A day out on Texel

Cloggy

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On Saturday I went for a ride on the Island of Texel (it's not far from here). I went with a couple of guys from the motorrijdenmetelkaar website. We left Alkmaar at midday, and rode in about an hour to Den Helder where we caught the ferry.

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We rode this route around the Island.

We stopped off at the viewpoint for the Slufter, a tidal estuary rich in wildlife.

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We adopted this guy (with the cap) who we met, as he had some great motorbike stories

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We then rode on to the most northern village, c0cksdorp (no sniggering in the backseats ;)) where we had a bite to eat near the lighthouse.

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After this we headed back to the ferry port, we stopped off at this old fort near the port:

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while we were here a group of tuktuk tourists rode by:

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Then back on the boat:

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We rode back from Den Helder along the coast to Alkmaar where we all said goodbye.

I had a great day with a great bunch of guys, and the weather was amazing (for October):rockon:
 
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lytehouse

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I admit it!! I snickered!!

and I'm surprised our sensitive bad word filter didn't **** it out!

Looks like you had beautiful weather for the ride Martin, thanks for the pics
 

Silvia6

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Hello everybody,

I'm planning my summer tour and I'm interested in some information about Texel. According to my initial plan, I will be crossing the Netherlands at the beginning of August with mainly 4 overnight stays:
- 1st stop. Groningen -1 night,
- 2nd stop. Texel - 2 nights,
- 3rd stop. Amsterdam - 2 nights (I would also like to visit the Hague while staying in Amsterdam (1 day trip, returning in the evening to Amsterdam),
- 4th stop. Utrecht - 1 night

(aaaaand a short visit to Giethoorn while driving from Groningen to Den Helder - then Texel).

I understood that there is a ferry from Den Helder to Texel every hour until 21:30 (last ferry). Tickets can be bought here: https://www.teso.nl/en/ and there is no need for a reservation. Everything clear here.

Now ...my questions are:

1. Can you recommend a nice accommodation with a parking space for my bike in Texel ? (I liked Thuis bij Frans en Els and the lighthouse but they do not have a parking space, or so it says on Booking.com)
2. Is it worth it to spend 2 nights on the island or should I spend 1 night in Texel and focus on other destinations from the Netherlands?
3. Can you recommend other locations or things to do/see in Netherlands?

Any information/advice would be appreciated!! Thank you!
 

CountryBoy

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3. Can you recommend other locations or things to do/see in Netherlands?

Any information/advice would be appreciated!! Thank you!

There's plenty to do here and it sounds like you're already busy.

Worth a quick look would be the Zaanse Schans, it's a bit touristy, but you get to see the inside of windmills! :eek: The Hoge Veluwe national park is also a nice visit, but it's definitely a whole day thing. Riding along the Afsluitdijk is just one of those things you should do to say you've done it. (I still haven't). It's basically a 30km dam that holds back the sea so that us who live here don't drown.

Martin (Cloggy) knows more than me and will probably be along with suggestions very soon.

I live up in Groningen, and it's a nice place though on a trip like yours, I'd say one night is plenty to have a look around, few drinks and some good food.

CB
 

Silvia6

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Thank you CountryBoy!

Yup, Zaanse Schans looks nice and I'd love to see the windmills. And it's pretty close to Amsterdam. So, it's definitely on the list.
The Hoge Veluwe national park is very interesting, lots of activities there but like you said..that's a whole day thing...so.. I'm not so sure about it.
Riding along the Afsluitdijk is already on my "to do" list on my way to Texel. I saw this road on google maps and I said to myself: I have to ride THAT road! And since you haven't, maybe it's time for you too to ride that road :)

And about Groningen, since you already live there maybe you can help me with my 'things to visit in Groningen' list. So, after some (very little) research, I've decided that maybe the best option for Groningen is just walking around the canals (and the citiy center) while visiting the following things (and whatever else catches my eye):

- Martinitoren
- Northern Maritime Museum
- Grafisch Museum
(I'm not a big fan of museums ...but these two museums just look so interesting)
- Bierlokaal Cafe de Koffer

Feel free to add, comment or criticize my list.
 

Cloggy

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Hello everybody,

I'm planning my summer tour and I'm interested in some information about Texel. According to my initial plan, I will be crossing the Netherlands at the beginning of August with mainly 4 overnight stays:
- 1st stop. Groningen -1 night,
- 2nd stop. Texel - 2 nights,
- 3rd stop. Amsterdam - 2 nights (I would also like to visit the Hague while staying in Amsterdam (1 day trip, returning in the evening to Amsterdam),
- 4th stop. Utrecht - 1 night

(aaaaand a short visit to Giethoorn while driving from Groningen to Den Helder - then Texel).

