Legs and Feets

Into Belgium, 1 Oct 2026

Burgh-Haamstede, Netherlands, to Blankenberge, Belgium. 107 km. Temperature 60 to 66 F, wind 6 to 16 mph, with gusts to 21 mph, out of the southwest and west. Some rain last night but nothing while we were riding. Cloudy in the morning turning to mostly sunny in the afternoon.

So typically Dutch. A wonderful bicycle path, excellent route signing, and a historic windmill. Of course everything is flat unless riding up or down the path onto a levee.

Leaving Haamstede is so typically Dutch.

This area of the Netherlands has a substantial set of sand dunes between developed land and the sea. Most of the sand dunes are vegetated with trees, including pine in the photo below, but also birch and oak. This vegetation helps stabilize the dunes from wind erosion and provides a buffer between the sea and developed lands.

Other dunes along the route are stabilized with grasses and shrubs. Much of this area is signed “access forbidden” and fenced with barbed wire. The photo below shows sand covering the path. The work of clearing the trails must be enormous, but these trails are paved with either asphalt or brick and maintained to remove root bumps or holes in the surface. Though it is hard to see in this photo, there is a wind turbine on the left side of the photo. The Dutch are using the wind to generate power.

Sandy dunes stabilized with vegetation but still eroding.

The Zeehondenbank is a large bay with a bridged causeway. However the bridge is designed to control tidal water from entering the bay. Large flood gates allow water to exit the bay during low tides as is happening in the photo below. During this photo there is around a five foot drop between the bay into the North Sea.

Causeway between the Zeehondenbank bay and the North Sea.

This photo shows a windsock as we ride into the wind. Yes, the winds are strong and we were very glad it was not a side wind. But riding into the wind is also hard work. Thank goodness the causeways have a safe bicycle route next to the highway.

Today was a slow day. It was difficult to sustain 15 km/h, and the bicycle computer showed an average speed of 7 km/h, including stops. By lunchtime, we had only traveled 30 km to the town of Domburg. This town was surprisingly busy for a weekday.

However, most restaurants were not open, but we did find one serving Dutch pancakes. Legs ordered a Dutch pancake with a local Dutch cheese, leeks, and eggs served with sugar beet syrup. Feets had a salad with cheese wrapped in phyllo. Cheese that Legs soon devoured.

In the Zwin area, we crossed from the Netherlands into Belgium. We did not see a sign designating a crossing on the bicycle/pedestrian path.

Crossing from the Netherlands into Belgium.

When we were not riding in the sand dunes, we were riding on a boardwalk through resort cities. Most tourist facilities were in the process of closing down. Many of the bathing shacks on the beach, play areas and restaurants were being removed for the winter.

The first town we entered in Belgium was Knokke. The wide boardwalk had several of these pedal buggies. The pedaling passengers sat in the back as on a cart, and the child could sit on the horse out front. We know someone who would have loved a ride on this.

We made it to Blankenberge at 17:30. It was time to check into the motel on the beachfront. With the off season, the prices for a room were much more in line with our budget. After checking in and getting settled, it was getting dark, and with the headwind all day, our legs were tired. It was time for dinner and bed.

Checking into our motel on the beachfront.

Escape From Persecution, 30 Sept. 2026

The Hague to Burgh-Haamstede 93 km. Temperature 64 to 72 F, wind 8 to 12 mph, with gusts to 21 mph, out of the southeast and south. Cloudy all day, with light to moderate rain starting around 14:00 and continuing through the evening.

Leaving The Hague, we took EuroVelo 12 south along the coast of the North Sea. On the seaward side of the seawall is a long, clean, sandy beach with restaurants and concession booths. It was past peak season and early morning, so there was not much activity.

Again, we entered an extended protected sand dune area known as Westduinpark, following a paver path. There were several beach access points along the way, but the dunes elsewhere beside the path were marked no entry and protected by a barbed wire fence.

One of the many beach access points along the dune path.

Leaving the dunes, we saw a large area of greenhouses. An information board stated this is the Westland area. According to the board, the sea’s influence brings cooler summers, warmer winters, and a lower chance of frost, allowing the region to supply produce to the Netherlands earlier and for longer than the rest of the country. One drawback is that the winds are saltier. To address this issue they have built over 4,000 ha of greenhouses in this region.

During WWII, the Netherlands was occupied by German forces, and this pillbox is a relic of that period. In fact, there were many bunkers like these along the coast and around the harbors.

