Bakkum - Vogelenzang - To France the Long Way 2009

July 18, 2009

Bakkum - Vogelenzang

For several days now Janos has been sleeping - or not sleeping - on hard ground. His Thermarest has developed a leak which he hasn't been able to find and therefore cannot patch. During the night it rained and in the morning the sky is a dark grey, as is the mood in the tent.

Again we look for motivation to continue. I suggest we take the train to - ??? Anywhere where it isn't raining and the wind not so arduous. Janos doesn't like doing things halfway - either we continue or go home. First we check the weather forecast using the camping's Internet. Wind and rain are predicted for the coming days in The Netherlands.

But first things first - Janos needs a new Thermarest. We google a sports shop selling Thermarests in the next larger town, Beverwijk. What would we do without Internet? We can't change the weather, but at least we can solve this problem. We feel cheered at our small success and don't ask ourselves why Janos needs a new Thermarest if we are going home.

Despite the weather we are enthusiastic as we ride on the bike path through the beautiful landscape of the North Holland Dune Reserve. We see small herds of Scottish Highland cattle, sheep, water birds.

Spots of sun and a cold wind as we ride through the beautiful Dune Reserve

Grazing sheep help maintain the ecological balance in the dunes.

Scottish Highland cattle in the North Holland Dune Reserve: Grazing management helps maintain dune grasslands and avoid further invasion by scrub.

Once in Beverwijk, we have no difficutly finding the sports store and it doesn't take long before Janos is again equipped for - and looking forward to - many more comfortable nights in the tent. The trip continues!

The weather is again stormy as we wait for the ferry in Beverwijk to cross the canal leading from the Ijmeer. We then proceed south on inland roads, with less wind, to the pleasant town of Bloemendaal. Near Zandvoort, the promise of magnificent views of dunes, beach and sea lures us back to the coast. But the closer we get, the heftier the wind.

We are about to cross the North Sea Canal at Beverwijk: A man-made channel whichs enables seafaring vessels to reach the port of Amsterdam. The drainage of the canal to the North Sea is done through the locks at IJmuiden, augmented by the largest pumping station in Europe. This system is vital to the groundwater management of the western Netherlands.

We have temporary protection from the downpour on the ferry crossing.

For Zandvoort it is the wrong time and I don't know if it would ever be the right place - aside from the outrageous wind, the DTM Championship races are being held this week-end. DTM didn't ring a bell with me, but I now know that DTM stands for "Deutsche Tourenwagen-Meisterschaft" (German Touring Car Championship), one of Europe's largest sporting events.

Hardly anyone has ventured onto the beach in the wind.

The very young, and I believe inexperienced, woman working at the tourist information office informs us due to the many DTM fans, the camping grounds are full and there are no rooms to be had. With some insistence from us and assistance from her co-workers she manages to find the address of a campground ten kilometers from Zandvoort. With the wind at our backs, we head back inland to the campgrounds in Vogelenzang, doing some shopping for an evening meal on the way.

The sky is clear when we go to bed, but I suspect it will again rain at night and I am sure tomorrow will be windy.

We have escaped the wind and the sun comes out for a relaxed evening.

Today's ride: 54 km (34 miles)
Total: 1,770 km (1,099 miles)

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