Team Davies on their own bikes exploring Belgium and Holland.

3 Generations of Davies let loose! An upgrade to bigger bikes, the follow me tandem no longer an option so we decided to trial our new set ups on the perfect bike paths of Holland and Belgium. A short ferry from Dover to Dunkirk. We were soon on our way and with blue skies and tail winds we decided to head up the coast towards Zeeland.

Super smooth and easy bike paths with …

perfect picnic spots. It felt good to be back on our bikes.

Luckily for now the wind was going our way!

A couple of Surly’s, an Isla, a Thorn, an Argos and a pile of pannier bags! On average we cycled 30 to 40 miles a day which worked well.

We hadn’t booked any campsites as we didn’t really know where we would be each night, nearly everywhere was full when we arrived but helpful owners always managed to find us a spot and on a couple of occasions didn’t even charge us! We had planned to use warm showers (A cycling versions of couch surfing) on this trip but unfortunately of the 8 requests we sent we only had two replies and both were unavailable to host us. Which was a shame as without any real route planned we were hoping for some local cycle knowledge. Luckily with the extensive cycle network across Holland and Belgium we found lovely routes …

and cycling all day means you are happy to sleep well anywhere!

The coastal route took us along a section that featured on the 2nd stage of the 2015 Tour de France and a photo opportunity …

I think they both deserved first place!

Up early and peaceful morning rides along the coast …

finishing with beach gymnastics …

sunsets and …

finding treasures.

This one definitely won the comedy prize!

The skies stayed blue and …

fueled by delicious Appelkruimelrondo …

and plenty of chocolate milk …

we headed inland to make our way into Belgium.

Zierikee, Holland. I was a little nervous about how Pippi would be cycling through busy towns on the opposite side of the road without the help of the follow me tandem but with plenty of cycle paths and a little help from google maps it all went well!

Mia always happy to be cycling towards a town if it means a chance for shopping!

Photo credit Pippi Willow!

Our first grey day and a ferry ride on a lovely old fishing boat from Zujpe to Sluis, a very choppy windy crossing but thankfully only short.

Gamps and Pips. Wet weather gear on! Luckily the sun was out again by the time we put up the tents.

Even after cycling all day still plenty of energy for go kart races!

..and trampolining!

The roadside animals as always a highlight.

Farmyard friends!

Bergen op Zoom. Holland. Our last stop before crossing the border to Belgium and onto…

beautiful Antwerp, and the best thing about cycle touring…

..local delicacies. You can’t go wrong with Belgium waffles and ice cream!

Saint Charles Borromoe Church, Antwerp. We had arrived in the middle of Antwerp Pride so there was a lovely buzz in the town and on the night of the churches which meant all the churches were open until 11pm and free to visit.

Nello and Patrasche. by Batist Vermeulen.

There is an excellent water taxi that takes you right to the centre of Antwerp from just by the campsite.

A very well signposted Fietsostrada F4 takes you along an old railway from Antwerp and we soon found ourselves in Ghent.

Ghent is really lovely with its big imposing churches but then narrow medieval streets, perfect for getting lost in although in 35c a lot of the time was spent looking for shade and ice creams . Luckily next to the camping in Ghent there is a huge swimming lake and although we had to share it with most of Belgium it was a perfect place to keep cool!

Back on the bikes and along the canal towards Bruges. The girls carried their own sleeping mats and bags, Mia took her own clothes and books, Pippi a bag of games and teddies!

The joys of cycle paths!

The way to Bruges.

Perfect Camping Memling in Bruges. Here we decided to take a couple of day to explore, in the day we found the town very busy so spent time wandering in the woods by the campsite.

Unfortunately no good swimming spots but plenty of..

climbing practice in the exercise park!

Little monkeys!

They even managed to find the tree they had carved their names in 6 years before.

Mia Molly and Pip Willow .

Although very busy in the day an absolute delight to visit in the evenings and cycle around the canals.

The peaceful Bruges Beguinage. A convent founded in 1245 and still inhabited today.

With beautiful buildings at every turn….

.. lots of windmills..

and of course plenty of places so sample wonderful Belgium beers!

We had a lovely couple of days here.

Homeward bound, heading back towards the coast.

The essentials for a nine year old’s cycle touring handlebars! A full snack bag, ( containing sea shells as well as snacks) a bell and an extra loud horn, light for evening rides, speedometer to help set a pace and any feathers/grasses you might find on the way!

Back to Dunkirk. Sad to be heading home but happy to have started a new chapter and know this is hopefully just the start of many more cycle adventures together.

These two cycled just over 350 miles in ten days. It was great to see them enjoy something that we love doing so much and especially with them.

Time to start planning the next trip!!

Holidays!

Off down the Rhine

Holland

Time has ticked by and apart from cycling to school and work the bikes have stayed in the shed so it was definitely time to dust off the pannier bags, oil the chains and set off for a summer adventure on two wheels. So bags loaded we headed to Harwich to catch a night ferry over to the Hook of Holland. Luckily this time we made it without any drama involving bikes and overhead barriers! We parked at the Harwich Premier Inn, where you can leave a donation for Great Ormond Street Hospital and park your car for as long as you need, perfect for cyclists catching the ferry to Holland.

