Ride your bike on the loveliest and quietest roads and bike tracks a cyclist could possibly hope for. The historical landscape around the former Zuiderzee, the many old fishing and trading towns on its shores all have a story to tell. The diverse and attractive scenery on this tour will never cease to surprise and delight you. As on all our carefree cycle tours, we provide luggage transfer and excellent accommodation.
Start:
Every day from April 1st – October 1st
Starting point on the route: Harderwijk (negotiable)
Route Information:
Number of days: 6
Number of nights: 5
Number of cycling days: 4
Total distance: 193 km
Average distance per day: 46 km
Shortest distance on one day: 18 km
Longest distance on one day: 60 km
Day 1: Arrival in Harderwijk
Harderwijk can be reached by train from Amsterdam Airport in approximately one hour and twenty minutes. Free parking at the hotel.
Day 2: Harderwijk – Zwartsluis
You will cycle north of Veluwe Forest, with the Randmeren Lakes on your left, to the lovely Hansa town of Kampen. It has one of the best preserved town centres in the Netherlands. Check out the town Gates on the River IJssel side of town. Continue atop the old Kamperzeedijken (Kampen sea dikes) to the water sports town of Zwartsluis where you will spend the night.
Day 3: Zwartsluis – Oudemirdum
In Weerribben-Wieden National Park, water and reeds dominate the landscape. It is said to be the most valuable marshland of North Western Europe.. In summer, pleasure craft call in at the bustling town of Lemmer. The Wouda steam driven pumping station near Lemmer is the largest of its kind in the world. It has been operational since 1920 and is a World Heritage Site. Through undulating and woody Gaasterland you will cycle to Oudemirdum.
Day 4: Oudemirdum – Enkhuizen
You have now entered Friesland province. At the pretty Hansa town of Stavoren you’ll catch the ferry to Enkhuizen. It’s a trip of 1 ½ hours, crossing Lake IJsselmeer. The lake was created in 1932 when a closure dam was put in place to cut off the Zuiderzee from the North Sea. This was necessary to stop the sea from flooding towns on the Zuiderzee. Once the dam was in place, the sea had become a lake. On the other side of the lake, you will find yourself in North Holland province, in a region confusingly called West-Friesland. Enkhuizen is home to the excellent Zuiderzee Museum where you will be able to visit a recreated Zuiderzee village of old.
Day 5: Enkhuizen – Harderwijk
Today, you cross Lake IJsselmeer atop a 32 km dike from Enkhuizen to Lelystad, where you can visit a really interesting exhibition on how the Flevopolder came to be. From Lelystad, you cycle through the woods and farmland of Flevoland back to Harderwijk.
Day 6: Return Home
After breakfast in your hotel, you will return home.
Included are:
5 nights’ accommodation in or hotels Breakfast (buffet)
Luggage transport to your next hotel
Detailed route descriptions and maps
Tourist information on all the places of interest
Saddlebags for carrying things you need on the road
Seven days a week service-hotline
The possibility of renting our bikes and trailers (at extra cost)
We adapt the bike to suit your wishes
Not included:
The ticket for the ferry Stavoren-Enkhuizen
