Decided last year to give the Netherlands a go with caravan, largely stayed in the S West and south of Amsterdam. Really enjoyed it, found some great sites with fabulous facilities, but one thing stood out most, Without a bike we were out of things. Not having ridden a bike for 50 yrs, we were a bit daunted, but thought maybe electric bikes would do the trick. We decided folding to fit in the back of the 4x4 was our preferred, so we bought a couple of Batribike Breezes. We gave them a run out in June round Biarritz and the Charente, with success but the main purpose was our recent trip to North Netherlands, and Freyslan.
The area is charming, small towns and villages riddled with canals and dikes, ideal for bikes to go anywhere on the narrow streets, over the tiny bridges where cars are banned. the bikes got us into town from the campsites and to the supermarts, without forking out for car parking every time. The perfect way to see these beautiful villages. The area round Freyslan as with much of Holland is criss crossed with dikes, but there are any number of signed cycleways which take you as far as you want to go, and of course it is flat except for the bridges.
We were based around Dokkum, a lovely town, but also tried a few sites elsewhere. In general sites were well maintained, well managed, toilets were spectacularly well presented. Cycling in the Netherlands is a complete new experience. Why is it so simple and trouble free compared to UK? Probably because almost everyone is a cyclist and a motorist so there is complete understanding of both modes of travel. In fact driving you have to have eyes in the back of your head because often the cyclist has precedence. we happend to catch a video of Chris Boardman talking about the development of cycling in Utrecht over the last 50 years, very interesting.
The e bikes performed great, gave us 20 mile round trips easy,and we even got to switch the motors off periodically once we got the confidence, but it is nice to know you can press a button for a bit of help when you need it.
So anyone looking for something a bit different, we would commend the area, we also enjoyed the area round Den Helder. All the sites we encountered, and that was through ACSI at around €16 per night were superb. The people are charming, tend to speak English if asked, and the food was good to great, esp the smoked eel or herrings.
Don't forget to leave a review of the French and other European campsites you have visited!
This all sounds bloody marvellous, Froggers, and is something we are considering... just not sure when, as we still have a heck of a lot of France to explore yet!
However, after reading the title to this thread, imagine my disappointment... dismay, even... when all I saw was the written word!
Totally agree, Tho it still feels strange to have buses and lorries giving way to my family in the middle of roundabouts and at every junction!Going to Netherlands on Sunday.............
I am being bullied to consider the Brompton electric bikes for next year..we are starting to find that previously flat routes now have inclines and headwinds.
They are lighter and fold smaller than other bikes, and ,I am told, are prettier.
Quote: Originally posted by Mucker1884 on 08/10/2015This all sounds bloody marvellous, Froggers, and is something we are considering... just not sure when, as we still have a heck of a lot of France to explore yet!
However, after reading the title to this thread, imagine my disappointment... dismay, even... when all I saw was the written word!
Would love to illustrate, if only I knew how. But any picture of "Holland" with windmills will do, cos that's what it is like. BTW the Boardman video is here
Quote: Originally posted by Frogman14 on 09/10/2015
Quote: Originally posted by Mucker1884 on 08/10/2015This all sounds bloody marvellous, Froggers, and is something we are considering... just not sure when, as we still have a heck of a lot of France to explore yet!However, after reading the title to this thread, imagine my disappointment... dismay, even... when all I saw was the written word!
Would love to illustrate, if only I knew how. But any picture of "Holland" with windmills will do, cos that's what it is like. BTW the Boardman video is here
I get the impression, from various sources, as well as a little personal experience, that The Dutch are amongst the more polite and welcoming of our neighbours, the country is beautiful, the food is edible, and of course, the cycling physically undemanding.
Our next, but rather considerable, consideration however, has to be that should we go, it will almost certainly be in September... and I have a horrible feeling that their weather is "no better than ours"!
Definitely looking like Southern France next September for us... but for how much longer we can keep avoiding The Netherlands, is a poser which seems to be getting harder and harder to dismiss!
Amazing family weekend with old steam engines, classic car displays, market stalls, and full catering and bar. And camping on site - Save £25 by booking in advance.
Topic: Netherlands with e bikes
