Hackney cyclist: Zwolle

Showing posts with label Zwolle. Show all posts

Wednesday, 29 January 2020

Cycling between cities in the Netherlands part 22: Zwolle to Amersfoort via The Veluwe and Harderwijk

I had cycled from Zwolle to Amersfoort a year earlier, on my way from Zwolle to Utrecht, and the hour that I spent in Amersfoort on that trip was enough to persuade me to return. The Fietserbond Routeplanner suggested the exact same route I had taken the previous year between the two cities. However, wanting a different route I stuck a "via" pin in a random place in the forests of The Veluwe south of the city, and another in the city of Harderwijk to bring me back north and then set off along a defined route via two random points, as an experiment to see what kind of infrastructure I would come across.

I started my journey through the centre of Zwolle on the exact same route I had the previous year. However back then it was early on a Sunday morning and so I didn't see another person at all; this time it was mid-morning on a Wednesday, so the city was very busy with people getting about. After following the same bidirectional cycle track I had used last year I turned left to cross the road to use a service road on the other side, which is used as an access road for businesses alongside, although surfaced with red asphalt to emphasis this is a through route for people cycling. I then turned left to cycle under the railway line via a wide underpass

and then quickly looped back to join the fast Zwolle to Hattem cycle route alongside the railway line, which Mark Wagenbuur has written about previously here. This route was almost exclusively being used by young students making their way to or from lessons, continuously passing me in small groups from a few to 8 people.

As I approached the IJssel river I joined a cycling bridge attached to a railway bridge, which was busy and being used by many people of all ages. There was a great view of the river from the top, as well as a road running underneath on the other side of the river, with a cycle track alongside it.

I continued alongside the railway line for a short while, the path then turned left and at the end I turned right onto a road out of Hattem. I then joined another road and entered the forests of The Veluwe, with trees along both sides of the road. I then turned onto a road with cycle tracks along both sides of it, before I turned left onto a cycle path which led me through the forest for the next couple of miles

I crossed over a road to use a cycle path running along the other side of the road and then turned left onto another cycle path alongside a different road and continued along here for another couple of miles. I then turned onto a road where, by now deep in the forest, there were only trees along both sides of me as far as I could see. It was here that the road also became a bit hilly, nothing by UK standards but it did allow me to freewheel for quite some distance

Passing a picnic area I briefly stopped off for some food and then continued for about half a kilometre before a cycle path appeared to the left of the road, so I left the road to join it. I was thankful it appeared - for the last few miles I had been cycling on the road with cars. Whilst I'd had perhaps only one or two cars per minute coming up behind me it did leave me anxious every time I heard the sound of a motor engine as to whether it would be a close pass or not. Whilst there were no close passes on the road, here on the cycle track I didn't have to worry and could simply ignore the sound of car engines alongside and just enjoy the ride. And what a delightful ride it was! Initially cycling alongside the road but the path then moved away from it, fairly deep into the forest alongside, a really lovely ride cycling through the trees listening to the birds singing

Cycling through the woods between Hattem and Nunspeet pic.twitter.com/XXT9a6U3xq
— Hackney Cyclist (@Hackneycyclist) January 29, 2020

I crossed over the N309 main road and continued along a smooth cycle path through the forest, which had a rough road for service vehicles alongside it. As I approached the N795 main road I turned right to cycle on a cycle path alongside. It was a fairly busy road with a near constant stream of motor vehicles using it but I enjoyed a lovely ride alongside at a relaxed pace

quite a contrast to what a horrible ride this would be were it on an equivalent busy A road in the UK!

The US has an abysmal road safety record, but do they have roads with 60-70mph limits and not even a shoulder, let alone a footway or a cycleway? pic.twitter.com/dfnW8BNuGw
— Mark Treasure (@AsEasyAsRiding) January 13, 2020

After a short while the cycle track ended and I was now cycling along a service road alongside the main road, although all motor traffic kept to the main road alongside. The service road soon ended to become a cycle track again which continued on via a level crossing and a roundabout decorated with large bicycle statues, for some reason. I was now cycling into the town of Nunspeet, initially on a cycle track, which became a service road for residents access alongside, filtered at the end to then become a cycle track again. I turned onto a residential street, filtered to through motor traffic halfway along and then cycled up a street that was one way for motor traffic but allowed cycling in both directions with cycle lanes on both sides of the road, leaving a very narrow space in the centre of the road.

