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Hi folks, especially those from the Netherlands.
Me and my wife are considering a holiday in Holland this year (May probably).
Friends have recommended the Goudaa/Haastrecht area as a base, with us biking out in different directions each day (perhaps 60 - 80 Kms per day)

Any better recommendations for our first time in Holland?
We're not culture vultures - we prefer scenery and nature (we're always getting back to nature )so visiting Amsterdam and other big cities is only for a very wet rainy day.
Any good (English speaking) web sites (VVV ones for example)?

Thanks for your help.

Well, first of all, obviously, get a bike :=D
Then the area. Gouda and surroundings is ok, but would never come to my mind as the cycling area to start with.
Great parts are north of Woerden: Kamerik, and then north to Wilnis, Mijdrecht, Vinkeveen. Be sure to check out the lakes over there (Vinkeveense plassen). Then, more to the east, in the province Utrecht, you can follow the river Vecht. Beautiful!
A few hills and great forests can be found east of Nijmegen, which is great as well.
And then, try to cross the Afsluitdijk. It's a dike closing what used to be Zuiderzee. When you're halfway and have a clear sight, you probably can't even see the start and the end of this dike. Impressive!
Be sure to check out http://fietsvakantie.pagina.nl/ and be sure to stop by and visit me when you're in Holland to get out for a beer! (or 2)

Cheers,
Rob





<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Rob van Berkel on 2005-01-25 15:57 ]</font>

and, if you need help (translations or whatever) be sure to ask. We dutch are so helpfull

I live in Nijmegen, and hehe, Rob has right, the area is nice, with various biotopes.
Bird whatchers also love it, lots of small waters, pools and vannes (if that's the right word), actually it's partly a first degree nature area.

Nijmegen is worth an afternoon, a cop of tea downtown at the Rijn (actually called Waal here) could be nice, even together with me
The old center is build on a vast 'land wall', constructed by gletschers about 10000 years ago, and is bordered by the Rijn (actually it's called the Waal here, but hey)
However the center was bombed in ''44 by home flying Allied B52s, by mistake (sic), so some parts look as bad as all new cities

I would also like to mention the old waterlands of the province of North Holland with old villages like the Rijp, Hoorn, etc, known by the paintings of the 17th century, you know, the small water channel systems, water mills, all flat as the water it was before.

Special are the ilands in the north, try automobile free Ameland, it's a psy trip to be there, really

Explicit known as biking area for people who like nature and rest I can mention the mid east of Holland, particulary the province of Drente, with special long only cycle tour roads, with normal but also so called farmer campings, primitive but nature minded.

Bikes you can hire in every town, they are always first class.

Go to VVV or ANWB travel info organisation.
There are maps for cycle day trips (hundreds), holyday trips (200-500km), theme trips, 'free tours trips' (LF routes) for 'adventurous' people, etc.

There is a map of Holland with all tours laid out ('Fiets ideeën kaart'), ask http://www.fietsplatform.nl.
All info you will find at http://www.anwb.nl, http://www.vekabo.nl or http://www.fietsersbond.nl, email them to see if you can get info in English.

B&B adresses you can get at http://www.vriendenopdefiets.nl (€ 15,- max), farmer camps at http://www.vekabo.nl and http://www.fietsplatform.nl, Stayokay hotels (relaxed atmosphere on nice sites, nice buildings like landhouses, castles etc) check http://www.stayokay.com.

Also very practical:
http://www.holland.com (cycle tours at measure), http://www.fietsvakantiewinkel.nl (biking route shop), http://www.cycletours.com, http://www.trekkershutten.nl (backpackers like wouden cottages), http://www.natuurkampeerterreinen.nl en http://www.svr.nl for farmercampings, http://www.fietsen.123.nl (cycle tours lists,

Holland can be nice, just don't say 'goatfucker' in public, you could be shot one day


<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: hubird on 2005-01-25 20:00 ]</font>

Thanks Rob & Huub.
No problems about bikes Rob - we each ride 6000 Km per year and have really good mountain bikes. It'll be a change to ride on flat roads instead of getting "big air" off-road in our country parks.
Lots of info and tips Huub - thanks a lot for the research and reply.
And you should both be afraid, very afraid. We're definitely going to call around for a beer

Good choice, to explore the Netherlands by bike is a remunerative way.

I would also recommend you to the area in the north Huub mentioned. I like all those small towns around the Ijsselmeer, like Enkhuizen, Hoorn, Lemmer, Kampen etc.

How do you want to stay in the Netherland?
In a Hotel, at a small Bed and Breakfast house or do you want to rent a small house somewhere?