Another reminder of the German occupation was the effects to the Jewish population. As we entered Hoek van Holland, beside the shipping channel into Rotterdam, we found a statue of six children. The marker tells the story of about 10,000 children, most of them Jewish, who escaped Nazi persecution between 1938 and the outbreak of WWII. They came from Germany, Austria, and Czechoslovakia and traveled to England without their parents. Dutch authorities and volunteers helped them along the way.

Monument to the children who escaped Nazi persecution before WWII.

The passenger ferry crossing the Nieuwe Waterweg and mapped on the EuroVelo 12 route had closed for the season. An information center employee told us the next ferry was 19 km upriver. So off we went.

Our planned ferry was closed, so upriver to the next ferry.

The Rozenburg-Maassluis ferry was running. We arrived as it was loading. Legs purchased tickets at the vending machine while Feets waited to loaded Saphira onto the ferry. There were only two cars, one motor scooter, and about 12 bicycles, so it was not too cramped.

In the town of Stellendam, we found a cafe and settled down for lunch. Across the street from the cafe was an electric bicycle charging station. We took this lunch break to plug in the phone and our battery. The service was free.

Charging our battery and phone during our lunch break.

After lunch, it started raining, and we stopped and put on our rain jackets and pants. Our cell phone also is used as our map. We have waterproof covers for the phone, but if the screen is wet, we cannot use the touchscreen, so we put the phone in a plastic bag. It worked fine then.

It started to rain, so on with the rain gear.

The causeway between the islands has a campground at Strand bij Ouddorp. This would have been a great place to camp in dry weather, but with the rain, we were happy to have a motel down the road.

Following the paved path through the sand dunes has its hazards. As we tried to ride around a gate instead of stopping and opening it, the front wheel sank into the sand. When we tried to ride back onto the pavement, the front wheel caught the edge of the road and dug deeper into the sand. This brought Saphira to an abrupt standstill, and we almost dumped the bike.

Peace Palace, 29 Sept. 2026

The Hague was worth a day off. We signed up for a walking tour and headed to the statue where the tour started. Here he is: William the First (Willem I), who lived from 1772 to 1843. He fought against the French in Flanders and was proclaimed Sovereign Prince of the United Netherlands in 1813.

The Noordeinde Palace is the royal place of work. The King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima have their offices at Noordeinde Palace. Most of the Royal Household staff also works there.

Noordeinde Palace, the royal place of work.

Across the street from the palace is a statue of William of Orange, who lived from 1533 to 1584. He led the Dutch revolt against the Spanish Habsburgs during the Eighty Years’ War. He founded the House of Orange-Nassau.

William of Orange, founder of the House of Orange-Nassau.

The most important building on our tour was the Peace Palace, which opened in 1913. It houses the International Court of Justice and the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague. Feets has always been interested in the Peace Palace and what happens there.

A Ferry Ride, 28 Sept. 2026

Hoorn to The Hague, 99 km. Temperature 62 to 67 F, winds 5 to 12 mph, with gusts to 14 mph, out of the southwest, west, and northwest. Mostly cloudy with light rain later in the afternoon

The pavement was wet this morning, so we brought the rain jackets out of the pannier and folded them into the side pockets of the back panniers. Rain can change from drizzle to pouring in no time, and if there is no shelter, we are wet by the time we can get our jackets out. Thankfully, when we left the hotel, it was not raining, and the jackets stayed stuffed rather than worn.

The weather was right and the riding conditions excellent, so we made good time.

Entering this small community, we were welcomed by scarecrows.

Besides displaying scarecrows, several houses had Dutch shoes prominently displayed as flower pots. Yes, they are real wooden shoes.

The northern part of Zaandam was like a community museum with historic houses and several windmills, most of them working.

When we found the ferry, it was time for a potty break. Getting the key to the toilet cost money, so Legs bought a cup of coffee. Oh darn, the ferry arrived before Legs was able to finish his coffee, so Feets ended up pushing Saphira onto the ferry.

A little coffee got Legs out of some work.

Next was a ride through the town of Haarlem. The path stayed on the levee, so we did very little riding on streets.

After a short ride through Zandvoort with nice big beautiful beaches we headed into the Amsterdamse Waterleidingduninen on the paved trail through sand dunes.

The town of Zandvoort along the North Sea.

Amsterdamse Waterleidingduninen a paved trail through the sand dunes.

The Hague ended our day as we checked into the motel and got ready for a comfortable sleep.