Going to Groningen- (03/06)

With probably over 300km cycled we were very happy to have a day where more time was spent sightseeing than cycling. A brisk 40km under the sun bought us to the city of Groningen, the largest town of the North but definitely not what Brits would consider large. Our cycle route took us straight from the countryside into the central square with its town hall, tourist information and church all in immediate sight. 

It was really refreshing to see some youthful faces as the rural cycle routes were very much dominated by quick middle-aged professionals or meandering elderlies. Let’s just say I wasn’t at all surprised to hear that students make up around 25% of Groningen’s population! With the weather still warm we plucked up enough courage to take an evening dip in our campsites lake to top off a great day. Yet another stunning natural campsite to add to the list and not a stone's throw from a bustling city.   

Day #5- (02/06)

We’d been following LF10 since leaving Den Helder and it bought with it a noticeably greener scenery than that of our first few days. More and more wind turbines began to penetrate the increasingly flat horizons. The undulation of the coastal routes was certainly not missed! All along the Dutch western border were further opportunities to hop off to one of the Dutch islands but having already more than halved the suggested speed for completing the Ronde van Nederland we thought that 1 was enough this time.

Onward we skirted a beautifully enormous man-made lake, the Lauwersmeer, and enjoyed a free pedalo around the considerably smaller lake surrounding our secluded campsite later that day. With the setting sun came thoughts of our grandmother (our 'oma') who was born in the very province of Friesland. It's nice to know that we can now say we've been there... 

The Day of the Afsluitdijk- (01/06)

It’s no secret that the Dutch are proud of their water management and the Afsluitdijk, constructed between 1927 and 1933, is the jewel in their crown. With its completion the damming transformed the ‘Southern Sea’ into the fresh water lake of Ijsselmeer so with that on our right and the North Sea on our left we set off down it. The dyke/motorway is 32km long and it helpfully bought us from the province of North Holland to that of Friesland. It was certainly the toughest day of cycling with heavy winds and rain bringing us to frequent stand stills with little place to shelter. Once the dyke was behind us a hot chocolate in Harlingen proved enough to get our ragged selves the last 30km to our campsite. What a way to start the month.

- Due to weather conditions no photos of ours truly represented its outrageous length so here's a nice one from Wikipedia!