Windmills of Kinderdijk

Netherlands & Belgium: Stage 05 – Gouda to Breda 74 Km (Sat 9 July 2022)

Weather: 13⁰C min – 21⁰C max, gusty wind, morning cloud clearing

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“I’m lazy. But it’s the lazy people who invented the wheel and the bicycle because they didn’t like walking or carrying things.” ~ Lech Walesa

In contrast to yesterday an overcast sky greeted me when I set off from Gouda at 8 am. Also, the countryside was not as scenic and, for the first half of the ride, the bicycle paths were not as perfect. Nevertheless, the 74 km ride to Breda was packed with interest and thoroughly enjoyable.

Clearly the highlight was the beautiful wetlands around Dordrecht, where the amazing windmills of Kinderdijk are found. Nineteen beautiful windmills, built around 1740, stand here as part of a larger water management system to prevent floods. Today, they symbolise Dutch water management, and in 1997 they were declared to be UNESCO World Heritage. The windmills of Kinderdijk were built to keep the low-lying lands of the Alblasserwaard dry. Facing each other, they form an iconic Dutch scene.

The scenery along the route was pleasant enough, with cows grazing on lush pasture and, of course, canals and waterways everywhere (after all this is the Netherlands). There were even two ferries to catch, the second one taking me into the interesting old town of Dordrecht. Having cycled about 35 km I was more than ready for breakfast because all I had before leaving Gouda was the remains of my block of Gouda cheese and a cup of English breakfast tea. Two large cappuccinos and cheesecake did the trick.

The rest of the journey was unremarkable, so I just put my head down and enjoyed steaming along. There were lots of other bike tourers (conspicuous by their Ortlieb panniers) but I no longer wave or otherwise greet them because they are too commonplace in this country and normally don’t respond.

Tomorrow I cross into Belgium which I am told is even better for cycling than the Netherlands, but it would have to be very good to beat what I have experienced so far.