We are really not putting in the distance this trip – and only partly by design. We set off on day 7 to cycle to Enkhuizen, which should have been around 69km. The weather forecast didn’t look too good but we put our faith in goretex and neoprene. The cycle to the ferry was a slog into the wind most of the way, but the real fun started at Den Helder as the heavens opened.
By De Kooy we were so bedraggled and unable to communicate through the wind and rain that we took refuge in a drive-through McDonalds. The staff really could not have been kinder, and even fetched towels as we dripped all over their restaurant – and they were tactful enough to wait till we left to get the mops out. If we had been trying to cycle a specific route we *might* have toughed it out for the rest of the day, but we took the wimpy tourist option and by mutual consent set off in search of a station at Anna Paulowna – because we really couldn’t face retracing our steps to Den Helder.
Three trains and two changes later, we got to Enkhuizen and pedalled soggily to the hotel. Note to cycling deities: when I said ‘all hail’, it wasn’t a request. And please stop laughing.
The previous day’s watery fun was just the traditional cycling-holiday laundry session, this time at a marina at Oudeschild. It was definitely one of the prettier places I have ever done laundry. The afternoon of day 6 was a cycle to De Waal to a museum about the history of Texel and then dinner in Den Burg to round off the day. The only downside was continued itching of my multiple mosquito bites (the culprit was dead on the windowsill at the hotel, presumably of over-eating), but it’s a minor irritation. Texel was beautiful and the perfect place to explore by bike, and I will definitely want to come back some day.
The whole of day 8 was spent at the Zuiderzeemuseum at Enkhuizen, and we still didn’t have time to see it all. This was our second visit, and this time we managed to see a lot of the outdoor exhibits but didn’t get to the indoor part at all. This is a really interesting, well-thought-put museum and another thing I would gladly visit again. The next step is to cycle across the dyke to Lelystad to visit the Batavialand museum there.
eleanor.scot 