Friday 26 June 2015

Done it! Beer and feet up time!!

Into Den Oever a day early and managed to blag an extra night at the Hostel cum B&B Het Huis van de Wadden. 

At breakfast Tina, the owner of the property asked if I had plans for a meal that evening and if not would I like to eat with the family!  They would eat about seven but give me a shout half an hour before. 

Breakfast was sufficient to see me through the day along with several mugs of coffee and tea.

A shout through the partition door and off I go to the main room.  Two newcomers had just arrived, a Dutch couple at the end of their first day of riding!  Places were quickly made at the table and a pleasant evening was had by all, finding out about the Waddenzee area, the Ijsselmeer and assorted travellers tales.

It transpired that the Dutch couple were retired GP's who had spent some time working in Australia and had cycled in Viet Nam and Cambodia.

Tina and son on the right, Henri her husband furthest away on left.

I joined the retired Doc's for breakfast before our mass exodus with them heading NE across the Ijsselmeer with a tail wind and me, SW, head wind, again!!  I was even beginning to wonder how I could justify getting an E bike!!

New cycle trails took me through places like t'Zand and  Hippolytushoef before getting onto the great tracks through the dunes.

The dune area is a nature reserve which meant no camping but late in the afternoon I rolled into Bergen aan Zee and spotted a "Zimmer Frei" sign.  "For two?"  "No just me (and a bike)"  "Ach!"  some head scratching went on.  "I will give you a room for two but you pay for one, your bike can stay for free!  Pushing my luck "Does that include breakfast?"  "Ja, I will give you breakfast".

A chilly looking North Sea at Bergen aan Zee.

Thursday 25th, breakfasted and lunch roll stowed away I was back on the dune trail again.  Nearing Wikki aan Zee I could see the cranes and chimneys of Ijmuiden, Amsterdam's ferry terminal and my finishing point.  Assorted emotions, pleased I'd done it; sorry it was over but happy to be going home.



Part of the dune path network.

The big fields of bulbs had all gone but these huge globe Aioli were on sale at a stall by the roadside.

From here it was into the industrial side of Ijmuiden and a traverse across the sluices into town.

Done It!!

It seemed a bit of an anti-climax but I was looking forward to a shower, a beer and a sleep!!

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