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Home , Delft, Hook of Holland, Scheveningen, South Holland

where: South in the START/finish: DISTANCE: 100 kilometres in total PICTURES: Alamy and Nigel Bell netherlands | GREAT RIDES

Great rides Fiets first in holland CTC member Nigel Bell’s wife and son hadn’t been on a cycle tour before, so they went where the bicycle is king: the intensively cycle-networked Netherlands

eciding on a destination for our Dedicated cycle paths kept us separate first family cycling holiday was from other road users, and at no time did D easy. My wife and 12-year-old we feel threatened by the traffic. We got lost son aren’t experienced cyclists, and they once or twice, but not for long. The sight of prefer to avoid busy roads and steep hills. a puzzled tourist with a map is like a magnet The Netherlands, famous for cheese, tulips, to the friendly Hagenaars. being flat, and having one of the best cycle We spent a relaxing afternoon in . networks in the world, was an obvious It’s a pretty place, with a photogenic mix of choice. The plan was simple: leave the car narrow streets, old houses and . We at , take the overnight ferry to Hook left our bikes in a secure parking area. The of Holland, and then ride up the South advertised daily tariff was only a couple of DO IT YOURSELF Holland coast on the Cycle Route Euros, but the attendant told us that even The ferry service to (Den Haag), which would be that small charge had been waived to from Harwich to Hook of Holland our base for the next five days. encourage visitors to use it. Bicycle theft isn’t provides the most direct route. We stayed in the city’s northernmost uncommon in Holland (is it anywhere?), so Overnight sailings aren’t the district of . It’s part leafy we were happy to give him our business. cheapest option but are worth suburb and part , complete On the return journey, we got caught in considering as they arrive early with golden sands and beach restaurants. a downpour. It was the rush hour and there and depart late, leaving almost a The Hague, home of the Dutch parliament were bikes everywhere. Now I know why full day for cycling. For cyclists and the International Court of Justice, wears Dutch roadsters have back-pedal brakes: travelling by train, Stena Line recommend checking the rail its responsibilities lightly. Acres of parkland it leaves one hand free for carrying an network website (ns.nl) as there and gardens, loosely connected by 60 umbrella! In the overcast conditions, we may be a short wait in the early kilometres of cycle path (the Parkenroute), used our lights. They’re compulsory at night morning ‘rush hour’ before being create a sense of openness that helps to or in poor visibility. Unlike here, flashing allowed to board with a bike. If disguise the fact that there are a million lights are illegal. The law also stipulates that you fancy staying somewhere a people living there. cycles must be fitted with reflective tyres, as little bit different, Airbnb (airbnb. well as a rear reflector and pedal reflectors. co.uk) offers an interesting mix of Failure to comply risks a fine. accommodation to suit all Network security budgets. We cycled on four of the five days of our stay; heavy showers made the train a more The North Sea Cycle Route desirable option for travelling to nearby The following day we avoided the traffic Gouda. The day after, we went to Delft, again and pedalled further up the coast on famous for its blue-and-white pottery. It was the North Sea Cycle Route, LF1. The path, a only 20 kilometres from our accommodation, sort of paved cycling highway, cut through but the route took us straight through a nature reserve across gently undulating the busy city centre. Mostly, it was easy. dunes, a terrain that would otherwise have Left: © Stefano Baldini / Alamy. Others by Nigel Bell by Others © Stefano Baldini / Alamy. Left:

CTC.ORG.UK cycle 51 GREAT RIDES | netherlands

Main photo, previous pages Cyclists on the Spuistraat in . Passengers riding ‘side saddle’ on rear racks is common and not illegal Left Like Amsterdam, Delft has a mix of narrow streets, old buildings, and canals Below Scheveningen is a suburb of The Hague, with leafy streets, a beach, and a harbour

Fact File: beginners’ holland

Distance: 100 kilometres, but the total was irrelevant; the aim was to see whether or not we would enjoy a family cycling holiday.

Route: North Sea Cycle Route (LF1) from Hook of Holland to The Hague. been inaccessible on two wheels. We oblivious to the poor weather. We spent didn’t want to turn back, but after finding a the morning sightseeing in The Hague, and Conditions: Dutch cycle routes are well signposted and almost entirely traffic free, café in the woods, we ended up too full of then retraced our track along the coast to except for mopeds, which are allowed on cake to carry on. Hook of Holland. The ferry port is next to the some of the paths. We went in June and Had we been more determined and fitter, railway station, and from there it takes less the weather was very similar to the UK, so we could have followed LF1 all the way to than two hours to get to Amsterdam, one expect sunshine and showers. Bergen in Norway. Not that there isn’t plenty of the destinations we’ve shortlisted for our Bikes used: One tourer and two hybrids, to do in the Netherlands first. The Dutch next trip. We’re also considering flying to with three panniers and a rucksack cycling organisation, Nederland Fietsland, Copenhagen and hiring bikes when we get between us. lists over 4,500 kilometres of long-distance there. It would be ideal for us because the Maps/guides: We took Cycling in the cycle path. Some of these paths can be surrounding area is flat and Denmark claims Netherlands by Eric Van der Horst. It was combined to form themed tours, such as the to have even more kilometres of cycle path recommended by friends and it was the Dutch Coastal Route, which joins the North than the Netherlands. book that inspired the trip. For navigation, Sea and Wadden Sea routes to provide we used Benelux GPS map data from 570 kilometres of riding. The organisation’s OpenFietsmap (openfietsmap.nl). website is a great resource that includes, Smiles, not miles I’m glad I had: A waterproof camera. among other things, details of cycling- On our mini tour, we clocked just over 100 friendly accommodation, maps and GPS kilometres – little more than a day trip for Next time I would: Avoid unnecessary data. With so much free information on offer, more serious cyclists. However, there must detours (getting lost!) by entering the location of the accommodation on the GPS route planning is easy. be many recreational riders like us who beforehand. Traffic signs are similar to those in the UK. aren’t interested in covering long distances There were some we didn’t recognise, but but do want to experience the freedom that Further information: only because we hadn’t done our research travelling by bike offers. The best aspect of nederlandfietsland.nl/en beforehand. We now know to look out for the journey was that we came back wanting the word ‘uitgezonderd’ next to a picture more, and that was due in no small part to of a bicycle, beneath another road sign. It the extent and inherent safety of Holland’s The Netherlands means ‘except for cyclists’ and can apply, cycle network. It comes as no surprise that, for instance, to no-entry and one-way streets. in a recent survey, over 30 percent of the It’s also worth knowing that a round blue country’s road users cited the bicycle as sign with a white bicycle on it means that it’s their primary form of daily transport, a figure compulsory to use the cycle path. more than four times the European average. Our last day was dull and damp, but I like the Dutch approach, where cycling isn’t The Hague the locals were out in force, seemingly a sport but a way of life. Delft Hook of Holland caught in the rain, I now know why Dutch roadsters have back-pedal brakes: it leaves one hand free for an umbrella!

52 cycle february/march 2015