GOING DUTCH
A tour of the Netherlands offers more than cheese and tulips
F France is the place that provides cycling’s hardest challenges, the Netherlands — a nation in love with travelling on two wheels — is where it is most appreciated. True, the flatness of the land helps. A country where the highest point “rises” to just 323m will always be suitable for cyclists. Yet there is something more to the Dutch affection for propulsion by pedal. It is a way of life.
“Amsterdam is wonderful for cycling, because the city offers an enormous, dedicated infrastructure,” says Pete Jordan, author of In the City of Bikes: The Story of the Amsterdam Cyclist ( ). “Virtually every street can be cycled, as nearly every major artery has separated bike paths, which make pedalling anywhere in the city a breeze.
“It’s the same beyond Amsterdam. A dense network of bike routes criss-crosses the Netherlands. You don’t need to be a hardcore rider on a high-end bike to enjoy cycling in Holland. Because such a large proportion of the population rides regularly it’s easy to jump on to any old bike and fit right in.” Amsterdam is the symbol of the Dutch alliance with the bicycle, a city where 400 000 cyclists whirr around the streets, making use of 400km of cycle lanes. Touring it from the saddle adds charm, whether you sample the broad canvas of culture at the Rijksmuseum (
50) or the special emphasis of the Van Gogh Museum (
The capital’s two-wheeled infatuation extends to accommodation. The Bicycle Hotel (Van Ostadestraat 123; is a bolthole aimed at younger visitors in the Nieuwe Pijp district, offering double rooms with breakfast from and bike hire for a day.
The five-star Grand Hotel Amrath (Prins Hendrikkade 108; has a “Hermitage” package that, as well as tickets to the Amsterdam offshoot of the Russian museum and a double room with breakfast, includes bicycle hire for the day. From a night (for two sharing) in July. If Amsterdam adores the bicycle, northerly Groningen is obsessed. It has been described as “the world’s most bike-friendly city” thanks to a 1977 urban redesign that all but barred cars from the centre. Residents roll around a cycle-path maze of such density that there are 10 000 bike parking slots at the railway station alone. You can hire your own ride and dip into an enclave of medieval heritage where the Groninger Museum ( adds a bright burst of modern art (not least Philippe Starck’s silver cylindrical building). The NH Hotel De Ville (Oude Boteringerstraat 43-45; has doubles for (room only) and bikes to rent. The idea of tackling a stage of the Tour de France conjures images of Alpine slopes. But Utrecht’s
Chris Leadbeater sings the praises of pedalling through the Netherlands, with 10 itineraries to suit all cyclists
2015 curtain-raiser was a short time trial that can be re -enacted without pain or difficulty. The 15km dash starts on Truus van Lierlaan in Transwijk- Noord and ends on Croeselaan avenue (letour.com/le-tour/2015/us/stage-1.html ). Afterwards, explore the fourth-biggest Dutch city (40km southeast of Amsterdam). Bars and eating places flank the Oudegracht canal, while the Centraal Museum ( centraalmuseum.nl; à11) Showcases the likes of 17th-century Dutch master Jachim Wtewael. The Grand Hotel Karel V (Geetebolwerk 1; karelv.nl ) offers one night’s halfboard, with bike hire, for à115 a head (two sharing).
4 Wander Zeeland’s soft edges Thephotogenic flatness of the Dutch landscape comes alive in Zeeland, the most southwesterly province where the Rhine, Meuse and Scheldt rivers meet the sea. Its 645km coastline has cycle paths through towns such as Cadzand, Oostkapelle and Westkapelle. Dutch Bike Tours ( dutchbiketours.com ) offers “dunes and deltaworks”, a self-guided tour that traces the region over six days, from à509 a head (two sharing), including hotels with breakfast, bikes and luggage transfer. 5 Sample two slices of Holland The Dutch are as famous for cheese as for cycling, and a flavour some tour by Inntravel inntravel.co.uk ) unites the themes. The selfguided “Dutch Discovery: Edam, Amsterdam and Gouda” comprises five days on country roads, starting in the red-wax city of Edam, 25km northeast of Amsterdam, and cutting through the capital, via leafy pockets such as Beatrixpark and Amstelpark, to yellow-wax Gouda (65km south) in time for the Thursday cheese market on Markt square. This 190km trip is priced from £715 a head (two sharing), including accommodation with breakfast, baggage transfer, maps and bike hire. 6 Seek a chilly legend of the North Devotees of Dutch tradition go misty-eyed at mention of the Elfstedentocht, a 190km skating contest that rushes between 11 towns in the northerly province of Friesland, starting and ending in Leeuwarden and veering along frozen canals. Sadly, winter has been too weak of late, and the event has not been held since 1997, but you can cycle its route in eight days via the selfguided “eleven cities of Friesland” tour sold by Wheel 2 Wheel (wheel2wheelholidays.com). Covering 290km in all, the tour costs from £489 a head (two sharing), including hotel accommodation with breakfast, bag transfer and bike. 7 Forge forward as a family Free from troublesome gradients, the Netherlands is the perfect choice for family escapes by pedal power. Saddle Skedaddle ( skedaddle.co.uk ) runs a regular “windmills and golden beaches” group excursion specifically aimed at travellers with children. It takes eight days to progress through North Holland, the peninsula and province that juts out above Amsterdam, ticking off the coastal hotspot of Hoorn, the port of Den Helder and Texel island, with its windswept dunes. Prices start at £715 per adult, including full-board lodging on cosy barges (adult bikes £80 extra; child bikes £60). Places are available on trips scheduled for July 18 and August 15. 8Loiter
longer around the lake For those who want to espy the Dutch countryside in depth, Macs Adventure ( macsadventure.com) does a “grand tour of Holland”. This takes eight days to circle the colossal IJsselmeer “lake” which wells up in the northwest of the country. A 400km self-guided odyssey, beginning and finishing in Amsterdam, it arcs through North Holland, taking the 32km Afsluitdijk causeway across the IJsselmeer, before flitting south through Friesland towns including Lemmer and into the marshes of WeerribbenWieden National Park in the province of Overijssel. The holiday costs from £720 a head (two sharing), including hotel accommodation with breakfast and bag transfers (bike hire is available, at an extra cost). 9 Combine wheels and water If long days on the road are too much for your junior charges, the “family special: IJssel Lake” offered by Freedom Treks ( freedomtreks.co.uk) may appeal. This seven-night group journey takes a clockwise route in and out of Amsterdam, venturing across and around the IJsselmeer by boat and bike. Designed for families with children aged between seven and 11, the itinerary builds in plenty of stops for ice cream and paddling, and ticks off the Walibi World theme park in Biddinghuizen. E-bikes are an optional extra at £120 a head for easily tired legs. A departure in July for a family of four costs £1 455 in total, including bicycles and full-board barge accommodation. 10 Wait to wheel through spring While the Netherlands is cycling heaven in summer, it can be just as alluring in spring, especially at the celebrated Keukenhof flower garden in Lisse, where seven million bulbs push up through 32 manicured hectares every March, April and May. HF Holidays ( hfholidays.co.uk ) runs a “tulip tour”, a four-day cycle jaunt that visits this blaze of colour (as well as Leiden, Rembrandt’s birthplace), but some of the distance is covered on a genteel canal-barge cruise. Prices start at £370 per person (with two sharing), including full-board lodging and bike hire, but not including transport to nearby Amsterdam.
More information: holland.com. — © The Daily Telegraph, London