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Family cycle tour in Holland

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j22jbl:
Yes, I should really follow up on the trip. In short it was great.

We used the bikes every day bar one, covering over 400 miles in the 14 days. I know the destination wont score any points if you get kicks out of big climbs and fast descents but that was not the point of the holiday. We camped at a site near Rijnsburg, not far from The Hague. Great location allowing days out to Den Haag (of course), various seaside resorts, Leiden, Haarlem, Leiden, Delft and just short of Amsterdam.

The cycle routes are a mixed bag of purpose built paths, and tracks that provide safe and secure ridding out of traffics harm. Routes are easy to plan and even easier to follow, simply cycling by numbers from one point to another. Whilst flat, the landscape was in most places very pretty, allowing scenic picnic stops overlooking picturesque canal sides, and small towns and villages all of which were clean, and friendly. Naturally, everywhere we went cyclists were very well catered for and we were never far from a bike shop should an emergency repair have been required!

Whilst the Dutch don't have the reputation for food, in the same way as the French or Spanish for example, they do enjoy their food and the variety available at the supermarkets was what we are used to in the UK. Typically however we would call into one of the many delicatesants to buy selections of cheese (buy the old Dutch cheese if you like mature), bread and dried sausages to eat for lunch. It tasted really good in the fresh air followed by a cake!  We tended to eat back at the van in the evening, but there was a really good choice of restaurants to eat at in the towns.

My RST performed really well, towing my six year old along on his tag along. The holiday was so good that within a few weeks of returning home we had booked to return in April this year. Should be the best time to see the world famous flowers. This time however, we are leaving the car at Harwich, and taking the overnight ferry to the Hook. We are then youth hosteling for a week, winding our way up to the north of Amsterdam, before heading back south for the return ferry home. We are booked to stay in StayOkay hostels, and cant wait! I guess we will eat more old cheese for lunch, but look forward to eating out in the evenings for a change.

I am however wondering if I should take the tag along or buy an Islabike for the now, 7 year old. May make a decision this week to pick one up, and then do some training over the next few weeks before making a final decision as to what to take.

If anyone is planning a trip to Holland and would appreciate a little more detail and advice, please do not hesitate to contact me. Having had lots of cycle holidays before the kids, I have to say in summary that Holland is a very understated destination for the touring family with children.

Tfiets:
Next time (if cycling in the Netherlands or Belgium) you should also have a look at the site of 'Vrienden op de Fiets' http://www.vriendenopdefiets.nl.  Lots of families in both countries are that cyclist-minded they provide one or more rooms with breakfast to cyclists.
 

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