If you decide to stay a bit more to the north I can procure you to a house in the city called Opmeer, with a kitchen and a small garden, so you can stay there in a self-catering cheap way.

And be careful with the dutch beer, it isn´t beer really, it´s something else, I don´t know what but it looks like beer at least.

Hehe, be careful now Chris.. we may not have your Reinheitsgebot, but I personally found out that doesn't always guarantee you get a proper beer in Germany
At least here in Holland it doesn't take 15 minutes to get your beer in a bar
And, if you don't like the Dutch beer, we're close to Belgium as well, and they make the best beers in the world. (most of them are actually sold in Holland I guess )
Antoher thing, when I see this thread develop, after just one day, Neil has a few ppl here to visit, get some beer, a meal and a shower, even has himself a bed and breakfast, so a few replies more and everything has been taken care of for him
I plan going to Barbados.... anyone here from Barbados???


Cheers,
Rob

On 2005-01-26 15:15, Rob van Berkel wrote:
when I see this thread develop, after just one day, Neil has a few ppl here to visit, get some beer, a meal and a shower, even has himself a bed and breakfast, so a few replies more and everything has been taken care of for him
Rob

Ah but nobody has actually offered to PAY for all these things for me
Perhaps in a few days time eh

...when I invite you for a beer, it's my treat

I forgot to mention National Park the Hoge Veluwe, in the middle of Holland
It also houses the national Van Gogh museum, the painter it is, not filmer and murdred goatf*cker Theo van Gogh

Yet I would advise you to wait until half june, weather in May can be wet and cool
At that time also the famous alternative 10days on-site-theatre festival 'Oerol' starts, my favorite june holydays , on iland Terschelling.
http://www.oerol.nl
and sure, you both are welcom at my (little ) place

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: hubird on 2005-01-26 20:13 ]</font>

On 2005-01-25 15:28, Neil B wrote:
Hi folks, especially those from the Netherlands.
Me and my wife are considering a holiday in Holland this year (May probably).
Friends have recommended the Goudaa/Haastrecht area as a base, with us biking out in different directions each day (perhaps 60 - 80 Kms per day)

Wow, please let me know when you're coming, cause I live in Gouda (not sure if I'll still be here by May though...)
I must say I haven't done much scenery/nature tourism in my own country so I'm not sure what to recommend. The Gouda/Haastrecht area is definitely great for biking though, and there's also Reeuwijk nearby which has the 'Reeuwijkse Plassen" which is sort of a bunch of small lakes which is great for biking around, and of course swimming and sailing.


<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: King of Snake on 2005-02-01 06:56 ]</font>

On 2005-01-25 17:16, hubird wrote:
a cop of tea downtown at the Rijn (actually called Waal here)

I can understand if we call London with Londyn, Dresden with Drezno and even Aachen with Akwizgran. But who and why call one place with such different names? And why does the fact (as I see it) annoys you, Huub?

The nice thing about being Dutch of course is, apart from our National hobby of tease-the-Germans, that we have so many different types of landscape in such a small country. Unless you are looking for mountains, pretty much everything's readily available. To add to the list I should mention the southern part of the province of Limburg. Bordering the Ardennes, it's a rural and hilly area that should provide for some good biking and prevents your gears from getting rusty! If you really want to let the wind get to you and see Holland at its flattest, try Zeeland (S-W) or Groningen (N-E.) Perhaps you can sample the entire country by putting your bikes on the train? If you stay somewhere central it's never more than two or so hours to anywhere in Holland... Beer-wise I would recommend you skip the Dutch variation and instead spend your euros on Belgian beer - but only after the bike ride as it tends to all sit in your legs. Enjoy your holidays!

I was born in that deep south Limburg area...but thought, Neil won't be impressed by that area...
It's exactly like what he has at home but then 10 times smaller everything
It's better to take some walks overthere instead of cycling I think, specially for the heavy duties they are on bikes

Samplaire, let me explain this, tho it's tough for me to do it.

The Rijn, biggest river in (West) Europe, splits into two rivers after it entries the Netherlands, one big one and one small one.

I consider it as a huge PR blunder that we call the small one the Rijn and the big one the Waal, a name no one in the world will ever remember.

The small one bends to the North for a whyle, and then near Arnheim it streams to the West, parallel to the Waal.

Close to Rotterdam they even come together again, the combined waters first pass Rotterdam-haven, and after that it ends up into the North Sea.

So we Dutch gave it away for nothing!
All cargoing takes the Waal, it goes streight to the biggest haven of the world, whyle the so called Rijn is a pathetic small running water, nice for retired people with a yacht, or for poor lost goldfishes.

