Need routes in Zeeland

kingstonian

Will be enduring 10 days at the in-laws from next Friday so am looking for your help to give me some 40-60km routes to allow me to escape every now and then. They live in Burgh Haamstede so road routes that go through (or close to) there would be great.

disquieting_museeuws

I have a cycling map of Zeeland to hand, we were there a couple of years ago (we stayed one night in Renesse, which is a nice town).

There are cycle paths everywhere - all will be mostly flat straight and windy (and impeccably surfaced). Cycle maps are easy to come by at bookshops, etc. On-site plan boards using the knoopunt (way-point) system are also generally easy to navigate by. These knoopunten are also marked on good cycle maps.

You can easily get to Neeltje Jans across the dyke due south where the Tour de France stage finished in 2015 - there's a museum and visitor centre to do with the sea defence works.

Brouwershaven to the east is worth a visit, as is Zierikzee to the south-east. There is a nice-looking (though we didn't do it) path along the coast to Zierikzee, which is roughly 20kms from Haamstede. Dreisschor is also labelled as picturesque on the map.

If you cross to the south via Neeltje Jans, Veere, Middelburg and Vlissingen are all nice historic towns, though it's getting a bit busier and built up round the two latter.

A good map like ANWB Fietskaart 16 is probably a good investment, they're pretty cheap as far as I remember.

Bobbinogs

Windy! Take your aero kit :-)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dutch_Hea ... mpionships

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c75b_98 ... e=youtu.be

kingstonian

disquieting_museeuws wrote:

I have a cycling map of Zeeland to hand, we were there a couple of years ago (we stayed one night in Renesse, which is a nice town).

There are cycle paths everywhere - all will be mostly flat straight and windy (and impeccably surfaced). Cycle maps are easy to come by at bookshops, etc. On-site plan boards using the knoopunt (way-point) system are also generally easy to navigate by. These knoopunten are also marked on good cycle maps.

You can easily get to Neeltje Jans across the dyke due south where the Tour de France stage finished in 2015 - there's a museum and visitor centre to do with the sea defence works.

Brouwershaven to the east is worth a visit, as is Zierikzee to the south-east. There is a nice-looking (though we didn't do it) path along the coast to Zierikzee, which is roughly 20kms from Haamstede. Dreisschor is also labelled as picturesque on the map.

If you cross to the south via Neeltje Jans, Veere, Middelburg and Vlissingen are all nice historic towns, though it's getting a bit busier and built up round the two latter.

A good map like ANWB Fietskaart 16 is probably a good investment, they're pretty cheap as far as I remember.

Thank you.

Will I need to stay on the cycle paths or can I take to the roads too? I'm looking to be doing some training rides while out there and the cycle paths I've been on in the Haamstede region in the past have been fine for pootling about with the kids but would be a bit restrictive to much more than that.

kingstonian

Bobbinogs wrote:

Windy! Take your aero kit :-)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dutch_Hea ... mpionships

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c75b_98 ... e=youtu.be

Yeah, there are headwinds and then there are Dutch headwinds !!!!

disquieting_museeuws

Kingstonian wrote:

Thank you.

Will I need to stay on the cycle paths or can I take to the roads too? I'm looking to be doing some training rides while out there and the cycle paths I've been on in the Haamstede region in the past have been fine for pootling about with the kids but would be a bit restrictive to much more than that.

There are plenty of small roads I think - the way to Brouwershaven for instance could be done totally on them via Noordwelle and Looperskapelle (and there are Knoopunt all the way). My memory is that the bit between Hamsteede and Renesse is a bit more like functional / mickey mouse cyclepaths.

The N59 and N57 are busy roads, although they often have separate cycle paths of course. The bit of the N57 going north to the dyke from near Serooskerke is definitely no cycling allowed.

Hope this helps, I also have NL in-laws!

kingstonian

Yep, very useful - thank you !!!!!

kingstonian

Thanks for the tips.

This morning I left Burgh Haamstede, went through Serooskerke Schoewen to Zierikzee, then up to Zonnemaire, then Brouwershaven, back to Serooskerke Schoewen and back to Burgh Haamstede. 44kms in total, a nice ride apart from the inevitable headwind and a bloody sore bee sting right in the shoulder.

shimanobottombracket

disquieting_museeuws wrote:

You can easily get to Neeltje Jans across the dyke due south where the Tour de France stage finished in 2015 - there's a museum and visitor centre to do with the sea defence works.

The Tour De France, in New Zealand? WTF?

Or is Zeeland an actual place in France, and OP wasn't abbreviating?

EDIT: Yup, I googled Zeeland. I really thought OP was referring to New Zealand in a shortened form.

kingstonian

ShimanoBottomBracket wrote:

disquieting_museeuws wrote:

You can easily get to Neeltje Jans across the dyke due south where the Tour de France stage finished in 2015 - there's a museum and visitor centre to do with the sea defence works.

The Tour De France, in New Zealand? WTF?

Or is Zeeland an actual place in France, and OP wasn't abbreviating?

EDIT: Yup, I googled Zeeland. I really thought OP was referring to New Zealand in a shortened form.

Haha !!! It is the islands on the Dutch coast, close to the Belgian border. Nice part of the world, fairly quiet roads and the cycle paths are great in-between the towns, so perfect for training rides.