Day 4, Holland. Really struck gold today. Decided to head off to the West through the marshes of the national park that I am staying in near Giethoorn. About a mile down the road, at Dwarsgracht, the road stopped and became a foot/cycle path only until the village of Jonen. More little wooden bridges to be crossed, and the lovely sight of a stork's nest on a pole outside the village.
This was followed, joy of joys, by a little ferry. Don't know what it is about ferries, but knowing I'm going to go on one always lifts my spirits instantly. I ignored Chris de Burgh's advice and paid the ferryman before he got me to the other side. If assessed on a cost versus distance basis, this was probably the most expensive ferry trip I'll ever take. As it was, though, it only cost 1 Euro 10 cents....... albeit to travel just three times the length of the ferry! Had to stop and ring a bell to attract the ferryman across the canal.
I attempted to strike up a conversation with the ferryman, but quickly realised after saying good morning and asking how much it was, that I'd used up two of my five Dutch phrases in quick succession. As I didn't need to know where to get a beer, and didn't want to talk about football, the linguistic well had well and truly run dry. Unusually for a Dutchman, he didn't appear to know any English, and I was embarrassing myself with my lack of language skills, so after taking one last photo looking back across the canal, I made a swift Brexit.
Carried on across the marshes (full of geese, herons and storks) to the delightful little town of Blokzijl, where I came across another stork's nest on a pole, and watched the youngsters being fed by their parents. At least ten other storks were flying around at the time. When I returned with Mrs Donger later in the day, we sat watching Junior flapping his wings and jumping up and down, clearly about to fledge in the next day or so.
Blokzijl had been just a name on a map before I got there, but I have to say it was the prettiest little place I have found in three visits to Holland so far.
After Blokzijl, I wasted a few minutes heading off into a stiff Souwester along a dull cycle path alongside a main "N" road. Apart from the surprise finding of a vineyard of all things (where I later came back and bought a rather nice, though expensive, bottle of white wine and some lovely strawberries) there is little to be enjoyed on some of these main roads around here. Flat, straight and rather featureless on the whole. And when you are heading into the wind, it can be brutal. I was fortunate enough to have a following wind on my return journey for about 6 miles, doing a steady 20mph with absolute ease.
I'm not actually sure I would want to tour through Holland, using such cycle paths .... I'm just glad to be based in a national park full of quiet little lanes and villages full of thatched houses and barns. As soon as I recognised a place name on a signpost, I turned off and headed back home through the marshes. So long as you have a local map showing the information points ("knooppunts") around the national park it is quite easy to get around by just following directions to the next numbered point. This really would be an excellent centre for a family cycling holiday that I wouldn't hesitate to recommend to any of you who have kids.
I'm normally a committed helmet wearer, and certainly wouldn't try to encourage anyone not to be ... but it all feels so safe around here that I have gone lidless all week so far without a care in the world. Lovely to feel a breeze on your bonce for once.
I'm actually getting a bit concerned now, as I haven't been out of the big ring or seen a hill all week. When I get back home, am I going to feel like Tim Peake after six months in space? Will just have to keep pedalling as much as I can and hope I don't lose any conditioning. Just 20.6 miles today. Happy cycling everyone. Cheers, Donger.
. The moaning and whinging about how some people would have taken a different route here, or there or somewhere, started, and it was too quick for some, too slow for some etc. This isn't one I get paid for, so I can't be arsed. I'll palm it off on to one of the other smart arses from now on
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