Bike Tour: Secret Zeeland Tour - 8 days

Firstly from Rotterdam to Kinderdijk. With all its pitoresque windmills. 
Pedalling on, you will reach one of the oldest towns in Holland: Dordrecht, completely surrounded by water. The area around the marina is a true gem. This oldest part of town counts over a thousand historical buildings and three nostalgic canals. 
Round off the day in Willemstad, a fortified town shaped like a seven-point star.

Make your way across the isle of Goeree Overflakkee amid a mosaic landscape of rectangular polders, rolling dunes and golden sand flats. A bridge will take you across Grevelingenmeer Lake back to the isle of Schouwen Duiveland. In mussel town Bruinisse, "the Gateway to Zeeland”, look around the fishing harbour or stroll over to the attractive marina. Back in the saddle, pedal on to the historical town of Zierikzee, a real gem, situated on the Oosterschelde estuary. The street plan is medieval and meandering, the historical buildings number over 500, the impressive marina is well worth a visit. Don’t forget to treat yourself to a Zeeland delicacy: "Zeeuwse bolus” (pastry with syrup and cinnamon -sometimes buttered) or Schouws palingbroodje (a bread roll stuffed with smoked eel). If you want to delve into local history, do explore the Maritime Museum revealing all on Zierikzee’s glorious (notorious?) seafaring and trading past.

Oosterschelde National Park is an estuarine tidal habitat. Tidal flats are submerged by seawater at high tide and re-emerge at low tide covered in food for water birds. They are also a favourite resting place for seals. Flora and fauna in and around the Oosterschelde adapt to both freshwater from the rivers and salty seawater. Today you will cross the Oosterschelde on Zeelandbrug Bridge to the isle of Noord-Beveland. Subsequently, a ferry boat will take you to the former island of Walcheren. Continue the route to the charming village of Veere, known for its water sports, and then on to Middelburg. This beautiful town is the capital of Zeeland Province and one of the Netherlands’ oldest towns. As you can see by the splendour of the merchants’ mansions, in its heyday Middelburg accumulated its wealth through trade: with the Far East en with South America (incl. the transatlantic slave trade). Crown your day with a stroll through the town of Vlissingen. It thanks its irresistible maritime flair to its location on the North Sea. Standing on the seafront, you can see enormous sea ships sail past – up-close! At the end of the sea dike a series of bamboo flutes are played by the wind and produce eerie and mysterious tones. Prominent is the statue of Michiel de Ruyter (1607-1676), a successful Dutch admiral who was rather unpopular with the British... find out why at MuZEEum.

Cutting straight across the (former) isle of Walcheren, you will come upon dikes, woods and centuries old towns, such as picturesque Domburg, the oldest resort on the coast of Walcheren. The sand dunes are 50 meters high in places and offer great views of the wide beaches and the sea. Today’s main point of interest is world famous Oosterscheldekering. This is the Storm Surge Barrier, the largest, most ingenious and expensive of the Delta Works. Nine km long, connecting Noord-Beveland to Schouwen-Duiveland, initially it was planned as a closed dam. But under pressure from the fishing lobby and environmentalists, sixty-two big sliding sluice gates were installed in the dam. These steel doors are nearly always open, allowing sea water to pass, thus safeguarding Oosterschelde’s saltwater ecosystem. They close only when sea levels are expected to rise more than three meters. Halfway across the barrier, on an artificial island, lies Delta Park "Neeltje Jans”, Zealand’s number one tourist attraction, built around the Delta Expo. It offers illuminating insights into the Delta Works, why they were necessary, how they protect our coastline and relative environmental matters. But there’s more: a water theme park with a playground, an amazing waterslide, saltwater aquarium, sea lions’ show and more... Back on the isle of Schouwen-Duiveland, you will cycle through the tranquil woods of "Kop van Schouwen” nature reserve. At the end of the day, receive a warm welcome back at the hotel where you started out on this holiday.

Twenty-one kilometres of the Netherlands’ most pristine coastline await you this morning. Pedalling up the beautiful coast of Schouwen-Duiveland island, you will enjoy bright white beaches and rolling dunes. The Delta Works, a series of thirteen sea barriers, sluices and dams all down the coast of Zeeland were constructed to protect the low-lying hinterland from flooding. But it also dramatically improved infrastructure in the region. Brouwers Dam and Haringvliet Dam are part of the Delta Works and will take you across to the next two islands on today’s route. Ride atop the dams with the sea to your left and lakes on your right. You will end the day in the town of Brielle. The star-shaped fortifications (including moat, canals, ramparts, bastions) have been lovingly restored and the 400+ listed buildings are a sight to behold.

From Brielle first cycle towards Maassluis. Then pedal east along the New Waterway ship canal, past fishing villages, windmills and jenever distilleries, to Rotterdam.

After breakfast in your hotel it is time to go home.