Bike tour themes

Holland, or the Netherlands as it is officially known, is a very bicycle-friendly country. The way that cycling is integrated into the traffic systems, the general small scale of everything and the flat terrain all contribute significantly in providing the perfect conditions for a stress-free bike tour.

The western coastline of The Netherlands is 300 kilometres (180 miles) long and is a unique stretch of sand and dunes. The beaches stretch from the Wadden Islands in the north, to the Belgian coast in the south, with only the odd river or harbour interrupting the coastline. The Netherlands is characterized by its long, broad beaches, lined with smooth, wind-blown dunes. The coastal regions boast their own special characteristics with their little seaside resorts villages, lighthouses and the wild, natural beauty of the almost unbroken lines of dunes.

If you're looking for crowds, you will find them on the beach on a hot summer day. But if you're looking for peace and quiet, there's plenty of that too. The beaches stretch for kilometres and offer anonymity even during the busiest periods. Just inland from the coast, there are many attractions, museums and events, which are easily accessible by bike. There is an almost uninterrupted bicycle path, leading from the northern town of Den Helder to Rotterdam.

Springtime is a special time of the year to cycle along the North Sea coast on account of the breathtaking views of the bulb fields. Between the beginning of April and the first week of May, the famous Dutch bulb fields are at their best, providing a dramatic display of tulips, hyacinths, and daffodils kilometre after kilometre, and in all the colours of the rainbow. The prime growing region lies between Haarlem and Leiden, just 10 kilometres from the coast.

Combine this tour option with a visit to the famous 'Keukenhof' spring gardens.

The name 'The Netherlands' actually means 'the lowlands'. Many many years ago, much of Holland was covered with water, but over the centuries the land has gradually been reclaimed from the sea. The Dutch coastline is determined principally by dunes and man-made dikes or levées. Together they protect the low-lying parts (polders) of the country from the sea.

Approximately a-one third of the entire country lies below sea level, and the only place you will find hills is in the south-eastern province of Limburg.

Dutch water-engineering is impressive. Water from the low-lying polders is drained by a network of canals, slow flowing rivers and sluices and is finally pumped away by modern pumping stations, or sometimes older steam-pumps, or even by the famous old Dutch windmills. There are more than 1,000 windmills which have been well-preserved and are still in good working order. It is also possible to visit some of these windmills during your tour.

The Rhine is the most important river in the Netherlands and consists of melt-water from the mountains of Germany and Switzerland and spills out over the flatlands of Holland. The result is an impressive lowlands landscape, laced with canals and interspersed by quaint tile-roofed villages. Along the major rivers, Rhine, Waal, IJssel and Maas you will find the most quiet bicycle paths guiding you from the German or Belgium border up to the Dutch coast.

The largest national park in the Netherlands is situated in the central-eastern part of the country, near the town of Apeldoorn. It is called the Hoge Veluwe, and the origins of the area were formed some 200,000 years ago when the glaciers pushed up layers of soil creating huge banks, the so-called 'stuwwallen'. 10,000 years ago strong winds gradually covered the banks with sand.

Today the park, covering an area of 5,500 hectares, is a unique blend of forests and woods, shifting sands and heather moorlands providing a sense of isolation that is not to be found anywhere else on the Dutch mainland.. Red deer, wild boar and sheep roam freely. The many cycle paths criss-cross the park and there is almost no vehicular traffic.

The Hoge Veluwe recently renovated its Visitors Centre, as well as the beautiful and architecturally significant Hunting Lodge called St Hubertus. The gem of the park must be the famous Kröller-Müller Museum, containing 278 works by Van Gogh, as well as smaller collections of Picasso and Mondriaan and many others. Around the museum building there is an enchanting garden which houses Europe's largest collection of sculptures with works by Rodin, Moore, Giacometti and many more.

The history of the old Dutch cities is very interesting. Some have originate from outposts of the Roman army, also having endured floods, fires, wars, and it has to be said - modern architecture.