I came to a roundabout and turned left onto the main road through the town. It had cycle tracks along both sides of the road with pedestrian and cyclists having priority at each roundabout. As I approached the outskirts of the town two young boys were cycling side-by-side in front of me, chatting away, perfectly safe from the motor traffic on the road alongside

Protected cycle tracks are needed so children can safely cycle side by side on main roads in rural areas pic.twitter.com/fdPucAHmsL
— Hackney Cyclist (@Hackneycyclist) July 17, 2019

I continued on for the next six kilometres along this road through Hulshort with cycle paths either side of it, mostly rural but still a steady stream of businesses and properties alongside, as well as a constant stream of all kinds of people cycling.

The woman on the other side of the road has stopped to have a chat with the gentleman in the wheelchair ahead of me

I passed another roundabout and then the cycle path I was using became a bidirectional cycle track. This continued, separated from the road by a hedge, with also a wide cycle path on the other side, wide enough for people to cycle three abreast on, also separated from the road by an identical hedge.

Just before the next roundabout I crossed over the road to cycle on a bidirectional cycle track on the opposite side of the road. Whilst the road came to a T junction at the end, the cycle track continued on along the side of a residential block to a residential road behind it, which was filtered at the end with another cycle track. This then lead to an underpass beneath the ring road.

On the other side, despite it only being a short access road to an industrial estate, there was another bidirectional cycle track. I had cycled on an almost straight line from the fields on the outskirts, right into the centre of Harderwijk. I suspect this was the main road for many years, but had over time been filtered and downgraded to become the main route in for bicycles, with motor traffic sent on bigger, faster roads on the edge of the city instead. The route planner had advised bypassing Harderwijk altogether, but as usual I wanted to spend the opportunity to explore part of it. I initially considered cycling on the cycle track under the Veluwemeer Aquaduct, but decided against it. I then looked at the map and considered two options; cycle to 'Markt" which is likely where the medieval historic centre of the city would be, with the usual bars and restaurants to relax in, or head to the main train station. I decided to head to the train station, although at the time I was unaware that the entire area around it had been rebuilt, with the main road leading to the station moved from a level crossing to the east of the station into an underpass underneath it, with the former road now filtered to through traffic. The new cycle infrastructure built here was certainly very impressive but so was the whole landscaping of the area, compare it to many upgraded train stations in the UK, designed for drivers only!

Cycling next to and under Harderwijk train station pic.twitter.com/rUxRvw4mYp
— Hackney Cyclist (@Hackneycyclist) June 26, 2019

From the train station I cycled in a direct line through a housing development and under a railway and a couple of roads to what was once the shoreline of the Zuiderzee but was now the edge of the Wolderwijd Lake, following the Zuiderzee Works in the 1960s. I turned left to cycle on a path alongside the lake

I then decided to take a detour to cycle over a bridge crossing the motorway to the neighbourhood of Drielanden on the other side. Impressed with what I saw, I then filmed myself cycling back to the other side

A cycling and walking bridge over a motorway linking a new housing development with the city of Harderwijk, the Netherlands pic.twitter.com/tI0hrgzleN
— Hackney Cyclist (@Hackneycyclist) July 16, 2019

I looped back round to the cycle path alongside the lake, although was by now some distance from it. The path soon ended and I was then cycling on the access road to a man made beach, where many people were partaking in water sports, so I briefly sat on the sand to rest and watch. I cycled away from the beach and back along the access road exiting it via a bypass around the barriers, where car drivers had to pay.

I passed by a Mcdonalds, which as is typical in the Netherlands, had a huge amount of cycle parking. I briefly joined a cycle track, alongside the access road from the motorway, before rejoining another access road to another beach. Once I passed the car park a cycle track appeared and I was cycling alongside the motorway for a short while before the cycle path bent away from it by quite a distance

It then bent back round to the motorway again as I passed a large bicycle statue, and then I joined another access road to another beach, and again I bypassed the payment booths for the car park. After cycling along the road it eventually bent away from the motorway again and then became a cycle path, with a sign I'd never seen in the Netherlands before

This Dutch sign was a new one for me. The cycle path is narrow so "racers are guests". Fast road bikes are allowed but as considerate guests to slower cyclists pic.twitter.com/qApcwNPQUQ
— Hackney Cyclist (@Hackneycyclist) 28 July 2019

There were some great views from this high cycle path but it was very narrow. I passed a couple of other people on touring bikes and we both had to slow down and move to the very edge to the path to be able to pass each other, and our luggage still brushed each other.

