Feeling better (Mary Ellen that is) and on to the Dunes!

August 10, 2016

Forgot to mention in yesterday's post the other reason we stopped early. The most pressing reason was that Mary Ellen couldn't continue to ride as she was unwell. However, the other problem was that the route (St. Jacob's) kept leading us astray on the guidebook and GPS. At one point, we came out of the woods on the route to discover that we were on the side of a freeway. The guide and GPS showed that we should cross here and access a trail that was not there. As something similar happened in Belgium, we looked for a small opening to get through, but cement barriers and 8 lanes of traffic are not something a cyclist should tangle with. Then when we were attempting to head to Leiden, the GPS track and the guidebook were leading us in the wrong way again. The wonderful Dutch numbered signs gave us options of Leiden right and left and forward - too many options, so we gave up after having made a number of wrong turns.

We didn't have an area map as we thought that our guide would get us there. Anyway, with Mary Ellen not able to ride or function well as a navigator,and being lost more than we liked, we turned left and headed in to Zoetermeer. We had no idea what kind of a place it was, our only motivation was to find with the help of Google Maps a hotel that we found discounted on Booking.com

There was nothing wrong with Zoetermeer - but it was strange. Huge sections of high rise apartments, no commerce or community except in the centre, no historical buildings, few parks. In fact, there was no transition between country and city - suddenly there were high rises that stretched forever but it didn't feel like a city. We didn't find there was much of interest for a visitor - and we discovered that cycle tourists rarely venture here - but we did feel that it was probably a bedroom community for Rotterdam and Den Haag.

Bastion Hotel in Zoetermeer worked out well. It was by the freeway and McDonald's, but we liked having a kettle, frig and large tub in the bathroom. It gave us what we needed and the clerk gave us yogurt for Mary Ellen which was very thoughtful.

A good rest and having your own bathroom are good things when you are on the road.

Got away late as we took advantage of the hotel and rested in the morning. As we headed in to the centre of the city to find our way north, the rains began. Everyone is commenting what a tough summer it has been. We agree. Happily, we found an ANWB store which features great cycling maps. We found a set of LF maps for the Netherlands which will supplement our guide book, and hopefully help us if we have problems again.

The ride today was exceptional. We love being back in Holland with its extraordinary cycling infrastructure and numbered route system. With our new maps in hand, we simply followed the numbers to get us out of Zoetermeer and to the coast. Riding in a large unfamiliar city is not usually easy to do - but Holland always provides cycling lanes and routing that keeps you safe and allows you to enjoy the ride.

Beautiful riding in the countryside out of Zoetermeer.

We truly enjoy animals and interacting with them - and sometimes it really feels like you have made a connection.

Waterlilies along the side of the canal. Many ducks live along here and it was amusing to watch a young duck stepping atop the lily pads.

Stopped briefly in the quaint town centre of Wassenaar to have a break and find a bakery. An enjoyable village to visit.

What an amazing bakery! We bought a divine strawberry tart and a delicious apple, raisin, almonds square that was consumed so quickly by Barry that Mary Ellen was unable to document it with a photo.

We had intended to ride to a Nature Camp north of Noordwijk, but after encountering 2 local men riding outside of Wassenaar, they encouraged us to stop in Katwijl, at a campground by the dunes in their hometown. Peter rode with us so that we would find our way. They were just back from a 3 day cycling trip. We appreciated their hospitable gesture and kindness.

Peter kindly showed us the way to the campground. We enjoyed talking to him as we followed him to his village and the campground.

Now that ME is feeling better - Barry is not doing so well. So it is good (once again!) to stop early and rest.

We look forward to heading north along the LF1 tomorrow along the coast. The winds are cold and strong, but the scenery should make up for it.

Today's ride: 40 km (25 miles)
Total: 2,191 km (1,361 miles)

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