National Parks in the Netherlands

Cycle-touring, Expeditions, Adventures, Major cycle routes NOT LeJoG (see other special board)
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Heltor Chasca
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National Parks in the Netherlands

Post by Heltor Chasca »

This summer I'm touring the Netherlands for 2 weeks. I've finally decided to theme it on National Parks. Birds and insects being my interest, but landscapes being important. I'll only be camping.

This is the plan so far: start at Hoek van Holland and head north up the coast to NP Zuid-Kennemerland and then head off in a South Westerly direction, avoiding Amsterdam, possibly via Utrecht. I need to get back to HvH.

The rest depends on my nose, the lap of the Gods/Godesses or any inspiring suggestions from the wise and experienced on here...

...Thanks in advance.
m-gineering
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Re: National Parks in the Netherlands

Post by m-gineering »

not an expert on birds, but a possible route could be:
Oostvaardersplassen
continue north for Giethoorn
If you need to see a couple of hundred storks turn west for de Schiphorst
Keep going for Fochteloerveen
Continue north for the Lauwersmeer
Head back south along the German border
cut across de hoge Veluwe
Marten

Touring advice for NL: www.m-gineering.nl/touringg.htm
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Heltor Chasca
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Joined: 30 Aug 2014, 8:18pm
Location: Near Bath & The Mendips in Somerset

Re: National Parks in the Netherlands

Post by Heltor Chasca »

m-gineering wrote:not an expert on birds, but a possible route could be:
Oostvaardersplassen
continue north for Giethoorn
If you need to see a couple of hundred storks turn west for de Schiphorst
Keep going for Fochteloerveen
Continue north for the Lauwersmeer
Head back south along the German border
cut across de hoge Veluwe


Thank you very much and welcome to the forum...b
Slowroad
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Location: Nottingham, UK

Re: National Parks in the Netherlands

Post by Slowroad »

Hoge Veluwe is amazing, inland sand dunes and hills!
“My two favourite things in life are libraries and bicycles. They both move people forward without wasting anything. The perfect day: riding a bike to the library.”
― Peter Golkin
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Heltor Chasca
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Joined: 30 Aug 2014, 8:18pm
Location: Near Bath & The Mendips in Somerset

Re: National Parks in the Netherlands

Post by Heltor Chasca »

Slowroad wrote:Hoge Veluwe is amazing, inland sand dunes and hills!


Thank you. Sand dunes do it for me. And living in Somerset, I can't be without hills for too long...b
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Heltor Chasca
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Joined: 30 Aug 2014, 8:18pm
Location: Near Bath & The Mendips in Somerset

Re: National Parks in the Netherlands

Post by Heltor Chasca »

Heltor Chasca wrote:
Slowroad wrote:Hoge Veluwe is amazing, inland sand dunes and hills!


Thank you. Sand dunes do it for me. And living in Somerset, I can't be without hills for too long...b


Just looked it up: Wow! That could be a highlight. Thanks...b
Slowroad
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Re: National Parks in the Netherlands

Post by Slowroad »

Glad you like the look of the Hoge Veluwe! (It translates as something like 'badlands'). The Netherlands have some lovely campsites, I used the Naturkampeerterrein sites (http://www.natuurkampeerterreinen.nl/ which are some of the best I've ever used.
“My two favourite things in life are libraries and bicycles. They both move people forward without wasting anything. The perfect day: riding a bike to the library.”
― Peter Golkin
iviehoff
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Re: National Parks in the Netherlands

Post by iviehoff »

I've just come back from a week's cycle tour of the Netherlands. Since we had an 8-yr-old on her own bike, we only rode about 50km a day, and didn't get to places like Oostvaardersplassen and Veluwe, though I would like to on another occasion.

There are a lot of waders on the soggier fields, especially in Waterland, which is the area just north of Amsterdam - the countryside is very nice around there, even though it is so close to Amsterdam and other urban areas - it is amazing how much nice countryside there is between all the urbanism, to the extent you can worry about finding shops sufficiently often - at least at our speed of progress we did. In Waterland, we visited the Zaandijk windmill /other trad building preservation area, as many tourists do, went through Het Twiske area which was v nice, then headed east to Monnickendam (using a little ferry at Het Schouw), which was all very nice, lots of waders on the fields. (We got there from Harlem, a very nice city, following up the W bank of the canal through Spaandam and then by the ferry across the Noordzee Kanaal, which though more urban was very nice too). These little ferries typically operate until about 19.00. I would really have liked to go to Marken, take the ferry to Volendam, then head up to Enkhuizen and ride across the barrier to Flevoland, but it would have been too much for us, especially as the wind was strong and unhelpful.

The Vecht river from Weesp to Utrecht was very nice, then a small river between Woerden and Oudewater through Lange Linschoten was also very nice - lots of little campsites along this latter river and also between Oudewater and Gouda.

It can be very buggy in soggy areas, especially if there is good shelter from the wind, so lots of insects to examine and defend yourself from if that interests you. We got well bitten in the evenings in this part of the country.

Although you can navigate very well using the numbered Knooppunts (numbers are associated with junctions of principal cycle routes) and a 1:100 000 map, except perhaps in dense urban areas, only large campsites are shown on the 1:100 000 ANWB maps. Though you do need your wits about you as sometimes there isn't a knooppunt signpost when there should be. (There are also red cycle destination signposts and toadstools, but that is an incomplete system too.) There are many nice small campsites, not all of which are registered http://www.natuurkampeerterreinen.nl/ , but you'll need some other map to show them than the one I mentioned. Someone showed me another 1:100 000 cycling map that seemed to have more campsites on it than then ANWB map but I forget the brand. I used a 1:50 000 Falk cycling map for some of the time, and this showed all campsites as far as I could tell. ANWB also do a 1:50 000 series, but I haven't checked whether it shows all the campsites.
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