After a coupel of miles I cam to the N301 road and had been here before - this was the point where I had crossed from Flevoland into Gelderland the previous year. Had I carried on staright ahead I would have cycled on the exact same route onto Amersfoort as last year. So, to make it a completely different route altogether I turned left and cycled on a cycle path alongside the N301. I crossed over the A28 motorway and was now on the outskirts of Nijkerk, on a smooth and very new looking cycle path. I soon turned right and ended up on the main shopping street in the centre, accessible for people walking and cycling only. I then made my way back out of the town again via a cycle path, an under-reconstruction cycle track and then another very smooth and new looking cycle track

I had already spotted what looked like the perfect example of a new development, Coelaer, on my map with a network of cycle routes through and around access only residential areas. It was exactly what I expected - a choice of numerous direct cycle routes through parks, directly past houses and with priority over the roads. I came to a roundabout with bidirectional cycle tracks around it at the edge of the development and then turned off here onto a fietstraat

This was essentially just a country road through farmland, but with red asphalt. I didn't come across a single motor vehicle along this road but there were plenty of people cycling, I was surprised how busy it was for somewhere so rural. Although I guess this is the most direct route to cycle between Amersfoort and Nijkerk. After a couple of kilometres I came to another new development on the outskirts of Amersfoort; I had again joined the exact route I had taken the previous year and so now it was a familiar cycle round the corner past Amersfoort Vathorst train station and then a familiar ride into Amersfoort.

Distance: Approx 78km / 50 miles
Time: six and a half hours
Map of the route
Photos taken: 695
Gallery: 98 photos here

An analysis of this trip by Jitensha Oni:

Part 15: Leiden to Amsterdam / Photo gallery of this journey

Part 16: Amsterdam to Alkmaar / Photo gallery of this journey

Part 17: Alkmaar to Lelystad via the Houtribdijk / Photo gallery of this journey

Part 18: Lelystad to Zwolle / Photo gallery of this journey
Part 19 :Zwolle to Utrecht via Amersfoort / Photo gallery of this journey
2019:
Part 20: Groningen to Hoogeveen via Assen / Photo gallery of this journey
Part 21: Hoogeveen to Zwolle via Meppel / Photo gallery of this journey

Tuesday, 28 January 2020

Cycling between cities in the Netherlands part 21: Hoogeveen to Zwolle via Meppel

As I sat eating breakfast on the terrace of my hotel at 7am, wearing shorts and T-shirt, it came as no surprise to check the weather forecast to see it was going to be a hot day, although even I was a little stunned to see it predicting a temperature of 36c. As is my usual routine when stopping over in towns on these trips I spent the morning between breakfast and check out time exploring the town as people made their way to work or school. In the very north of the town I watched a wave of adults cycling to the train station to lock their bike and get the train to their workplace elsewhere. In the east of the town several large schools were all located in the same area, so children cycled into the town from neighbouring villages in all directions continuously, the empty parking spots in the school grounds quickly filling up with thousands of bicycles. Hoogeveen is not a typical tourist destination, however I often prefer observing the everyday, unremarkable routines of the residents in these kind of places.

After I checked out of my hotel I made my way out of the town on the main road heading west, on a cycle track that is shared with the small number of pedestrians who may need to use this road, with the same treatment on the opposite side of the road. As the main road swung to the left I was forced to cross the road to use a bidirectional cycle track on the opposite side of the road, then quickly turned right across the road to use a road alongside the canal. I crossed over a road which ran over the canal to continue along the road alongside the canal where barriers soon appeared to transform the road into a cycle path, which continued on for the next few kilometres.

At the next main road I briefly joined the road to cross over the canal and then turned left onto a road alongside the other side of the canal, which soon bent to the right, allowing me to continue on via a cycle path. This cycle path went underneath another road and then the two merged together.

I cycled along this road for the next few kilometres until another canal appeared to my right, so I crossed over a bridge to the other side of the water and then along the edge of some fields. I was now on the outskirts of Meppel and the route planner had given me a course to bypass the city altogether, but I chose this opportunity to head into the centre of the city in need if some shade and exploration. I headed into the city on a service road alongside N851 road, which turned into a cycle track before the next interchange. I crossed over to the other side of the canal again to use a cycle track through the a wooded area, an industrial estate and then through an underpass below a railway line and road.

