Holland - Short Tour

[Dupont]

How does this sound for a short tour of Holland or does anyone have any experience of the route?

1. Hook of Holland
2. Leiden
3. Utrecht
4.Dordrecht via Kinderdijk
5. The Hague
6. Hook of Holland

Overnight ferry sailings from Harwich return.

[Psamathe]

Over how many days and what distance per day. Some of the legs in then list are short distances.

I've certainly done the listed stops but in terms of "route" depends on exactly what route you take between places you've listed.

Ian

[Jdsk]

That's something like 250 km.

I'd probably go up the coast to Texel and take a train back, or vice versa.

Jonathan

PS: How will you travel after returning to Harwich? There are some problems with trains and with car hire...

[CliveyT]

Utrecht isn't in Holland...
And I agree, some of them are very short stages so if the aim is to do sightseeing then fine, but some days you'll have as long off the bike as on it
If you're staying o/n in den Haag then you can easily get the day sailing back from Hoek- saves you having to book a cabin.

[Dupont]

Over how many days and what distance per day. Some of the legs in then list are short distances.

I've certainly done the listed stops but in terms of "route" depends on exactly what route you take between places you've listed.

Ian

Overnight ferry then Hook of Holland to Leiden on first day. Second day over to Utrecht, third day to Dordrecht via Kinderdijk, fourth day Dordrecht to Hook of Holland via The Hague. Catch overnight ferry back to Harwich.

[Dupont]

That's something like 250 km.

I'd probably go up the coast to Texel and take a train back, or vice versa.

Jonathan

PS: How will you travel after returning to Harwich? There are some problems with trains and with car hire...

Was going to park at Harwich as it is easier than trains from where I live.

[st599_uk]

How does this sound for a short tour of Holland or does anyone have any experience of the route?

1. Hook of Holland
2. Leiden
3. Utrecht
4.Dordrecht via Kinderdijk
5. The Hague
6. Hook of Holland

Overnight ferry sailings from Harwich return.

I've done most of that route (on 2 different rides). Really nice riding, plenty of time for sightseeing and taking piccies. Ferry is super easy to use. Be aware that some of the river crossings may be on small ferries, so get some Euro coins to pay with.

About 400m from the ferry terminal at Hoek there's a village square with a Lidl, a bakery and an Ice cream shop for stocking up.

All of the towns listed have fantastic cycling infrastructure - in between towns you can use the Fietsknooppunt to navigate: https://www.fietsknooppunt.be/nl-be/fie ... uteplanner. (Each crossroads on the cycle network has a numbered sign and pointers to the next number in each direction. You navigate by following a list of numbers).



(Utrecht is not in either of the provinces of North or South Holland, it's in one of the other provinces of the Netherlands - don't say Holland when you're there or the locals will be unhappy).

[Dupont]

How does this sound for a short tour of Holland or does anyone have any experience of the route?

1. Hook of Holland
2. Leiden
3. Utrecht
4.Dordrecht via Kinderdijk
5. The Hague
6. Hook of Holland

Overnight ferry sailings from Harwich return.

I've done most of that route (on 2 different rides). Really nice riding, plenty of time for sightseeing and taking piccies. Ferry is super easy to use. Be aware that some of the river crossings may be on small ferries, so get some Euro coins to pay with.

About 400m from the ferry terminal at Hoek there's a village square with a Lidl, a bakery and an Ice cream shop for stocking up.

All of the towns listed have fantastic cycling infrastructure - in between towns you can use the Fietsknooppunt to navigate: https://www.fietsknooppunt.be/nl-be/fie ... uteplanner. (Each crossroads on the cycle network has a numbered sign and pointers to the next number in each direction. You navigate by following a list of numbers).



(Utrecht is not in either of the provinces of North or South Holland, it's in one of the other provinces of the Netherlands - don't say Holland when you're there or the locals will be unhappy).

Thanks for the heads up.

Although Jonathan and his suggestion of Texel has my wheels spinning now as that looks a nice ride too.

[LucyEliz]

I’ve cycled all of that. You’ll have a wonderful time.

If you want free up some time to see a bit of Rotterdam and Delft on your way from Dordrecht back to Hoek, you could save on cycling time by taking the boat from Dordrecht to Rotterdam. It’s really nice and it docks right beside the Erasmus Bridge in Rotterdam. https://www.waterbus.nl/

[Thehairs1970]

The railway station at Harwich Port has a car park. I think it works out about £10 per day but is reasonably secure. I.e. there is a manned barrier in and out.

I think it sounds like a grand plan for a trip. Yes the distances aren’t huge but if you are travelling abroad, you want to see more than just the cycle paths right? I’ve been to most of the places and they all have their charms.

We are heading back to Holland for our fourth trip this summer. Lots more to see even after that trip.

[Dupont]

The railway station at Harwich Port has a car park. I think it works out about £10 per day but is reasonably secure. I.e. there is a manned barrier in and out.

I think it sounds like a grand plan for a trip. Yes the distances aren’t huge but if you are travelling abroad, you want to see more than just the cycle paths right? I’ve been to most of the places and they all have their charms.

We are heading back to Holland for our fourth trip this summer. Lots more to see even after that trip.

Sounds Great! I also believe that the Premier Inn nearest to Harwich does car parking at £30 a week.

[bohrsatom]

This is a fun agenda. Definitely take time to explore Delft and the boat suggestion is a good one too. Gouda is a pretty town that's worth adding to the list.

Within the towns you can leave your bike securely in guarded cycle parks ('Fietsenstalling' in Dutch). These are generally free for daytime parking. Recent experience in Delft/Utrecht is the guard will put a barcode sticker on your bike and give you a small keyfob which proves ownership. They'll scan both barcodes on the way in and the way out.
The guards don't always speak English but if you act confused a local will probably help out.

Secondly, take a look at https://www.groenehart.nl/the-green-heart-of-holland for some route inspiration

[Dupont]

I am just a little concerned about day 2 and whether Leiden to Utrecht is a little optimistic distance wise.

[Psamathe]

I am just a little concerned about day 2 and whether Leiden to Utrecht is a little optimistic distance wise.

It's not that far (maybe 35'ish miles) but to some that too far but to others not far at all. But it's flat, no hills. Worst is sometimes you might get headwind but that applies anywhere in NL

Ian

[CliveyT]

I am just a little concerned about day 2 and whether Leiden to Utrecht is a little optimistic distance wise.

Would be going right past de Molen brewery so I would have the problem of getting 'delayed' in Bodegraven