The Bicycle Adventure Club - Come Ride With Us!

Netherlands: Cycling the Green Heart and Hanseatic Towns

May 2nd to May 14th

Ride Director: Jan Gleason
Ride Co-Director: Lianna Jones
Report by: Janet Beckley

If asked in one word to describe the Netherlands, I would say pristine. It describes the miles of trails, paths, and road lanes we traveled across through the famed villages of the Green Heart and Hanseatic Towns of the Netherlands — Utrecht, Woerden, Gouda, Schoonhoven, Weesp, Doesburg, Arnhem, Zutphen and my favorite, Oudewater.

Each morning, after a buffet breakfast of cold meats, fresh fruit and yogurt, cappuccinos/lattes, and freshly baked bread, we headed off onto red-bricked bike lanes lined by channels and waterways and flowing with other cyclists on their way to work or school. There are 22 million bicycles in the Netherlands. That’s an average of 1.3 bicycles per person! The cycle network’s total length is above 35,000 kilometers (21,748 miles). And we traveled over 500 miles of them. Some of us selected carefully designed short routes of 20-30 miles, some the longer ones thoughtfully marked out for 40-60 mile journeys. No matter which route you chose or which group you rode with, you were surrounded by vistas of pasture lands hoed in perfect parallel patterns, pathways gently cutting through perfectly spaced trees, gardens walled by squared hedges and colorful flower beds, sweet-smelling forests, small busy villages, and waterways busy with the sound of ducks and sails.

Moving forward through history, our rides were marked by castles, windmills, museums, open-air markets, and cozy outdoor cafés. No latté was served without a cookie. No bakery or chocolate shop was left unexplored. And the taste of a quart of milk we bought at a farm near the Kinderdijk left a lasting memory on all who shared it. We’re pretty sure we met the cow who so graciously produced it for us.

We traveled in May at the height of the birthing season. We were witnesses to hundreds of new baby goats, cows, sheep, horses, and donkeys. Clouds filled the skies. It didn’t rain at all. The wind added some drama to our rides and lots of flare to our stories.

Our tour leaders made sure to include the points of interest that radiated out from our two fixed-based locations – Woerden and Doesburg. While in Woerden we traveled to the windmills at Kinderdijk, the tulip gardens of the Keukenhof, and the cheese market of Gouda. We visited the silver museum of Schoonhoven, the Witches Weighing House in Outewater, and all the castles in between including the Castle de Haar and Muidenslot Castle. We had plenty of time to explore the cities and villages and even more time to eagerly share our adventures with our group at Happy Hour.

And the food! Let’s just say that whatever weight was lost during our rides was gained over the course of our delicious breakfasts, lunches, and dinners. Of note was our six or maybe it was an 8-course dinner at the Het Arsenaal in Doesburg. But who’s counting. Each course was paired with wine or beer. Each nibble and sip came with its own origin story. This was a meal curated and created by staff who took great pride in their craft, their history, and their nation. We ate it all up.

The experience was made far richer by the tour participants and our leaders. From day one, we became a biking family sharing our life stories, journeys, and adventures. At the end of our tour, phone numbers were exchanged, promises to reconnect were made and long-lasting friendships were sealed. This was a first BAC trip for a few of us, but most had already been on countless more. And I see why. There will be more BAC adventures in store for me, too.