I soon found myself in a bustling square, so I sat outside a bar under a huge umbrella, enjoying a cold beer as I watched people navigate the square on foot and on bike, mixing harmoniously together. After my beer I spent a short while exploring the centre of the city on some charming little streets, with many of these streets filtered to through traffic with the use of a simple barrier or two. As I crossed over a canal just south of the city centre a whole school class passed by on their bikes, not one child decked out in high viz or helmets

School outing in Meppel pic.twitter.com/8Tl90tEfTL
— Hackney Cyclist (@Hackneycyclist) June 25, 2019

It made me briefly think of the school outings I sometimes take part in back in Hackney, with my daughter and her classmates all decked out in high viz often to walk a very short distance from the school, as us parents stop at each side road to block cars. I stopped in a park to eat some lunch and then began to make my way out of the city. As I passed a school and playground I couldn't help notice the huge amount of children there were out and about either on bikes or playing. 'Do they not have lessons?' I wondered to myself, and also on twitter - 'tropenrooster' came the reply; in many schools in the Netherlands classes will finish early if the temperature climbs above a certain point.

I then cycled down the entrance road to the local swimming pool, which was filtered at the end to become a nice cycle route through a park. As I came to a main road I crossed over to cycle on a road that lead me out of Meppel and over a wide canal on a lifting bridge. Several teenage boys were enjoying tropenrooster and performing somersaults off the top of the bridge into the water below, whilst teenage girls lay sunbathing at the edge of the water, surrounded by parked bicycles. I turned away from the canal to cycle on a series of quiet roads leading through farmland for about the next five miles

the surface of which kept changing between asphalt and concrete, but was beautifully smooth all the way. I turned off onto what was just an access road to a single house but then continued on as a cycle path, alongside the edge of fields.

I turned right onto a road which then swung to the left as it approached the N331 road to run as a service road alongside, which took me directly into the centre of Hasselt. I had been really struggling with the heat for the past few miles and was very thankful to be able to escape into a Jumbo supermarket in the town. It was only really when I came back out of the air conditioned supermarket into what felt like an oven that I realised just how hot it was. After taking shelter from the heat alongside a canal at the back of the supermarket I set off towards the main road again, admiring the huge amount of cycle parking at a bus stop on the way. I crossed over the Zwarte Water via a bridge and as I cycled down the other side I passed an industrial building which had a digital thermometer display attached to it, showing the temperature was 34c.

I continued away from the bridge on a cycle path running alongside the main road until I met the N331 road again, at which point I was on a cycle track alongside the N331 road, which lead me out of Hasselt and continued on for the next couple of miles.

There were plenty of other people cycling along this service road but I didn't come across a single motor vehicle - they were all driving at speed on the main road alongside. I turned south away from the N331 on a cycle path alongside a road and then came to a beautiful access only road alongside the IJssel river.

This road can only be used by a small number of residential properties as an access road and so once again I saw no motor vehicles at all for the next couple of miles, just people cycling or sunbathing by the river. Zwolle soon appeared in the skyline in the distance as I entered Stadshagen, a residential development just outside of the city which I have written about before. I crossed over the river on a cycle and bus only bridge, which had physical lifting barriers at either end to ensure only buses could use it

From the other side of the bridge it was a short cycle via access only roads, cycle paths and an underpass into the centre of Zwolle

Distance: Approx 50km / 30 miles
Time: Approx five and a half hours
Map of the route
Photos taken: 548
Gallery: 46 photos here

An analysis of this trip by Jitensha Oni:

Part 15: Leiden to Amsterdam / Photo gallery of this journey

Part 16: Amsterdam to Alkmaar / Photo gallery of this journey

Part 17: Alkmaar to Lelystad via the Houtribdijk / Photo gallery of this journey

Sunday, 3 March 2019

Cycling between cities in the Netherlands part 19: Zwolle to Utrecht via Amersfoort

I did consider splitting this trip into two days but after some thought I decided to go ahead with cycling from Zwolle to Utrecht in one trip. This would be a long ride of about 100km, which I knew I would be able to do with no issues, but I knew it would take me most of the day to do as it simply isn't possible for me to ride at any significant speed on my heavy Dutch bike. My main concern was the weather; my previous longest ride, Utrecht to Nijmegen, was plagued with heavy, torrential rain and what should have been a lovely trip filled with views through the forests and countryside became one where I could barely see five feet in front of me, whist being soaked to the skin. Accommodation is booked months in advance and so the date of this ride was fixed, and so I prayed for some decent weather. As it turned out my entire holiday had so far had warm weather and the forecast in the days leading up to it predicted this to be the hottest yet, with temperatures possibly higher than 30c.

