Dutch Waterways Cycle

Your cycling holiday begins in Delft, forever associated with its delicate blue and white pottery. The glory years of 1650 to 1750 saw some 100 ceramics factories operating here. Scenic canals adorn the Old Town and you'll feel you’ve gone back in time as you wander by age-old canal houses on cobblestone streets. It has such a relaxed charm. The painter Johannes Vermeer (1632-1675) lived in Delft all his life and the Vermeer Centre gives insights into his life, works and the city (no original paintings are on show). The lively main square with its Oude Kerk, where Vermeer is buried, and the Nieuwe Kerk, once the seat of the royal House of Orange, is a good place to people watch and enjoy the evening. Overnight in Delft.

After a hearty breakfast, the cycle route takes you into the Green Heart, riding through open countryside dotted with small villages. Soon you reach the delightful town of Gouda famous for its cheese market and home to one of the Netherlands’ most important exports, Gouda cheese. Other popular products manufactured here include Dutch waffles (since the 1840’s), candles (1853-1980), clay pipes (17th-18th century) and colourful Gouda pottery (1920s and 30s). The stained-glass windows at St John’s church are worth the visit. If you plan to visit the cheese market, arrange to stay in Gouda on a Wednesday night for early Thursday morning. As in the past, dairy farmers and merchants settle each sale with a handshake. Other local delicacies can be sampled and purchased at the market too. Overnight Gouda, or depending on availability at times in nearby Bodegraven and the cycle route will be adapted accordingly.

Don't forget to visit the Cheese Experience Museum before you leave Gouda. The rustic surroundings of today's route may look natural, but many aspects of this ‘cultural landscape’ were actually man-made. Centuries ago, dikes and windmills drained soggy marshes to create pastures and farmed fields. Peat harvesting dates back to the 13th century here, a process that left deep holes in the landscape which later filled with water and threatened to flood the area. Some were therefore drained and turned into polder land, lying well below sea level. Other holes were left as lakes, a modern-day summertime attraction. Today's route ends in the picturesque town of Leiden. The country’s first university was founded here in 1575 and later became one of the most prominent in Europe. Enjoy exploring the 1590 botanical garden and stretch your legs on an inner-city canal tour.

After pedalling out of Leiden, peace and quiet will reign as you cycle through typical Dutch scenery. Note all the orderly rectangles in this man-made polder landscape (mostly peatland reclamations). Pass by shining waterways and green pastures, old windmills and farmhouses on your way back to Delft.

The trip concludes in Delft after breakfast. We suggest visiting the Royal Delft museum and factory shop before departing town.