Arrival in Utrecht.

Hidden away in the woods is hamlet Lage Vuursche. Have a break at the famous pancake inn round the corner from Queen Beatrix castle Drakensteyn. Along the shores of Randmeren, lakes formed in 1957 when the Flevopolder was created, youll reach Harderwijk. This lively town was once a member of the Hansa League, a Northern European alliance of trading guilds in the 13th-17th Centuries. Harderwijk was a fishing port until 1932 when the Zuiderzee was cut off from the North Sea and work was started on the Flevopolder. Today, the Fish Gate and fish restaurants are among the many reminders of the towns fishing and seafaring past.

Ride through the woods and farmland of Flevopolder to Lelystad. In Nieuwland Museum you can see an exhibition on why and how the polder came to be. Cross Lake IJsselmeer to Enkhuizen atop a 30 km dike! You will see our Golden Age reflected in the historical buildings of pretty Enkhuizen. Dont miss the excellent Zuiderzee Museum which includes an exhibition about the days when Dutch East India Company trading ships from towns on the Zuiderzee sailed the seven seas trading in spices and bulbs. Moreover, you can visit a recreated Zuiderzee village of old.

After looking around pretty Hoorn, which also made its fortune trading in the Golden Age, you will set off on today’s coast-to-coast bike route from Lake IJsselmeer to the North Sea. You will pass by Holland’s oldest polder, Beemster, drained by windmills in 1612(!). You can also visit an interesting "museum windmill” as well as "cheese town” Alkmaar. If possible, plan your trip so you can see the Friday morning traditional cheese market.

The sandy beaches of the North Sea are backed by dune systems that safeguard the hinterland from the sea and supply drinking water to neighbouring towns. Today you will cycle through a Dune Reserve and a National Park that protect the many species of dune flora and fauna. Cross the North Sea Canal by ferry and then set course for Zandvoort, a well-known seaside resort.

You'll love the elegant city of Haarlem, voted best city for shopping, Haarlems pedestrianised city centre and the three lovely market squares are a delight. Look up at the façades of historical buildings and spot the Renaissance style stepped gables and bell-shaped Dutch gables. At the end of the day, Amsterdam awaits! This wonderful city has surprises in store for everybody.

Follow the River Amstel out of town. On the banks of the small River Vecht, Hollands Golden Age is reflected in the beautiful stately homes and garden pavilions built by rich Amsterdam merchants in the 17th and 18th Centuries. The lively centre of the big city of Utrecht will draw you to its attractive canals and unique 14th Century wharves.

Today you’ll set course for Gouda and see stately homes, castles, woods, lakes and parks along the way. If possible, plan your trip so that you can visit the traditional Thursday morning cheese market at the start of Day 9. Gouda is also famous for making candles and syrup waffles (try one hot!).

Through open grassland you will cycle to The Hague, home to the government and the Queen. The Hague is brimming with things to do and see. You might like to take the opportunity to see Vermeer’s famous painting "The Girl with the Pearl Earring” in Mauritshuis Museum. Another favourite is Mesdag’s cylindrical Panorama of Scheveningen in 1881. Then climb back on your bike and check out 21st Century Scheveningen, the busy seaside resort where you’ll spend the night.

Cycle down the coast through dunes and past seaside resorts. Then pedal east along the New Waterway ship canal (completed in 1872), past fishing villages, windmills and jenever distilleries, to the great city of Rotterdam. Today you can also choose for a shorter route, which will take you through the beautifull city of Delft,  Today you can also choose for a 14 km shorter cycling route, which will take you through the beautiful city of Delft, the city where painter Johannes Vermeer (1632-1675) lived.

Modern Rotterdam offers architecture, art, port tours, a maritime museum and shops galore. The re-developed inner-city harbours are hotspots. First you'll cycle to Kinderdijk, explore the site where 19 windmills have been standing majestically in rows since 1740. They were used to drain excess water out of the low-lying polder up into the River Lek. One of the mills is open to the public. Your destination, Papendrecht, is just a ferry crossing away from of one of Holland’s oldest towns; Dordrecht. Dordrecht is completely surrounded by rivers. Beautiful bridges take you across the water into the heart of town. Around the harbour you will see many monumental buildings.

Today you cycle through a part of Biesbosch National Park, one of the few remaining freshwater tidal areas in Europe. The countless islands of marshy willow woods, reed-lands and grasslands are surrounded by creeks and rivers. The place is a resting, foraging and breeding site for water birds. Nature lovers should visit Biesbosch Centre Dordrecht for information on this fascinating area. Before you arrive in Gorinchem you can, if you wish, take a boat trip to visit the interesting Loevesteijn castle. The town of Woudrichem is definitely worth a visit.

Gorinchem’s walled town centre has a long turbulent history and over two hundred monuments to remember it by. It used to be big in fishery, markets and trade, but was often plagued by floods and conquerors (the town was the gateway to Holland). "Glass town” Leerdam is a meeting place where glassblowers from many countries demonstrate their craft. As you near the end of this tour, stop off once again at the lovely city of Utrecht.

After breakfast in your hotel, you will return home.