Team Davies!

A smooth crossing and we were on the impressive cycle network leaving the port and headed for Rotterdam with a lovely tail wind.

Storm clouds over Rotterdam but luckily it didn’t come to much! A great city to wander around with an amazing array of architecture and a huge market for lunch supplies.

Out of the city and we were soon on paths of how we imagined the Dutch landscape would be! The Unesco World Heritage of Kinderdijk where 19 historical windmills line the edges of the waterways although busy it is a pleasure to cycle along.

Holland has an incredible system of cycle paths and armed with a Fietser guide we went easily from one number to the next like a giant treasure map it goes across the country. We started off on the EuroVelo 15 Rhine Route but found ourselves branching off onto the Maas Route towards Nijmegen.

The first of many ferries back and forth across the river. This one took us a across to Dordrecht where we headed on to the Biesbosch National Park

Biesbosch National Park, 7100 hectares, Europe’s largest freshwater tidal zone, a mass of wild flowers on either side of the path, home to scores of birds, beavers, deer and voles. (although unfortunately we didn’t spot any of the beavers.)

Perfect camp site by fields of wild ammi…

and evening bird watching.

Biesbosch National Park.

Up early and back on the the trails, the only complaint was sore hands so we promised to look for gloves in the next town. Luckily a Decathlon solved the problem.

Woudrichem. Here there were so many options of routes to take and different points to cross the river. We had just decided which way to go and then were told that might not be the best way as the dykes might be flooded!

So with some local advice we headed across the river and on towards Tiel.

A slightly longer day than we had planned, in the end we covered just over 45 miles.

Plenty of roadside friends to keep everyone happy!

We were amazed by how many homes had animals in their gardens, beautiful kept gardens with a section reserved for a couple of goats or sheep and the occasional cow! Even if the centres of towns, parks had a space for goats, deer, horses and cows.

Cycling along the river was easy going and we even managed to find a few spots to cool off.

Although it can be tricky to cycle when you have been turned into a mermaid!!

Nijmegen. We had reached the border with Germany. Originally we had a vague plan of heading down the Rhine, seeing how far we would get then catching the train back. However we were all enjoying the cycling and decided against the train option so..

..after a lunch stop in the German town of Kleve (the birth place of Anne of Cleves) a cuddle with a friendly cat we headed back into Holland.

Happy to be back on the now familiar Fietsers route and with signs like this at the next campsite we were happy with our new plan.

Hiker biker site just outside of Pannerden.

A misty, dewy start to the day and …

an unexpected sight on the trail!!

Having left the river we decided to head towards the centre of Holland and cycle through the beautiful Hoge Veluwe National Park.

A huge 5500 hectares of unspoilt marshland, heathlands, ancient pine, oak and beech woods with open drift sand dunes.

Hoge Veluwe National Park.

Snack time.

The national park is also the home of the Kröller -Müller Museum which houses Helene Kröller-Müller’s impressive collection of art, including works by Picasso, Renoir, Sisley, Monet and the world’s second largest collection of Van Gogh. Mia was amazed that she was standing in front of the real paintings!

In the grounds of the Museum is an incredible sculpture garden with over 160 pieces including work by Jean Dubuffet, Moore and Rodin.

Jardin d’émail by Jean Dubuffet

Kröller-Müller Scuplture garden.

In places, the garden is beautifully untamed and sculptures hidden amongst the fauna.

Leaving the National park we were back along side the river. This time the IJssel a large distributary of the Rhine which took us through the pretty towns of Deventer, Zwolle and Kampen.

With plenty of chances for Ice creams….

and a few beers.

Deventer.

and plenty of choccomilk we headed towards Amsterdam.

We camped every night trying to find the small campsites for walkers and cyclists. This was a perfect one in the pretty village of Zalk.

After cycling entertainment..

An extra bonus if the camping came with a park….

or even a trampoline. So much energy this was taken after a 50 mile day!

Just over 300 miles we arrived in Amsterdam!

We had a lovely couple of days here, wandering the streets of the Western Canals and Jordaan…

…getting trapped in a water fountain…

..finding the best chips in Holland …

..visting the powerful and moving Anne Frank Museum and the wonderful Rijksmuseum. Surely the only museum to have a cycle lane running through the middle of it!

The Battle of Waterloo Jan Willem Pieneman.

The Rijksmuseum library.

Amsterdam. A super bike friendly city with around 400km of cycle lanes the bike is king, although we were pleased to be able to connect Pippi to the Follow Me Tandem especially during rush hour!

Out of the city and we were soon on the coastal route towards Den Haag. Lovely riding through the sand dunes and we even managed to spot some beautiful wild stags, which was surprising considering how much noise was being made, with singing, laughing and the new horn!

Freedom!

And a chance for a couple of evenings on the beach before heading back to the ferry.

Happy to be by the sea.

The Dutch beaches were far more beautiful than I had expected. Although developed in some places there are huge stretches of coastline and sand, so it’s easy to find a peaceful place especially as you come along the cycle paths.

A quick stop in the pretty town of Delft before cycling back to the Hook of Holland.

These two had cycled just over 450miles. We had no idea how they would far be able to go so had no expectations for the trip, it turned out to be a brilliant adventure!