shortage. The ancient town of Medemblik is 4 Cycle round Texel: 26/55 km seawater and rainwater. All along our North Sea on splendid Lake IJsselmeer. It has a marina and 5 Cycle to Medemblik: 50 km coast, dunes protect the hinterland from being a steam engine museum. 6 Cycle to Hoorn: 50 km 7 Cycle to Amsterdam: 55 km flooded by the sea except near the town of Overnight: Medemblik 8 Onward Travel Petten where the dunes have been washed away and a sea wall has been built. DAY 6 The "De Dijk te Kijk” exhibition explains all about Cycle to Hoorn - 50km/31m the past, present and future of this sea wall DETAILED DESCRIPTION This region, confusingly called West-Friesland, called Hondsbosse Zeewering and about the offers peace and quiet as well as pretty villages, trials and tribulations of the people of Petten over DAY 1 traditional farmhouses and windmills. You will the course of many centuries. Arrival in Amsterdam cycle atop the old sea dike with continuous views Overnight: Dan Helder of Lake IJsselmeer. Wander around the gorgeous and surprisingly peaceful seventeenth century canal ring area DAY 4 The lively town of Enkhuizen is home to the (World Heritage Site). Make your way to the excellent Zuiderzee Museum which explains all city’s famous squares: Dam, Rembrandtplein and Cycle round Texel - 26-55km/16-31m about the heyday of the harbour towns of the Leidseplein. Should you prefer to roam off the Texel is the largest of Hollands five Wadden former Zuiderzee. In the 17th Century ships from beaten track, saunter up Brouwersgracht or hire Islands and is a place of outstanding natural these towns sailed the seven seas trading in a canal bike and find out what the city looks like beauty. The centre of the Island is hilly, the spices and bulbs. Also explore the recreated from the water. hangover from the ice age, and is surrounded by Zuiderzee village of old. Your destination, Hoorn, three distinct separate landscapes. Dunes and is a beautiful old town with many buildings that Overnight: Amsterdam (Hotel Casa400) beaches, flatlands and polders and, of course, also date back to the Golden Age. DAY 2 wetlands. Overnight: Hoorn Cycle to Alkmaar- 55km/34m There are many bike routes to choose from, be DAY 7 sure to visit De Slufter, a beautiful nature reserve This stretch of the tour is very diverse. Zaanse and one of the few areas in The Netherlands Cycle to Amsterdam - 55km/34m Schans is a recreated (inhabited) neighbourhood where the sea has always been able to penetrate in the style typical of this area on the River Zaan This lovely cycle takes you along the shores of unhindered. Lilac sea lavender comes into bloom in the 17/18th Centuries: beautiful dark green Lake Hoornsche Hop and Lake Markermeer here in July and August. wooden buildings and windmills. See clog, through pretty towns and villages such as Edam, cheese and tin making demonstrations. Treat Overnight: Dan Helder Volendam and Monnickendam. The beautiful yourself to a pancake at Pancake Restaurant De stone houses in the fishing village Volendam Kraai, a former grain barn. seem to have been drawn up without an EXPLORING NORTH HOLLAND CHEESE, WINDMILLS & TULIPS organised street plan. Navigation By Car From here, make your way to Amsterdam. We supply you with detailed route descriptions For directions to your accommodation in Amsterdam will welcome you with romantic and maps as well as tourist information on all the Amsterdam please see the Hotel Casa400 canals, bridges and... more than 800,000 places of interest. website. Parking is available at a special rate of bicycles! Amsterdam is for exploring whether you €12.50 a day. like, art, culture, an evening out or just looking Baggage Transfer around the canal area. A canal boat trip is a Daily door to door baggage transfer is included in Travel Insurance great way to get a better look at the canal the price of your trip. We ask you to keep your Adequate travel insurance is a pre-requisite on houses. baggage to a maximum of 1 bag per person all bookings Overnight: Amsterdam (maximum weight 20kg). DAY 8 Rental Bikes M.A.C.S RESPONSIBLE TRAVEL Onward Travel Bike hire is not included though may be booked as an option. Minimise Impact & Maximise Benefit After breakfast in your hotel, commence your Our operating policies, office policies, holidays onward travel Helmets are not included as part of the optional rental package and we ask that you bring your and tours are all designed to minimise impact own. and maximise benefit to the environment and RECOMMENDATIONS local communities. Action & Advocacy Additional Nights and Extensions TRAVEL INFORMATION We believe that by engaging our team and You can add additional nights at any point Getting to/from Amsterdam clients in environmental and community projects before, during or after your tour. we can make a real difference. By Air Carbon & Communities HOLIDAY INFORMATION Amsterdam Schiphol airport is served by direct flights from most major UK and European Travel and our business activity does of course Accommodation airports.