The ride out of Wijk Bij Duurstede was very easy being such a small town. I circumnavigated my moated castle one more time ... no marauding invaders, so rode on.
Today's ride would be a mixed feeling. The ride itself was very pleasant from a scenic beauty perspective. The drought here doesn't seem to have had the same impact as elsewhere so the greens seemed greener and the smells fresher. The ride generally overlooked farmlands with some incursions into villages. However, it wasn't until I reached the outskirts of Rotterdam (80 km) before I hit a dedicated bike path. Most of the ride would be along shared roads on dikes. Normally not too much of a challenge however with moderate traffic, your senses were always on alert. The concentration needed was quite draining.
The first 'attraction' I came to today was a huge lock in which I saw two large barges and a smaller vessel all being 'lowered' as they made their way downstream. This lock was an engineering marvel and had a second system running in parallel for narrower vessels. Later in the day, I was to see another lock system that actually had four different channels operating!
The farming land that I ride through has impressive farmhouses... often complexes containing several buildings, and often looking quite palatial. Indeed the farmland itself looks very healthy and productive. Many of the farms are running sheep and cattle, and while I don't see any, I can smell piggeries as well ... fortunately not too many! There are also some very large apple orchards. Some paddocks are fallow awaiting winter or spring crops to be planted.
I get nervous at one point! A black cat comes to the edge of the road and hesitates about crossing or not. I will it to turn back and not cross in front of me ... it turns back. It didn't really matter to me - I'm not superstitious ... I'm not! really! seriously! Where are my lucky socks?
I see so many displays of the Netherlands flag everywhere, particularly on the farmhouses or in their front yards ... even one on a chicken coop! I also see a few Union Jacks flying at half mast as an expression of condolences on the death of Queen Elizabeth II. Often the farms have food stalls out the front operating on an honour system. Many had melons or other vegetables and fruit, and some had jams. All looked very healthy!
Often near the towns, the land between the river and the dike is used as a town common. You can see worn pathways throughout, and people and their dogs out walking. A great use of the land for both humans and the local wildlife, and very useful when flooding does occur!
There are a lot of camping grounds throughout the area I'm riding through - also they seem to have more caravans than mobile homes, which is quite the opposite of most other countries I've ridden through on this trip. Still don't see many tents! I'll check the weather for tonight ... I might get another night of camping in!
Just before Streefkerk, I spot another windmill so I stop to take a photograph. A guy came out the door and I thought he was a guide looking for business ... however, while he was a volunteer who looked after I.T. for them, he was just using the office to do an online course. Peter invited me in for a coffee and told me a bit about the local area. The volunteers look after 39 local windmills with some still milling flour for artisan bakeries. I asked which of the upcoming towns he'd recommend my staying in for the evening ... "none", came his quick response, "nothing to see or do". So there put a stop to my plan to pull up before Rotterdam.
Just down the road, I come to Kinderdijk, famous for its windmills. The 19 windmills are a UNESCO World Heritage Site. They are impressive!
I arrive in Rotterdam and a quick look at hotel prices confirms that I won't be staying here. It wasn't really a preference anyway. I wouldn't be here long enough to tour around the city ... and it was just a city.
I'd done just over 80 km today ... I headed towards Hook of Holland, another 33 km away, while vigilantly looking out for accommodation of some sort. The ride out of Rotterdam was on either bike paths or well-separated cycle lanes ... with lots of twists and turns, and road crossings only to return to the other side within a few hundred metres. I pass no hotels!
With about 20 km to go to the end of my ride I had a whiff of salt air ... the North Sea! Suddenly I saw over a dozen wind turbines lining the waterway out the the sea. I was now within sight of the end of the Eurovo 15 route.
I made my destination for today, but not my final one. My objective was the source to sea. Tomorrow morning I head to the wall pier that extends out from the river mouth, and pour the water that I gathered from Lake Toma 24 days ago into the North Sea.
Thanks for reading.
I'm
doing this ride to raise funds for Blue Dragon Children's Foundation.
I'm self-supported so all donations go directly to Blue Dragon. If you
can give please do at ...
https://au-bluedragon.givecloud.co/fundraisers/pedalling-for-a-purpose.
Alternatively, go to Blue Dragon's website at bluedragon.org
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