Welcome to Transeurotrek.com - 2nd Trek: Holland
Germany Munsterland to Brandenburg
France Aveyron to Haute Provence
FROM NORTH SEA TO ADRIATIC
Holland
FIRST SECTION - First Section – 25 November to 4 December 2006 Scheveningen in The Hague (Midden-Nederland) to Deventer (Overijssel) by E11 Marskramerpad – 211Km.
Huge beach at Scheveningen where the cold, grey North Sea was whipped up by a strong wind. The Marskramerpad will take us across Holland on the E11. This traditional merchants'route between the Ocean and the Steppes goes all the way to Russia and we shall follow it, under various local names, to Berlin. First we followed cycleways along minor traffic-free streets through The Hague, past large houses to old estates. Loads of cyclists mostly riding very large 'sit-up-and-beg' bikes. The Dutch are officially the tallest people in the world and they look it as they wizz quickly along the many cycleways on these bikes. Through a series of woods including the royal estate beyond Wassenaar with high security fences and cameras protecting the Royals - big farm buildings and watercourses. Through pretty Voorshoten with boats moored on the canal. Followed canals to Leiden - exceptionally lovely old university town. Terraced houses with big, curtainless windows, letting in lots of light, with quiet canals and streets - elegant - lots of boats, big, small and ocean-going. Left for open country along tops of huge dykes separating major waterways from farmland with deep drainage ditches - lots of herons, geese, swans and ducks. Many cyclists going from village to village. Plenty of cafes. Large lakes some with a sea outlet and with causeways between. Many windmills - large ones are now replaced with electric pumps but small ones still push the water through the drainage ditches. Big skies, wide vistas. Passed the huge Rijn Canal near Breukelen from where we followed smaller canals with ducks, geese, swans, kestrels, buzzards, hawks, storks and pelicans. Slowly the path rose from the below-sea-level polder and dykes to woods and sandy heathland with extensive forest and dunes. The shifting sands are being protected by cutting back the encroaching woods. Enjoyable, even inspiring, terrain in the western watery and heathland areas with fine bridges, cobbled streets, swing bridges and many birds. After Amersfoort it becomes less watery and less interesting - arable farms and flat. After Kootwijk improved in the dunes and lovely moorland where height of 80m felt elevated! Then woods all the way to Hoenderloo where sandy paths took us through forest in the wind and rain to Beekbergen. From here a canal walk took us to the broad River Ijssel which we followed to Deventer on a bleak grey day. Crossed by ferry into the town.
SECOND SECTION - 20 February to 28 February 2007 Deventer (Overijssel) to Oldenzaal (Germany-Munsterland) by E11 Marskramerpad & Handelsweg – 188Km (412Km).
Stayed on a comfortable and atmospheric barge B&B on the River Ijssel. Easy walking eastwards away from the river through small woods, fields and roads. Sandy soil with trees blown out of the ground. Farms with big fields and lots of cows and some heathland. Huge WW2 cemetery with 1200 Canadians killed in battle April 1945 near Holten. Few villages and quiet route. Followed River Regge through Rijssen past a working windmill. Woods became bigger and soil less sandy. Saw a kingfisher and hares. Crossed the Twente Canal with large barges on it. Rain for much of the week brought muddy tracks and nasty looking run-off from farms into waterways. Shetland ponies kept in fields with big horses - for company we think. Huge cattle barns. Pretty flat. Most towns have some nice architecture but awful modern town planning - neat, clean and featureless. Large number of sports facilities throughout the route. Very little graffiti. After Oldenzaal left Holland for Germany at a bleak empty point on a small river in flood and we negotiated our way through a neighbouring field.
DISTANCE IN HOLLAND – 340Km = 212 miles
