I’ve been to the Netherlands 5 times over the past 30 years, mostly in Amsterdam. I’ve never done any bike touring/camping. It’s September, so I figured with Climate Change I might catch some nice late fall weather. Being the biking capital of the world, I was looking forward to seeing it for myself.
The Netherlands did the right thing by investing in bike infrastructure. Without an alternative to cars, the whole country would be one giant gridlock of cars.
I’m using Flixbus from Ljubljana to Arnhem, Netherlands. The anti-immigration border checks are in full force, checking all passports and more! We were pulled over on the highway in Slovenia, stopped in Austria, Czech (removed our luggage and had 2 dogs look for drugs) and stopped and ID’d in Germany. So much for the border-free Schengen region.
I’m assembling my bike and camping at Oosterbeeks Rijnoever which lies next to the Rhine River. I biked into town and my first experience on the bike paths was literally terrifying. Gas scooters and souped-up e-bikes are speeding on the bike paths, scary. I took a day to swim in the river and hang around camp. Met an experienced Dutch cyclist who showed me where to go, and changed my route.
LET THE PEDALING BEGIN
I had no idea how much nature existed in the Netherlands. I always imagined it just cities with bike paths. Het Nationale Park De Hoge Veluwe was one destination recommended to me. Beautiful bike paths abound in this park, with literally hundreds of bikes available to use. Before heading to the campground I stop by the Kröller-Müller Museum. Includes a sculpture park and paintings by Claude Monet, Georges Seurat, Pablo Picasso, and the 2nd largest collection of Van Gogh’s.
SCULPTURE GARDEN & ART MUSEUM PHOTO GALLERY
Het Nationale Park De Hoge Veluwe bike paths.
I made an online reservation for Camping Huttopia de Veluwe, 20 euros, no reservation cost is 10 euros, whatever. Super nice campground, with multiple kinds of accommodation choices. The Glamping area is all car-free, you have to wheel your stuff in. There’s a bike path connection at the campground to the Park Reserve next door. Next time I come here it’s for 4 or 5 nights, not just 2.
RIDING TO AMSTERDAM
It took me 2 days to ride to Amsterdam. I usually think of Holland as fields of tulips & wooden clogs. Well, Holland is also the home of many HUGE Meat factory farms and you can smell that smell, A LOT of the time. Holland is the 2nd largest food exporter in the world. The government is currently attempting to buy out 30% of animal farms to cut down on nitrogen pollution.
THE MANY VARIED BIKE PATHS TO AMSTERDAM
WELCOME TO AMSTERDAM
My campground, Camping Amsterdam Forest is about 11km from the center of Amsterdam. Half the ride is on a forest path and without a map, there’s no way you could figure your way out.
LEIDEN, NETHERLANDS
I’ve been to Leiden, but not with the freedom of a bicycle. I again camped about 11km from Leiden city center. It’s a college town with that young vibe. Heineken brewery bought Slovenia’s biggest breweries and now I found out they also bought Lagunitas Brewery, whose home is in California. It’s good beer, but I didn’t want to support shipping beer around the world, therefore avoiding a HUGE carbon footprint. Dike building is attempting to keep the water out, it’s a full-time job in Holland.
BIKING AROUND LIEDEN
CYCLING DOWN THE DUTCH COAST,
DESTINATION BELGIUM
It’s a beautiful day to be riding down the coast. It’s true that Holland has bike paths “TO EVERYWHERE.” Holland is a great opportunity for newbies to cycle tour and not be intimidated by cars and traffic. I stopped at a cafe along the beach. My waitress said all the sand in the photo below was dug up from the ocean. She stated that her house is 5 meters (15 ft.) below sea level. Climate Change will eventually be catastrophic for Holland.
BIKE PATHS OF THE DUTCH COAST
ROTTERDAM, NETHERLANDS
I had planned to ride down the coast all the way to Belgium. The weather turned nasty, so I turned left to Rotterdam. I had no interest in going there, but circumstances dictated that I go. I haven’t stayed in a hostel in 10+ years, but it’s the only affordable, last-minute accommodation. A 6 bed dorm in Rotterdam costs the same as a private Airbnb apartment in the Baltic’s. Sitting in the hostel watching the rain and hail downpours I knew I made the right choice. Spent 4 days sheltering (hiding) from the weather, in Rotterdam. I tried to make the most of it (& I did). I toured inside the 18 Cube Row Houses that were built in 1977. Every room was on a different floor, not a place to age. Rotterdam is known for its modern architecture, whereas Amsterdam has more historical buildings.
SCHIEDAM, NETHERLANDS
I searched for tourist hot spots and museums near Rotterdam. I found the National Cooperative Museum and it’s free! I got a private tour, in English, about the history of cooperatives in Holland. Bread was the staple of the poor, so most co-ops started with a bakery & using various delivery methods. Rotterdam isn’t really a tourist town, so it was nice to take a bike ride outside of the city.
