Cycling in the Netherlands and Belgium – Day 4

Making my way from Haarlem out to the coast and then south to The Hague through some of the iconic dunes cycle ways. Just when I thought the cycling couldn’t get any better!

Links to previous days here:
Day 1 – https://youtu.be/R59C5cG2PDw?si=lEOK8qZ7FrQsrXPr
Day 2 – https://youtu.be/gPnsYERe6eQ?si=ZCgLWX1cklSm-HC2
Day 3 – https://youtu.be/NkBWkh4e0uI?si=Ek1IQeKA89IeuqKc

As usual please forgive the wayward pronunciations and repeatedly saying Holland when I mean the Netherlands!

Thanks as ever for watching and happy cycling!

Oh man, I’m absolutely ruined. How on earth am I going to go back to the potholes, the close passes, the aggro, the wear a bloody helmet brigade. How am I going to give all this up in two days time and uh go back to my Manchester commutes? Good morning. Welcome to day four and uh just about to check out of the hotel while I’ve got a mountain of stuff to pack pack up before we do. But uh yeah, I just finished breakfast and um we’re in a little city, well yeah, it is a little city actually of Harlem and uh we’re going to head out west towards coast this morning. Um and then turn south down through uh Nordvvic and Katvik I think it’s called uh down towards uh Denhog or the Hague. So yeah, really looking forward to uh this section of the tour. It’s another scorcher. Uh you can probably see, excuse the mountain of crap that I need to uh pack up. Uh you can probably see the piercing blue sky. It’s going to be another scorcher today. So yeah, plenty of uh sunscreen and uh I think the long baggy shirt’s going to come back out for just a little bit of protection on the arms. Um, but yeah, get packed up and uh looking forward to another day cycling in this absolutely amazing cycling paradise called Holland. Catch you in a second. We got time, honey, to make this whatever we want. See the days running, stretching out just for us. M fill them all with our dreams. Miles gone a pretty thing. The prettiest of all is your heart. Hold my breath, pinch my skin. Can’t believe we’re living in where I want to be where you are. In our lives, there may be things that try to come between me and you. M. But I know we’ll make it through. Cuz they can take away my love. Okay, I don’t think we’re too far from the coast now. And just picked up another another little uh forestry cycle way. It’s beautiful as usual. And also just past the sign for wild roosters, so I’ll be on the lookout, but it’s probably a bit too late in the day for them. picking up quite a fresh breeze which is usually a sign that you’re getting near the coast and it’s getting a little bit a little bit I and then we’re in Holland a little bit more sort of undulating and sandy so yeah shouldn’t be too long before we see our first glimpse of the sea. Are we there yet? Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat up here. Heat. Heat. Okay, folks. We’re about 3 milesi from the Hague according to uh Google Maps. And I got to say that’s probably one of the most pleasant rides I’ve ever done on a bike. Really, really nice. And I’ll have to try and edit the video so I don’t just bore you to death with endless pictures of sandunes and lovely cycling infrastructure. But yeah, that was a really special ride. And uh I’ll bring you back when we get into the city. Well, there’s a bit of a police presence. Not as much as I thought there would be with the UN summit next week. Um, there’s kind of stacks of barricades every now and again. So, I think roads will get blocked off and people are going to get funneled around the city next week when all the big wigs are here. But, just little old me rolling into town at the moment. Here’s where we are. Well, first impressions, it’s pretty grand and uh it’s definitely got a bit more of a time is money vibe certainly than um Anwerp and uh Harlem I don’t know too much about this place actually. I mean, I probably knew about the Hague long before I’d realized that it was a city in Holland. Uh it’s obviously home of the international battle as those of us in the education world will will know. Beyond that, I’m a bit clueless, but we’ll find out. I think my hotel is just down here. Ah, here it is. Last but not least, the good old Holiday Inn. Let’s hope they’ve got somewhere to store the bike. Okay, all checked in. And this is the fourth and final hotel. And uh we’ve lost the orange theme from yesterday. picked up the uh the stripey blue holiday in theme. Sweaty cyclist in the mirror. And um yeah, two things about this room that I like immediately. One is it’s really quiet, not a beep. And the other is it’s nice and cool. So much cooler than the um the hotel yesterday, last night. So yeah, another great day. Um, I’m just going to cool down, maybe have a a drink, might have a cup of tea, even though it’s like 31° outside. Uh, typical British man. Can’t believe it’s the last day tomorrow. And, um, a little bit more coastal riding, I think, down towards Hook of Holland. Uh, which I suppose is the starting point or the end point, depending on which way you do it for Urella 15. So, I’m guessing I’ll see quite a lot of cyclists again tomorrow. And uh if it’s anything like today, it’s just going to be another amazing day. I really enjoyed that ride today. Um I think Holland’s just put on a real show and a real treat in terms of the weather and the infrastructure and some of those little forestry and and and coastal sections were just out of this world. Um really really impressed with with this country. It’s it’s beautiful. I mean it’s it’s flat, but um the cycling is is amazing. Anyway, enough blathering. Uh, cool down and then we’ll we’ll pop out and have a look at this new city for me. The Hag Dan Hark or however you pronounce it in Dutch. Right, stop lathering, Martin. Catch you in a bit. Heat.