They took me my Rijn!
I want my Rijn back!
It's the Rijn that passes my appartment, Nijmegen is a Rijn city, just like Köln or Koblenz.
There are no whales in the Rijn, so why call it Waal?
We sold our soul to the devil, and renamed the biggest river of Europe ending in the biggest haven of the world into something not to remember.

You don't rename the Rocky Mountains in the Hillbilly Hills, or the Amazone in Little Sweetwater.
There IS no Waal, there's just the Rijn, Rhine, Rhino or even Rhinosaurus if you like, and it streams right in front of my window.
And that little something, crowling and bubbling to the north...well that's imagination, it doesn't really exist.
It's wet, and it streams, that's true, but therefor you can't name it a river...or the Rijn!

Thanks for listening, pfew, that relieves!

Wow, information overload and it just goes to show the friendliness and generosity of you guys in Holland.

Rob, I’m sorry but I don’t know anyone from Barbados – perhaps someone has a Creamware franchise there?

Rob again. I accept your offer of a beer and so does my wife. But we must set the ground rules for this – with all this generosity I’m not the sort of person who would use you all and get myself a free holiday. We like to pay our way. So let’s agree that you get the first beer , we’ll get the second and third and after a while we can see who can still manage to ask for another one before we slide under the table

Huub, it’d be nice to visit your (little) Smiley Factory. Somehow though I can’t imagine you with a cup of tea instead of a beer

KoS – you live in the Gouda area? You mean I could come to your house and steal your kik drum samples??? I’ll buy you a pint for that, even if it only helps me to get some peace and quiet next time I upload a dance track!!!!! I promise not to steal your samples collection !!!!!!!

Ervilha – nice tips thank you. We have friends who stay with their Dutch friends in Haarstricht and the reason for us thinking about this area is that it is close enough to the ferry terminal, so that we don’t have far to drive on our journey.
The plan will be, wherever we decide on, to have a few rides in the area that we base ourselves and to put the bikes on the car for a few days before riding into other areas to explore (coming back to our base in the evening).
We do a lot of biking in Scotland so flat riding will make a nice change for our old legs – the Ardenne tends to attract a lot of rain clouds too (mind you, so does the whole of Scotland)
I have to admit that I do love Belgian beer (many of them) but my favourite on the continent used to be Czech Budweiser (not the nasty American Budweiser, weaker than maiden’s water)

You also mention that the National hobby is tease-the-Germans –
Watch out because they have the Rijn/Rhein/Rhine/Waal before it gets to you – who knows what they might pollute it with next

Huub – there are no whales in Wales either (lots of sheep though and your threads seem to show an interest in goats at the moment).

Anyway thanks again for your tips.
We’d be looking for preferably a small cottage or even a guest house similar to those wonderful ones in Austria (remember Zell Huub??)
Whatever our accommodation, we would prefer somewhere that we could put our bikes dry and secure each evening (I’d hate us to have 2500 Euros worth of bikes stolen).
And also somewhere where we could get a good meal at night.

I’ll have a good look at all these website links you’ve given me and start investigating in more detail.




_________________
Neil B

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Neil B on 2005-02-03 07:43 ]</font>

On 2005-02-03 07:29, Neil B wrote:
KoS – you live in the Gouda area? You mean I could come to your house and steal your kik drum samples??? I’ll buy you a pint for that, even if it only helps me to get some peace and quiet next time I upload a dance track!!!!! I promise not to steal your samples collection !!!!!!!

yes I live in the one and only city of cheese
But I probably have to move out of my current appartment by may, so I'm not sure whether I'll be staying in Gouda or moving to another city. But hey, Holland is small, so I'll probably be in the neighbourhood

On 2005-02-02 09:17, hubird wrote:
There IS no Waal, there's just the Rijn, Rhine, Rhino or even Rhinosaurus if you like, and it streams right in front of my window.

I see. We call it Ren

Neil,

Everyone here in Belgium knows how tight the Dutch are, but you can watch out for special promotions in the shops, like this, it will help keeping your expenses under control

at0m.

these days you'll often need a 'club card' of the supermarket to take profit from the 'reclame' offers.
I hate those cards, I still dont have one but it makes me paying for other consumers.
The idea however of being a member of a supermarket is terrible

possibly you pay even more WITH the customer card in the long term because a smart dude from marketing (who tracked all your activities transmitted by the plastic) picks the right moment to drag you in an originally unappreciated deal...

the reverse is also possible: they track that you buy lots of 'reclame' and your 'wealth' status gets adjusted in the database - no more friendly staff or extra service or whatever

and finally most specials are indeed special in the context to be manufactured at a lower level for exactly this purpose.

cheers, Tom

ps: for me it would be the ultimate bike challenge - flat and straight on as far as sight goes
wish you a nice trip, Neil