SOME MORE PHOTOS FROM MY DAY IN SCHIEDAM
GHENT, BELGIUM
I took the train from Rotterdam to Ghent. The 4 days I used sheltering in Rotterdam, I would have used to ride to Ghent,. Everything on the train went fine, until they said there was a gas smell and we all had to get off. The platform was full of people who also wanted to get on the train. They directed us to track 2, to catch the next train. The escalator was broken so I had to carry my loaded bike up to the platform. The platform was full and I asked someone to watch my bike while I went to get the trailer. I get back and the platform is empty except for my bike. Then they tell me the train is now coming on track 7. I never lose it, now I can’t say that. I started yelling at the train conductor (it wasn’t his fault). It killed me to get everything to track 2, he was just the easiest target, I regret my behavior now. I hurriedly took my stuff to track 7. I just made the train, it left in less than a minute after I boarded.
I’m camping at URBAN GARDEN, about 5km from the city center. I thought I could sneak into Holland & Belgium before the cool fall weather, nope. I brought my summer sleeping bag, I’m nearly fully dressed for bed.
I was exiting the bathroom at the campground and this guy asked me if that was my bike? I confirmed it was. He said he’s been riding the same bike for 20 years, impressive. Then I informed him “I’ve had mine for 30 years.” He was touring with his wife who had an electric bike. When he saw mine, he wanted to make his electric too. We took a photo and I sent it to BIKE FRIDAY, the company that made our bikes. They wrote me back “loved it.”
The bike gives you the freedom to explore destinations that are either too far to walk to or that public transportation doesn’t serve. I found a park on the map and rode to it. I found a nice park bench, a pond & some wildlife. Thought, I would stop and enjoy the tranquility. Looking around at all the garbage, it’s time to give back. I took 20 minutes and I cleaned the area up.
My next destination is Leuven, another college town. I was here 30 years ago and am excited to see what I saw. It’s 90km from Ghent and I wanted to break it into 2 days. I contacted a campground that is exactly halfway. I wrote to see if I needed a reservation? They wrote back and said I needed a “Camping Card.” I wrote back and asked what is a camping card? They sent me a picture of a camping card, not the link to get one. I stayed an extra day in Ghent and rode the 90km in one day.
VIDEO OF BELGIUM BIKE PATHS,
GHENT TO LEVUEN, BELGUIM
LEUVEN, BELGIUM
I made it to WILLOW CAMP, which is 15 km south of Leuven. I was checking in and said I had a tent. She told me I could rent a little cabin for the same price and I took it for 2 nights. That was the best decision ever, it’s one of the most unique campgrounds I’ve ever stayed at. I went to Il Pizzaiolo and had the best Greek Salad EVER!
I’m so excited to bike into Leuven, first I get to one of the famous squares and there’s a carnival set up. And the weirdest carnival food I’ve ever seen, snails on a bun. Thirty years since my last visit and yep!, I don’t remember a thing, except Fonske. It’s a statue of a student: one interpretation is, it’s a student reading and pouring knowledge into his head or drinking beer while reading. Belgium is known for beer so I visited Brouwerij De Coureur – microbrouwerij + taproom. The beer is great but so is the bike-bicycle parking & the pedal bar stools.
I went to the Leuven Botanical Garden, it’s the best and most interesting Botanical garden I’ve ever been to & it’s free. I paid to visit the Leiden Botanical Garden, I left after 10 minutes. When in Leuven be sure to visit, it’s GREAT!
LEUVEN BOTANICAL GARDEN PHOTO GALLERY
The campground’s 15 km from the center, is a bit far to ride every day. I was having to leave before sunset, because the bike paths lighting stops after 5 km. For my last night, I got a hostel room in the city center. It’s Saturday night and they claim Europe’s biggest bar is in Leuven. So I wander over to check it out. I sat right next to the square. I went to the bathroom and made some small talk. We chatted it up for 10 minutes, outside the bathroom. His friend came in to retrieve him. They invited me to join them. They bought me a beer, I declined the 2nd one. They had all gone to school in Leuven and this was the first time they had been together in 8 months. They wanted me to go bar hopping with them. I hadn’t eaten and declined the invite. Traveling solo doesn’t mean being alone, it means you can meet locals and other fellow travelers while having a super time. Don’t be afraid to travel solo, the rewards can be the most memorable experiences.
I always thought that Holland and Belgium were good environmentalists, how wrong I was. I’m from Oregon (USA) and we’ve had deposits on cans, plastic bottles & glass bottles since 1971. Holland just enacted deposits on just cans on April 1, 2023. Belgium will start deposits on just can & plastic bottles in 2025. What is going on there? We did deposits 50 years before them. At the campgrounds they had recycle containers, but when I looked at the overflowing garbage containers, you could see all kinds of recyclable materials: cans, bottles, cardboard, paper & food waste. People don’t seem to care about the health of the planet or it’s future.
These are the “recycle” bins at the hostel. WTF?
What goes where?
This is the longest blog post I’ve ever done. Hope you got through it ok?
Take you & your bike for a spin, for a healthy you & a healthy planet.
Jeff
