summer 2016 Amsterdam -germany- amsterdam

[johnwtallack]

Hi all, new to this forum but on the hunt for advice, next July my son in law and i are doing the ferry from Newcastle to Amsterdam,we would then have 6 days to tour round Holland but i would also like to catch a bit of Germany if poss. Last year for Charity we cycled from Fife to London 540 miles in 5 days, however it would be nice to see places this time instead of just cycling through.We are thinking maybe 50-60 miles per day . We would like a scenic route with plenty to see and big enough towns to hotel at night, however we are not great city people. would really appreciate any advice re routes etc, thanks in advance for any reply John

[jamesgilbert]

As no-one else has replied yet...

6 days for Amsterdam, some of the rest of the Netherlands and a bit of Germany seems quite optimistic, unless you get a train to somewhere in Germany and cycle back to Amsterdam. 50-60 miles per day is about right, it should give you time to stop and explore, especially as you can cover ground very quickly in the Netherlands when necessary (as long as there's not too much wind!).

In terms of routes in the Netherlands, basically the west can be quite industrial while the east is slightly less flat with a bit more variation. I did Maastricht - Eindhoven - Utrecht - Amsterdam last year, it was very pleasant but not the most exciting tour ever. You won't need to aim for big towns to find places to stay, there are plenty of B&Bs and hotels all over the place and most people speak English.

[syklist]

Holland is not that big, we did all of the North Sea Cycle Route in Holland in four days. If you come in at Ijmuiden then getting onto the NSCR is not difficult. Go north up North Holland, across the Afsluitdijk and then follow the coastal route to Germany. At Nieuweschans you cross the border and enter Ostfriesland which has plenty of easy cycling and cute villages in the middle and more dike landscape if you stick to the coast route.

I would suggest a circular route in Ostfriesland that takes you back to Nieuweschans in Holland. You can get to Amsterdam from there by train in just over three hours and two changes. The Dutch Railways travel planner is here http://www.ns.nl/en/travellers/home. The first part of our 2009 cycle tour went through Ostfriesland.