The starting point of the trekking bike route to Amsterdam is the lively university city of Groningen in the province of the same name, which borders East Frisia and Emsland to the east. From Groningen, the tour leads to the North Sea in the neighbouring province of Friesland (Fryslân) to the extremely pretty town of Dokkum. Small country roads or perfectly maintained cycle paths - often along the numerous canals - take you southwards through picturesque towns and villages to the Frisian lake district and finally along the coast of the IJsselmeer to the Afsluitdijk, which connects Friesland with the province of Noord-Holland over a length of 32 kilometres. The route continues partly along the coast to Alkmaar with its famous cheese market and from there to Amsterdam. There is not a single climb worth mentioning on the 400 kilometre route. Only the wind, which always blows here, can be a little annoying.
Best time to travel
May to September
Journey
By car:
If you are travelling from the north of Germany, take the A 28 motorway via Oldenburg and Leer and the A 7 motorway in the Netherlands towards Groningen. From the south, the best way to reach your destination is via the A 31 motorway (towards Emden). At Meppen, cross the border on the B 402, which becomes the A 37 motorway. At Hoogeveen, change to the A 28 towards Groningen. Or continue on the A 31 to Bunde and from there towards Groningen.
If you park your car in Groningen (preferably in a free car park on the outskirts), you can easily reach the starting point by train from Amsterdam. Journey time: approx. two hours. Price including bike transport: approx. 30 euros.
By train:
Take the regional train or the IC (reserve bike transport) via Oldenburg to Leer. From there, continue with Arriva to Groningen. Don't be put off by the fact that Deutsche Bahn offers a rather adventurous and lengthy connection via Zwolle or Enschede on its website: Contrary to the information provided by DB, it is indeed possible to buy a train ticket to Groningen in Leer that includes a bike. For travellers from the south of Germany or from the Ruhr area, on the other hand, the connections via Enschede or Zwolle are definitely a good option. (Information under www.bahn.de).
Excursion tips/sightseeing
Lively Groningen has been honoured several times as the best shopping city in the Netherlands.
In the small town of Pieterburen, orphaned howlers are nursed at the seal sanctuary, www.zeehondencreche.nl
In Leeuwarden you can visit the Friesmuseum www.friesmuseum.nl
The "Eerste Friese Schaatsmuseum" www.schaatsmuseum.nl in Hindeloopen presents the largest collection of ice skates in the world and provides information about the long tradition of Frisian skaters and the infamous "Elfstedentocht".
In Tacozijl near Lemmer on the Ijsselmeer, you can visit the Woudagemaal, the world's largest steam pumping station still in operation. This engineering marvel was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1998 www.woudagemaal.nl
The traditional cheese market is held in Alkmaar every Friday from Easter to September www.kaasmarkt.nl
Accommodation
Groningen: Hotel Schimmelpenninck Huys, Oosterstraat 53, 9711 NR Groningen, Tel.: +31 50 3189502, www.schimmelpenninckhuys.nl
Leeuwarden:
Hotel Paleis Stadhouderlijk Hof, Hofplein 29, 8911 HJ Leeuwarden, Tel: +31 58 2162180, http://www.hotelstadhouderlijkhof.nl/de/
Dokkum:
De Abdij van Dokkum, Markt 30 A, 9101 LS Dokkum, Tel: +310 519 220350, www.abdij.nl
Legemeer: Landhotel Legemeer, Legemeersterweg 1a, 8527 DS Legemeer, Tel: +31 513 432999
www.hampshire-hotels.com/de/landhotel-legemeer-hampshire-classic
Den Oever: Villa Nieuwland, Gemeenelandsweg 116, 1779 GD Den Oever, Tel: +31 620 397307, www.villanieuwland.nl
Alkmaar: B & B Het Kasteeltje, Gedempte Baansloot 12, 1811 DJ Alkmaar, Tel.: +31 72 5404096540 40 9
Amsterdam: Boutique Hotel View, Leidsekade 77, 1017 PM Amsterdam, Tel.: +31 20 5289668
www.boutiquehotelview.nl
Bed & Breakfast offers can be found under: www.bedandbreakfast.nlcampsites etc. under www.camping.info, www.vekabo.nl or www.natuurkampeerterreinen.nl/de
Food and drink
Traditional Dutch cuisine is not a revelation. At best, it can be called down-to-earth, but it is often quite bland. At best, funny names such as "Jan in de sak" for the Dutch version of napkin dumplings whet the appetite. However, plenty of effort is now being made to raise the standard. In the province of Friesland, for example, committed chefs have joined forces to form the "Fryslân Culinair" association. The numerous Asian restaurants are often recommended in multicultural Holland. You can also find delicious, simple fish dishes in snack bars and at weekly market stalls (kibbeling, lekkerbekjes, served with chips and peanut sauce!) The fantastic mild matjes "Hollandse Nieuwe" is only available from the end of May to the end of June. During the tour, you can savour a "Broodje" "met ham" or "met kaas", an "Appeltaart" or a "Pannekoeken". And if you're not afraid of any culinary derailment, you can grab a frikandel or a kroket from one of the "food vending machines". Really disgusting!
Trekking bike tip
Lauwersoog, the ferry harbour to the island of Schiermonnikoog, is anything but picturesque. But the fish at the Visser Vis fast food restaurant is sensational.
Visrestaurant Visser Vis
Haven 22
9976 VN Lauwersoog
Tel: +31 519 349101
www.visser-vis.nl
Bicycle service
In the land of cyclists, there is a bike shop in (almost) every small town. You can find out the address at the local tourist information centres (VVV).
Literature/Maps
Maps:
Michelin, Regional 531, Netherlands North, scale 1:200.00, 8.99 euros, www.ViaMichelin.com
Travel guide:
DuMont-Reise-Taschenbuch Niederlande, 17.99 euros, www.dumontreise.de (Only recommended to a limited extent because Friesland is rather neglected).
Michael-Müller-Verlag, Netherlands, 26.90 euros, www.michael-mueller-verlag.de
Information
Netherlands Bureau for Tourism & Convention (NBTC), P.O. Box 270580, 50511 Cologne, www.holland.com (telephone advice no longer possible since 2012).
The Visit Holland app can be downloaded free of charge for Android and Android smartphones.
The complete article was published in Trekkingbike issue 4/2015. You can read the entire issue in the Trekkingbike app (iTunes and Google Play) or order the issue in the DK shop.
You can download the individual articles as PDF files here.
