HOLLAND

[trickydicky]

hi,we are thinking of going to Holland,mainly to make use of our new tandem bike. We've visited Amsterdam and enkhuzen in the past but aren't really familiar with nice places to go or stay. Any recommendations greatly appreciated.we will stay on campsites but prefer aires. Do they have these in Holland ?

[Tracker]

If you are quick the Keukenhof gardens at Lisse are worth a visit - if you like flowers.

 

Aires do exist but are dew and far between, often very limited for numbers and rarely have a service point. Vicarious books do an Aires guide and Camperstop Europe is a very handy book. Visit their website for more details.

 

We found Dordrect an interesting old town (and it has a free Aire with service point by the waterbus stop next to the Noahs Ark tourist attraction).

 

Kinderdijk windmills might be worth a visit but they did not allow motorhomes to park when we went there last week so we didn't visit after all as it was too wet to walk!

 

Places like Harlem, Delft, Amsterdam, Gouda, Den Haag all have their merits but best do some research before going to isolate the things you prefer to see.

[ham]

Noordwijk is a modern coastal town with a rich history. The bustling heart of the famous Flower Bulb region with a fantastic 13 km long sand beach, a lively promenade and a quaint old village centre, rugged dunes, lush woods and colourful bulb flower fields. A hospitable seaside resort with excellent restaurants and events. It is the place to be for a fantastic holiday. The surrounding villages are, each in their own way, unique and worth visiting ghttp://www.campingdeduinpan.com/en/cycle Cycle routes galore even through the sand dunes some are paved .

Also Delft http://en.delftsehout.nl/ Beware if going to this site sat nav will try and take you under a low bridge don’t be fooled by the buses going under them, Near the exit off the ring road is a IKEA store use this exit

 

[tugga]

We have been to Delftsehout many times as the C&CC have a rally there every April. It is a very nice site with english speaking staff and owner, you can walk/cycle into Delft and partake of their Profitjes and larger (small round fluffy pancakes) and round the back you can get the delightful Kiddling (small pieces of fried fish - delicious). Think thats what the fish is called.

 

If you turn left out of site and then left again at T junction and follow road to right you will come to a restaurant that does fine lunches and has bike parking that should take a tandem.

 

Ikea used to do a breakfast for 1e, not sure if it still does but parking a tandem might be difficult, depending on how many other bikes are there.

 

Agree about the low bridge, but we managed to get under it when we had the Hymer, although an Italian man came in with his tall van covered in duct tape - so presume he didn't. He had an over cab bed

 

:-S :-S

[Brabander]

Just a minor point, the small fluffy pancakes are called poffertjes.

Try it with lemon juice or like most Dutch with stroop.

 

When visiting the Netherlands do not forget the East and South.

Like in the rest of the Netherlands there are obviously lots of dedicated cycle tracks (fietspaden) and even a roundabout for cycles in Eindhoven.

One area I would recommend for cycling is the Veluwe a nature reserve in Gelderland which has lots of cycle paths through rolling (at least rolling for Dutch standards) heathland and forests.

A few museums which are definitely worth visiting and which are relatively easy to access by motorhome are the war museum in Overloon (a Bridge to Far) and the Openluchtmuseum (Dutch heritage) in Arnhem.

 

As I am originally from the Dutch province of Noord Brabant I am biased and I should therefore mention de Efteling in Kaatsheuvel, especially if you have children. There are lots of camp sites in that area.

 

One final point do not just stick to the Dutch provinces of Holland (North and South) there is a lot more to see in the Netherlands.

[tugga]

Thanks Brabander, I can never spell them :-D

[Will86]

Cycling anywhere in the Netherlands is great, through forests nature parks etc, plenty of cycling maps available like our UK footpaths cycle paths are everywhere.

 

Why not park the van for a whole week and just cycle. So simple.

 

Will

[Caroline]

Been to the CC&C rally at Delft, it was a lovely area for cycling, there is a grid of national cycle paths that might be worth investigating, those fluffy pancake things are good to. there is a fair amount to do in the area as well, two weeks managed to cover most and even ventured on the train...!

[Wirehaired]

Yes indeed Noord Brabant is very nice,i have friends there in the village of Ravenstein,been visiting the Netherlands for years,i like to spend some time in Noordwijk ann Zee walking the dunes and beach,then visit my friends in Noord Brabant,also the area around Overloon is nice,also the area of Arnhem and Oosterbeek,was there in September last year for the 70th anniversary of Market Garden,i still have much of the Country to see.

[trickydicky]

Thank you everyone for your helpful replies.knew I could rely on you all.

[Guest peter]

Take plenty of Euro's with you, as Holland is currently very expensive compared to Germany.

[pieterv]

Hope you have a nice stay. Like Brabander I am a bit biased, also being Dutch (from Delft originally).

 

If you like lakes and sailing Friesland is also recommended. You can hire a dinghy for a day or longer and have a nice sail. The various lakes are connected so you can go quite far if you have the time. Some boats come with covers, and you can sleep in them.