Arrival in Utrecht

Today youll see stately homes, castles, woods and parks before reaching "cheese town Gouda, famous for its candles, syrup waffles (try one hot!) and beautiful church. If you're in Gouda on Thursday morning, go visit the traditional cheese market.

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 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. Alternative Route via Delft. Delft is a university town on the River Schie, between The Hague and Rotterdam. Go for a lovely walk on the cobbled streets of the old town centre with its cute crooked houses and pretty canals and bridges. Delft Blue ceramics factories are open to the public. The Vermeer Walk and the Vermeercentrum are dedicated to the famous baroque painter Johannes Vermeer (1632-1675) who lived in Delft all his life. The Nieuwe Kerk church has been the last resting place for our royals since 1584.

Modern Rotterdam offers architecture, art, port tours, a maritime museum and shops galore. The re-developed inner-city harbours are hotspots. On your way visit the famous windmills of Kinderdijk. Then on to Papendrecht, just north of one of Hollands oldest towns Dordrecht. Dordrecht is surrounded by rivers. Beautiful bridges take you across the water into the heart of town. The harbour area is especially picturesque.

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.

Gorinchems 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). In the heart of the big city of Utrecht lies the peaceful Oude Gracht (= Old Canal). Its characteristic wharves are unique to Utrecht. Nowadays they are the pleasant setting for waterside cafes. Explore the pretty Museum Quarter or go (window) shopping in one of the quieter shopping streets.

After breakfast in your hotel, you will return home.