When planning a 100km cycling trip in the Netherlands there are many different routes you can choose from; such as direct cycleways alongside motorway and main roads or filtered roads and cycleways through forests and countryside. In the end I chose to cycle back into Flevoland, in order to cycle alongside the water in an effort to stay cool.

I left Zwolle early on a Sunday Morning as I hoped to have time left to explore Utrecht at the end of the day and wanted to get some miles in before the midday heat arrived. I cycled through an almost deserted and silent city centre on cycleways before they turned into a service road. I then turned right into a residential street which was heavily filtered at the end; it would be a struggle to get a cargo bike through here. I then turned left onto a cycleway which took me under the N337 road

As I came out of the underpass the cycleway curved round to run alongside a main road which took me out of Zwolle and onto a bridge over the IJssel river, out of the province of Overijssel and into Gelderland

From here I had a great view of the river and of the A28 motorway that crossed it. I continued to cycle alongside this road, under the A50 motorway and then into the village of Hattemerbroek as I used a roundabout and a floating bus stop, complete with cycle parking. I turned right into a filtered and narrow country road which took me over the A28 motorway and I then turned left onto a road through farmland

A cyclepath appeared to my left and so I was able to use that for the next kilometre, whilst the road ran parallel alongside. This brought me to the N308 road so I turned right and cycled alongside it on a bidirectional cycleway

I continued along here, with the cycleway bending away from the road in order to cross side roads away from the junction. Housing then began to appear on each side of the road as I entered the town of Oldebroek and then I started to see other people, all of them on bikes. This was the first time I had seen anyone (except those in cars driving past) since I had left Zwolle over an hour earlier. The cycleways briefly became painted cycle lanes as I passed through the centre of the town and as I passed a garage the digital display outside read that it was 23c, despite that it was not even 9am yet. The cycleway soon reappeared as I exited the town and continued on through farmland

I entered Elburg, cycling through a built up area alongside the main road, and then turned right at a roundabout to join a service / residential road with the main road into the town from the roundabout running parallel alongside. Here there were many people of all ages cycling, almost all of them well dressed and many wearing suits. The constant sound of church bells also rang out across the town, as if I needed any clues as to where they were all cycling to this early on a Sunday. The cycleway then became cobbled as it joined up with the cobbled street through the centre of this well preserved medieval old town

The surface for cycling was, however, much smoother than it would be for those driving through. As I passed through the town all of the bars and restaurants were busy laying out dozens and dozens of tables and chairs on the street. This is clearly a very popular tourist destination for obvious reasons; I'd like to come back and have look around here myself one day, ideally when it isn't 9 o'clock on a Sunday morning! I passed under the city gate, which was filtered to motor traffic, and the only route north out of Elburg ensuring no motor traffic can use the centre of the town as a through route

I then cycled around the marina on the other side, which brought me back onto a bidirectional cycleway. The cycleway changed from cobbled to asphalt, with access maintained for motor traffic to park alongside the cycleway, as I cycled past dozens of moored boats and then out of Elburg, back onto a cycleway which only allowed cycles to use it.

The cycleway soon joined alongside the N309 road as it approached the Veluwemeer lake, which I then crossed over on a bridge. I was now exiting the province of Gelderland and entering Flevoland again and I immediately turned left to cycle on a cycleway constructed of concrete slabs alongside the N306 road.

I turned left onto a road heading back towards the lake and then turned onto a block paved road on top of a dike running alongside the lake. I was really not keen on this bumpy route especially as I saw how far it stretched into the distance, but it was then that I spotted a cycle track running between it and the beach alongside. I briefly stopped at the beach for water, food and to top up sun lotion before joining the cycle track to run between the beach and the road, shielded by trees from both of them. It continued like this, with the odd glimpse of the beach or road through gaps in the trees, for the next three kilometres. The road then turned away to the right so the cycleway ran on top of the dike with nice clear views either side.

