Kustroute is a 610 kilometre cycle route along the Dutch coastline.
It starts in the south at the border with Belgium and continues north as far as the border with Germany.
Kustroute (Coast Route) even has it’s own comprehensive website.
It has long been my ambition to cycle this route from south to north.
This week I achieved part one of my objective by cycling the first 211 km over three days.
The relaxing of Covid restrictions has made rides of this sort possible as it’s much easier to arrange overnight stops at B&B’s or small hotels.
Monday 25th April
I started near Cadzand-Bad and cycled 74 km to my overnight stop in the Dutch village of Vrouwenpolder.
My accommodation was the excellent 7even B&B.
This privately run bed and breakfast provided me with a truly great night’s sleep, a magnificent breakfast and secure cycle storage overnight.
Today’s cycle ride was against fairly strong coastal winds with occasional light rain showers.
Tuesday 26th April
I was on the road again by 09:00.
Today the weather improved significantly with clear blue skies and warm sunshine.
However the prevailing headwind was at least as strong as yesterday especially in exposed areas, particularly the top of the long sea dykes.
If I stopped pedalling, even for a moment, the wind was enough to bring me to a standstill as if I had applied both brakes.
The cycling was very challenging in places but of course that’s all part of the fun.
By the time I’d ridden the 77 km to my overnight stop at Sommelsdijk my legs were sore.
This was not only from the continuous physical effort but also from being blasted by sand whipped up by the strong winds.
Today I deviated from the Kustroute by about 15 km to my overnight accommodation.
I stayed at the superb B&B&Bikes as there was no available place to stay on the route itself when the reservations were made weeks ago.
After settling in I walked into the nearby village to find beer and food.
Wednesday 27th April
After a hearty breakfast I was on the road again at 08:30 and heading back to the Kustroute.
I had shorter ride planned for today, just 60 km to my destination at Maassluis.
Today was overcast and cooler than yesterday but the cycling and scenery were still fabulous.
Before long the stunning coastal ride was replaced by the industry and docklands near Rotterdam.
At Rozenburg I took the small ferry across the river Maas to Maassluis where I paused for a while until my transport back to Heerlen.
This has been certainly my most ambitious cycle ride to date, with 211 km ridden over three days.
However my Kustroute adventure is far from over as I still have two more three day stages planned later this year to complete the entire coastal route.
