Hoenderloo to Nijmegen: Liberation Day

May 5, 2012

WEATHER: cool and cloudy, rain

After another good breakfast at the hotel we left Hoenderloo for our last day of serious riding. We started on a bike path and then joined the road which bordered the west edge of the fenced park all the way to Otterloo, one of the three entrance gates. We didn't realize that today, May 5, is Liberation Day in the Netherlands, a holiday to celebrate the end of the occupation by Nazi troops in WWII. This is 'Bridge Too Far' country, where Nazi troops slaughtered allied soldiers and Dutch civilians in the botched 1944 Market Garden operation, masterminded by the British General Montgomery.

(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Market_Garden)

We encountered our first Liberation Day parade on the way to Otterloo--a convoy of WWII jeeps with veterans inside, led by a young runner with a torch, heading in the direction of Apeldoorn.

At Otterloo we turned south along the west side of Hoge Veluwe park, and found ourselves on a bike path next to a road which was entirely closed for repaving. This meant no car traffic at all for ten kilometres, very nice and quiet with occasional glimpses into the park on the other side of the fence. We then left the park behind and turned more southwest on bike paths with some uphill stretches, making our way towards the Rhine.

Along part of our route we got occasional glimpses of the heathlands in the park -- fairly bleak and monochromatic.

We stopped in Wolfheze at the Pannenkoekenhuis De Tijd (the Time) for a our final pannenkoekens of the trip. While we were there a group of cyclists decked out in company lycra uniforms parked their racing bikes and came inside for lunch. These company rides seem to be a common occurrence on weekends. After lunch we continued gradually (and surprisingly) uphill to the junction with the N225. We just got across the highway before traffic was stopped for a long Liberation Day procession consisting of veterans riding in old black taxi cabs sporting British and Dutch flags, escorted by motorcycle police with flashing lights. Cars were stopped for kilometres along the highway, with drivers outside applauding as the convoy went by. Fortunately, our progress along the bike path was not impeded. There's no telling what perspective the spectators might have had about the long-ago debacle of Operation Market Garden and the tens of thousands of deaths that resulted, but it seems like here in the Netherlands people certainly haven't forgotten WWII.

Turning off the highway onto a small road, we had a nice downhill run to the Nederrijn river and the small passenger/bicycle ferry that took us across, with a view of the canal and large locks to the west. On the south side of the river we passed neat espaliered fruit trees and lots more pastureland, and then entered a long stretch of uninspiring light industrial outskirts to the north of Nijmegen. At this point it started to rain quite hard, and the last ten kilometres were not pleasant as we made our way to the high bridge across the Waal river and into Nijmegen.

Sheep grazing on an island in the middle of the river where the ferry crossed.

The south side ferry landing, with a view of the heights of what we came to call the "Dutch Alps" in the background. The low hills here are terminal glacial moraine material that the branches of the Rhine cut through on their way to the North Sea.

We were quite damp when we arrived at our B&B, Acanthus, a nicely restored old house in a quiet neighbourhood. We were warmly greeted by our host, Toine, who whisked our bikes away into the basement and showed us to our bright upstairs room. We had a good dinner that night in a small restaurant recommended by Toine, only a few blocks from the B&B.

The waterfront in Nijmegen under thoroughly grey skies.

Today's ride: 52 km (32 miles)
Total: 671 km (417 miles)

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