A couple of kilometres later the cycleway dipped down to the left and the old cycleway was clearly visible, but had at some point in the past been turned into car parking

However, rather than have to cycle through the car park the cycleway seamlessly continued on between the car parking and the beach with people making their way down from their cars to the beach across the cycleway. There was also plenty of cycle parking located alongside the cycleway, although it was fairly empty but I didn't expect that to last too much longer. The N306 road then reappeared to my right but the cycleway moved closer to the lake, with the road elevated to my right. This was a really lovely part of the journey as I enjoyed a nice cool breeze whilst watching various people taking part in watersports alongside

After about five kilometres the view was interrupted by a large apartment complex and then a marina and beach resort meant that the dike, and the cycleway, turned further away from the lake to run inland for a short while before returning back to the water. The cycleway then ran back alongside the N306 road to pass the Gemaal Lovink pumping station. After bypassing a roundabout via a cycle crossing I passed a large group out for a ride on road bikes before bypassing the next roundabout via an underpass

I then came to a T junction and, instead of turning left, to cycle back into Gelderland and visit Harderwijk via the world's shortest underwater tunnel I instead turned right to cross over the N707 and then turned left, to cycle alongside it on a a cycleway for the next three kilometres.

As the road took a sharp turn to the left I stopped at a bench to eat some food under the scorching sunshine. I then crossed over the road to cycle on a cycleway alongside the Wolderwijd lake for around the next three kilometres

As I entered Zeewolde the cycleway turned to the left so as I was cycling directly into a strong headwind. Somebody had thoughtfully placed large mounds of sand alongside the cycleway exactly at this point and so I was then cycling through a fierce sandstorm.

I covered my eyes, closed by mouth, put my head down and tried to battle through as thousands of grains of sand hit me directly in my face and, despite my best efforts got into my eyes and throat. I stopped for a few minutes to recover from this and then continued into a very strong headwind. I rose to my feet, put the bike into the highest gear but could still only just get up to a snails pace as I battled as hard as I could to move the bike. As I got to the top of a small incline and the wind slowly eased a large group of men dressed in lycra at the side of the cycleway all cheered me on as I made it to the top, and I duly fist pumped the air in celebration, as if I'd just won the Tour De France.

As I entered the centre of the town the cycleway turned into a service road alongside the main road, back to a cycleway and then another block paved cycleway running parallel to an almost identical looking road alongside. The main road then turned to the right but the cycleway continued on, elevated above an access road to the beach which ran below us to the left.

The beach alongside was already very busy but groups of families on bikes arrived via the cycleway and service road, the crates on the front of their bikes stuffed with bags of towels, swimming clothes and inflatables. As the sandy beach ended the cycleway continued on top of the dike alongside the coast

After a short while the cycleway suddenly stopped, whilst the dike continued ahead. This was a bit of a surprise as I had somehow mapped my route to continue along the dike. Never mind, after studying a map I decided this was a good opportunity to go "off grid" and explore the forest alongside to see where I ended up. I cycled along a twisting path through the trees, which was a welcome experience as it relived me of the hot sun for a short while

As I cycled through the dense forest I once again thought how incredible this was the sea a few decades ago. The path soon became a road and then passed alongside fields, before I turned off onto another cycle path that led away from the road alongside a car park. I then climbed back up onto the dike and down the other side to ride on a path alongside it. A series of busy beaches then appeared to my left, along with a cafe. I parked my bicycle up with dozens of others outside to eat lunch on the terrace, with a view of a packed beach with hundreds of children enjoying themselves in the water and playground alongside. After lunch I returned back to the cycle path

and then crossed over a road to cycle alongside it. This path soon widened and as I passed under Nijkerker bridge some roadworks diverted me onto a temporary cycleway. As I needed to cross the Nijkerker Bridge I cycled on a long loop and then crossed over the route I had just used as well as the Nijkerkernauw lake to finally be back in the province of Gelderland again. I descended down from the bridge, then turned right at a roundabout to cycle along a country road on cycle lanes.

A cycleway soon appeared and I was directed onto it. It was very narrow and elevated above the road and it was no surprise to see some people on road bikes ignore it and use the road below instead. I soon needed to turn left onto another road so cycled down from the cycleway to join it. For the next four kilometres I cycled on country lanes, with no shade and the scorching early afternoon sun beating down on me. I briefly cycled alongside N806 road on a cycleway and then turned onto more country lanes for a few more kilometres, this time with some much needed shade.

