Day 50 - den Haag to Haamstede

Around den Haag there are lots of sand dunes and it is over these that you cycle towards the hook of Holland.

I think the signposts in Holland are a bit crap. It is very easy to get from a to b, but there is little information on the area. Germany had these great boards about what to see.

I suspect I took the dull way out of den Haag. At one point I tried to follow the dutch R1 but ended up going round a bus and tram stop so followed signs for the hook. It's a shame as I probably missed some dunes.

After an industrial bit following the hook and Rozenberg the scenery gets much nicer. First it goes into Brielle, a fabulous little village circled by a moat, and, of course, a stone church.

Then it start to hop between the islands going past dunes, endless beaches and a giant spit connecting two bits of land. Here there is a cycle path on the middle with the sea stretching endlessly either side and beaches lining the path.

The temperature hit 33 degrees today so stopping for a coke and an ice cream was unbelievable. I'd got through so much water that I was sick of it.

I decided to stop half way to Brugge in a town called Haamstede. The tourist information people directed me to a camp site, and it is good to save some money after Utrecht. I'm also getting some use out of this tent, which hasn't been slept in since the first night. It was definitely good security though.

The highlight of the day was probably the last bit on the way here. I took the long route following the R1 through the dunes, and some people looked shocked as I climbed a 10 per cent one. It was only a couple of hundred metres. It has made me have more respect for pros who do that for kilometres on end.

Day 49 - Den Haag rest day

Once again it was back down the beach to take advantage of the huge turn around in the weather.

The thermometer was hitting 30 and there wasn't a cloud in the sky all day. The tepid sea provided a welcome respite from the scorching sun.

I also set about repairing my bike on the beach, which now strikes me as a blunder as sand could get in the threads on nuts and bolts.

Frustratingly I need a spanner to fit the new spoke as it has to go in behind the gears. Ones pulling the other way would have been easy to replace.

A few days with a missing spoke won't cause any harm though, and the wheel is now a lot straighter after more work on it. I also tightened the brakes as they had needed to be opened to stop the buckled wheel rubbing.

This part of den Haag is brilliant. It is just completely relaxed, which is what I like about beach towns. I've seen so many town centres and churches that it was just good to be by the sea. There are things to explore and next time I go I'd like to visit the Escher museum.

Day 48 - Utrecht to Den Haag

Aside from one puncture and the broken pedals my bike has stood up to the 3000km of abuse well.

Leaving Utrecht it had its first problem to coincide with my wee hangover. One of the spokes on the back wheel had come out where it meets the centre of the wheel. Somehow the thick end which holds it in place had come off or worn away, so it required a replacement.

Luckily it happened right outside a bike shop, but being Sunday in Europe everything was closed.

When a spoke breaks it buckles the wheel, so my only hope was to straighten it and buy a new spoke another day. This was easy enough, but the wheel made me feel uneasy most of the day. I was continually looking, listening and feeling if anything was wrong.

The ride to den Haag was largely uneventful. There is a nice section along the canal to Woerden, which, like most dutch towns, has a huge brickwork church.

There is also a huge intersection just before the suburbs of the capital. It is would be nothing special, but being Holland it has a mini brother for bikes to negotiate the junction.

The Jorplace hostel I stayed in is near the beach so in the evening I went for a walk and a lie down. The sun was out and it was beginning to touch 30 degrees. The Schevingen district doesn't feel like the city with its chilled out beach atmosphere.

Day 47 - Utrecht rest day

My rest day turned out to be not so relaxing after finding out the hostel had no space for tonight.

An epic hunt through the rainy city took me to 4 b and bs - three of which were full and one nobody was in - a hotel and something Google said was a hostel. It had all the appearances with a table of half finished drinks, but nobody about. A neighbour later told me some Slovaks lived there.

Tourist information were nice and helpful, but after phoning round the hostels all they could hook me up with was a 70 euro a night place.

The after 4pm - afternoon is a bit redundant as there is little before it - was equally expensive but much more worthwhile.

I met a guy from the hostel, Ryan, and his mate, Paul, for some pool and beers, which continued into the night. They were cool people to hang out with, though I had promised not to have a beer till I got home. Oh well.

Utrecht is a nice city centred around the Dom church. I'm told it had an important role to play in the end of the Spanish inquisition so that is something to look up.

Now it is a student town and it has that laid back vibe.

Day 46 - Arnhem to Utrecht

There is no such thing as society.

Usually I'd completely disagree with that statement - despite some people believing I make Adam Smith look like a communist - but this trip has often been quite lonesome.

This is not to say I'm lonely, but more that my happiness has been mostly dependent on myself. Before Germany, when there was only one route, this was something I didn't think about.

Now, the Netherlands has brought about choice.

It was raining again, one of the external factors that can dampen the mood.

After making it to Rhenen following a ride along the river it began to get seriously wet. Unfortunately this was probably the nicest region as it entered a national park on the way to Utrecht.

This dilemma is what started me thinking about happiness and choice. As the mercury pushed 14 degrees I didn't want to take long winding routes, but equally didn't want to miss out on beautiful scenery.

I always feel a tinge of regret about something I may have missed.

In the end I decided on going straight along the main road to the picturesque town of Zeist. It is still through the woods, and it would be foolish to have regrets about what I missed.

Plus, I'd already got covered in sheep shit following the route earlier through a path used for grazing.

The point, I felt while riding, is that everything is your decision, no matter how simple. It can be rewarding, if a little lonely.

From Zeist it is a short ride into the centre of Utrecht.

Day 45 - Vreden to Arnhem

I'd been in Germany so long I'd forgotten how much of a pain it is changing country. Suddenly all the signs change and you end up on something called the Flamingo Route.

It seemed to be taking me vaguely in the right direction, but the reassuring R1 marks were gone.

After a while I realised why they didn't bother marking the route: everything is a cycle path. Even the main roads have marked off sections or paths running alongside them.

I later found out I was meant to be following the LP4, but as it didn't connect with Germany's R1 it wasn't immediately obvious.

The general bad weather has continued so it made sense to hammer it along to Arnhem.

My knowledge of the Netherlands outside Amsterdam is pretty sketchy. If you commit genocide you'll probably end up in The Hague and there are windmills, tulips and clogs. There genuinely are still windmills, despite my idle stereotyping.

Arnhem is one of the biggest cities and has a bit of an atmosphere to it. At first it looked pretty ghetto, but developed into a box standard town centre with all the usual chains.

Behind that, though, there is a series of alleyways, which look pretty alternative and are probably quite lively.

Then it started pouring again so I climbed the mountain back to the hostel. 

Day 44 - Münster to Vreden

A really uneventful day with little to see or do except plow on through the rain.

Most of the Münster region is farm land, so once you leave the promenade - the cyclists M25 - then tractors rule the road.

The crops also mean really annoying little flies, which I've never seen in England.

Both Vreden and Coesfeld, my lunch stop, are nice, quiet towns. There was a farmer wedding in Coesfeld town centre, with the couple driving away in a tractor.

More rain is forecast every day for the next 4 days, but there are some good towns in Arnhem and Utrecht coming up, followed by The Hague and Brugge. All with only 600km left.