Despite a lack of building materials and swamp conditions, the merchants in the sixteenth century managed to amass unbelievable fortunes, building beautiful mansions with lavish interiors. The wealthier merchants commissioned artists to paint their portraits and so the famous Dutch School was born. Rembrandt van Rijn, Johannes Vermeer and Frans Hals, to name but a few, all belonged to this school.

Dutch artisans making ceramic pottery also found new market for their products. This period of prosperity became known as the Golden Age. Today the illustrious period is still evident in some smaller Dutch cities such as Delft, Gouda and Leiden, as well as in the four main cities: Amsterdam, The Hague, Rotterdam and Utrecht.

Amsterdam is famous for the Rijksmuseum, the Van Gogh Museum, the Anne Frank house, its beautiful canals and of course, its vibrant atmosphere. We recommend you visit the city before or after your cycle tour and take, public transport to get around using the train, tram and bus. The amount of traffic and number of people milling about the narrow streets would certainly not add anything to your cycling pleasure.

The Hague, on the other hand, is more distinguished and dignified as well as being famous for its royal palaces and parliament buildings.
In Utrecht you should explore the city's canals and the unusual pedestrian wharfs, five meters below street level.

Delft owes its name to the world 'delving', digging the oldest canal. The city has links to appealing cultural-historical values such as Delftware, the Dutch royal family and the Dutch East India Company.
From Delft you can easily visit Rotterdam, which was badly bombed during WWII, but has resurrected itself to become an icon of experimental post-war architecture, as well as being one of the largest commercial harbours in the world.

The Hanseatic cities in the central-eastern part of the Netherlands are even older than the cities in the western parts. Most of these towns are situated along the river IJssel. In the 14th and 15th century, they formed a merchant union that lead to enormous prosperity and wealth. You can still sense the rich history of the cities Harderwijk, Elburg, Hasselt, Kampen, Zwolle, Hattem, Deventer, Zutphen and Doesburg.

There are a countless number of places that will be of interest to you. Towns and villages, each with their own personality and uniqueness and of course many, many museums and parks.

The Netherlands was able to stay neutral during World War I but the Second World War was a totally different story. On May 10, 1940 the Germans invaded by crossing the Eastern border. On May 15 surrender was signed after a German bombing blitz on Rotterdam, which destroyed most of the city. During the years 1940-1944 the Dutch suffered under the oppression of the German occupier. Although a sound Dutch resistance movement was formed, numerous Jews were deported to concentration camps and never returned. Many Dutch men were forced to hard labor in German war industries.

After the successful Allied invasion (D-day) in Normandy, the south of Holland was liberated in the summer of 1944. The Allies developed a paratrooper plan, Market Garden, to seize two bridges in Holland: one in Nijmegen and the other in Arnhem. Although the first objective was reached, second was a disaster. The paratroopers were annihilated by a German Panzer division, the survivors eventually escaping back behind Allied lines. The first months of 1945 were extremely costly for the Dutch. Thousands of people died of starvation in the cities, where the effects of the ever-decreasing food supplies were the most severe.

Finally, in April 1945 the Allied forces were able to push through and Holland was liberated on 5th May; three days before Germany's total surrender. With the arrival of freedom, the Dutch went from the depth of despair to soaring heights of joy. Experiences from WW II are engraved in the collective Dutch consciousness. This manifests itself in a day (4th May) of commemoration of all military and civil victims of war and the remembrance of the tremendous sacrifice of the foreign Allied liberation force.

Each year the end of World War II is celebrated on 'Liberation Day' which is on 5th May. The events and emotions of the dark years of the WWII period are well preserved in many museums, visitors centres and war cemeteries. Their purpose is to show the horrors of that period in the hope that 'this never again' will happen to future generations. Some major battle fields from 1940 and also the area where the 'Market Garden' operation took place are all within easy cycling distance, so that you may wish to include this theme along with your other preferences.