This road would take me out of the province of Gelderland and into the province of Utrect. At the end I came to a waterway so the road turned sharply to the left, with a large sign on the road indicating this was a fietstraat. To my right over the water was what looked like a brand new development, which I now know is called Vathorst. From the other side of the water I could see how the streets were built as access only streets, I could see bicycle only bridges linking the neighbourhoods, I could see children playing in the street, people on bicycles and no cars driving in it at all. I'd seen this in other new housing developments over the past week and so vowed to write about it when I got home and try not to get too annoyed the next time I visited the Olympic Park. The road curved round the new development with lots of new apartments to my right over the water and water pipes and utilities being built under soil to my left, where people will live one day. There were bridges connecting this road to the new development from this road but only for those walking or cycling. The road was filtered at at the end and I was lead onto a cycleway alongside Amersfoort Vathorst railway station.

I was directed to the other side of the road and a filtered road alongside the main road. There was a strange mix of new developments and old farm houses. The filtered road through Hooglanderveen was clearly once a country lane but was now a major cycle route from the new development to the city centre, as a filtered road.

I cycled on some residential streets and then on a cycleway past new housing developments and other housing under construction on my right, with football and hockey pitches on my left where dozens of teenagers were playing hockey and football. I bet pretty much all of them got there by bike! I cycled around a roundabout which had a bidirectional cycleway around it and then climbed up and over the A1 motorway on a cycleway alongside the road

After freewheeling down the other side I turned left to cycle on some residential roads and service roads that were filtered at junctions. I then crossed the road to cycle underneath Amersfoort Schothorst train station, before turning around to film as I cycled back under the station again

Cycle parking and bicycle underpass at Amersfoort Schothorst train station pic.twitter.com/X5Bfg6UYnS
— Hackney Cyclist (@Hackneycyclist) July 9, 2018

I then continued on this cycleway from the train station around the corner to cycle under another railway line which took me to a cycleway running alongside the railway line

Cycling in Amersfoort pic.twitter.com/5X4JeHrXTA
— Hackney Cyclist (@Hackneycyclist) March 1, 2019

The cycleway continued alongside the railway line and as both it and the railway line crossed over a canal and road I looked down to see cycleways on both sides. The cycleway ended as it turned round the corner to link onto a street which took me into the historic centre of the city. As I cycled on the streets in the centre I was amazed at how beautiful it was, every corner I turned each street seemed to look like a postcard.

I was also struck by how many parked bicycles there were, including lots in temporary bicycle parking stands. It was only when I tried to access the main square in the centre that I realised there was a huge festival on so the centre of the city was closed. At each entrance to the square were stewards, all with "Fiets Steward" on their backs to stop anyone from cycling in. I was tempted to go in but didn't want to carry my heavy panniers around with me and, as they contained my laptop and passport, was not keen on leaving the bike locked with the panniers on either. Instead I sat outside a cafe and enjoyed coffee and apple pie, where I could hear the music perfectly but not see any of the performers.

After picking up supplies I cycled away from the centre of the city via a couple of canal lined streets and then a cycleway alongside the railway line to the main train station and the abundant cycle parking outside

Some of the cycle parking at Amersfoort train station pic.twitter.com/SUNC8Vb549
— Hackney Cyclist (@Hackneycyclist) July 16, 2018

I crossed over the road and then cycled out of the city on a cycleway alongside a main road to another cycleway that ran some distance from another main road and took me south of Amersfoort. My time in the city was short but I liked what I saw, from the high quality cycle routes in from the suburbs to the beautiful city centre; I'll definitely be back. From Amersfoort my journey would be a direct one alongside the N217 for the next 15 kilometres to take me directly into Utrecht. I cycled alongside on cycleways, service roads, very wide cycleways that I presume must have been a road once upon a time, and around the back of petrol stations. These routes were all being heavily used, by people of all ages.

Eventually I made my way into Utrcht via Biltstraat and a busy city centre. My 19th cycle between cities in the Netherlands was the longest, hottest, most varied and the most enjoyable.

Distance: Approx 100km / 62 miles
Time: Approx eight and a half hours
Photos taken: 1,013
Map of the route
Gallery: 130 photos here

An analysis of this trip by Jitensha Oni: