I embarked upon my first ever cycle tour at 17 years old. It was a 350 mile route from London to Amsterdam (through England, France, Belgium, and the Netherlands via the Dover-Calais ferry).
It took 6 days to cycle and I stayed in Herne Bay (Eng), Calais (Fra), Ostende (Bel), Vlissingen (Ned), Vlaardingen (Ned), and Amsterdam (Ned). I stayed in Amsterdam for an additional day, before visiting Antwerp and Lille for a couple hours each on the way back. In all the trip was 8 days.
Aside from my overnight stays, the most notable places I saw are as follows: Aylesford (Eng), Pilgrim’s Way (Eng), Dover cliffs (Eng), Dunkirk (Fra), De Panne (Bel), Veurne (Bel), Brugge (Bel), Breskens’ sand dunes (Ned), and Delft (Ned).
England was very challenging to cycle through but when I wasn’t in urban areas it was beautiful, particularly in Aylesford (a medieval town) and along the Pilgrim’s Way. I unfortunately only saw the widely considered “less beautiful” part of France, but still enjoyed it. Like England, when I wasn’t in urban areas it was beautiful. Belgium was stunning, I will explain more in the next paragraph. And the Netherlands too was wonderful, nearly every town/city I cycled through felt like it was straight out of a fairy tale. I enjoyed Vlaardingen in particular. It is a small but very pretty town just past Botlek, an enormous and impressive (but very ugly industrial) plant. Boats of all kinds line the canal which is vibrant at night thanks to lights in trees and a glowing green fountain.
This may be an unpopular opinion, but while the most beautiful part of the trip was in the Netherlands (Breskens’ sand dunes), I actually enjoyed Belgium more. Veurne was my favourite town of the trip; a Belgian might have a better comparison but to me it seemed like a mini Antwerp. I also enjoyed De Panne, a seaside town with a much more modern vibe than Brugge or Veurne, but very colourful and pleasant, with a wonderful beachfront and the very unique Westerpunt (the enormous sculpture in the fifth photo) which was a highlight of my trip. The seafront of Ostende is gorgeous at night. And of course Brugge and Antwerp were very beautiful. I cycled along canals the entire way through Belgium which were also very pretty.
Deserving of a mention, Breskens’ sand dunes was a stunning cycle route I had the pleasure of experiencing. The cycle path sits right in the centre of the dunes with (on the direction I was cycling, which was east to west) the ocean to your left and the beautiful country (including a Wetlands national park) to your right. It was absolutely the best part of the trip, my head sat on a swivel the entire 10km I cycled along the dunes.
I found Amsterdam to be stunning and I would definitely live there. But for a holiday there isn’t much to do, particularly as I’m not too fond of art (or prostitutes). I did however love the cosy, enclosed feeling of the inner city and all the architecture and canals are really pretty.
I don’t want to bore the average traveler with my thoughts about cycle touring; that said, I would highly recommend anyone visiting Belgium or the Netherlands to rent a bicycle, cycling is very easy as the land is flat (you will be able to cycle much further than you expect) and you really get to see and experience a country when you cycle through it.
If anyone has any questions about my experience, please ask!