I understood that there is a ferry from Den Helder to Texel every hour until 21:30 (last ferry). Tickets can be bought here: https://www.teso.nl/en/ and there is no need for a reservation. Everything clear here.

Now ...my questions are:

1. Can you recommend a nice accommodation with a parking space for my bike in Texel ? (I liked Thuis bij Frans en Els and the lighthouse but they do not have a parking space, or so it says on Booking.com)
2. Is it worth it to spend 2 nights on the island or should I spend 1 night in Texel and focus on other destinations from the Netherlands?
3. Can you recommend other locations or things to do/see in Netherlands?

Any information/advice would be appreciated!! Thank you!

I must admit I'm surprised you picked Holland as a biking destination, it wouldn't be in my top 10 biking countries as it's really flat, and most of the windy roads are minor. What is nice IMO is that there are many small towns with a lot of character, which is great for coffee stops.

1. I don't personally know of any B&B's on Texel but I'll look into it, BTW as texel is connected to the mainland by boat there are very few cars/bikes stolen as they can easily be checked on the boat.
2) You can easily ride all the roads on the island in one day, but it depends what else you are planning on doing, there is a "wildlife" centre (mainly seals), the slufter which is a tidal estuary, which you can walk if you want to see lots of wild birds. There are several great beaches, which might be a way to take a break in the middle of an otherwise tiring holiday :thumbup:
3) I think you made a good decision with Groningen, Amsterdam & Utrecht as cities to visit, Holland has many nice towns which can easily be included in a ride, for example: Deventer, Zutphen Zwolle, Hoorn, Enkhuizen, Delft, Nijmegen, Maastricht, Breda, Den Bosch to name but a few. In Friesland (between Groningen and Texel) there are some nice small old towns as well.
As Countryboy says there are several "touristy" destinations like the Zaanse schans (working museum), Kinderdijk (lots of windmills) and Volendam (a cheesy touristy town where you can have your photo taken with a "floppy hat " on :eek:
I would think if you want to experience the Dutch landscape you can best ride a few Dijk roads where you often find windmills, and the water in the canal on one side is much higher than the lower lying land on the other side. if you want, I can send you a few routes before you arrive .

Of course if you want and it's a weekend I could show you around this area.

I think everything depends on your preferences, do you plan to ride all day or stop in towns? Are you interested in historic things, do you like museums and the like? Will you be stopping at beaches.
BTW will you be with a large group as I need to know if asking about a B&B on Texel.
 

Silvia6

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I must admit I'm surprised you picked Holland as a biking destination, it wouldn't be in my top 10 biking countries as it's really flat, and most of the windy roads are minor. What is nice IMO is that there are many small towns with a lot of character, which is great for coffee stops.

1. I don't personally know of any B&B's on Texel but I'll look into it, BTW as texel is connected to the mainland by boat there are very few cars/bikes stolen as they can easily be checked on the boat.
2) You can easily ride all the roads on the island in one day, but it depends what else you are planning on doing, there is a "wildlife" centre (mainly seals), the slufter which is a tidal estuary, which you can walk if you want to see lots of wild birds. There are several great beaches, which might be a way to take a break in the middle of an otherwise tiring holiday :thumbup:
3) I think you made a good decision with Groningen, Amsterdam & Utrecht as cities to visit, Holland has many nice towns which can easily be included in a ride, for example: Deventer, Zutphen Zwolle, Hoorn, Enkhuizen, Delft, Nijmegen, Maastricht, Breda, Den Bosch to name but a few. In Friesland (between Groningen and Texel) there are some nice small old towns as well.
As Countryboy says there are several "touristy" destinations like the Zaanse schans (working museum), Kinderdijk (lots of windmills) and Volendam (a cheesy touristy town where you can have your photo taken with a "floppy hat " on :eek:
I would think if you want to experience the Dutch landscape you can best ride a few Dijk roads where you often find windmills, and the water in the canal on one side is much higher than the lower lying land on the other side. if you want, I can send you a few routes before you arrive .

Of course if you want and it's a weekend I could show you around this area.

I think everything depends on your preferences, do you plan to ride all day or stop in towns? Are you interested in historic things, do you like museums and the like? Will you be stopping at beaches.
BTW will you be with a large group as I need to know if asking about a B&B on Texel.

Thank you Cloggy!

Well, my main reason for picking Holland is not for the windy roads but for the scenery, the people and the whole atmosphere. I visited Amsterdam in September (not by bike) and I was completely mesmerized by it. I loved it so much that I decided to include Holland in my summer tour and to explore more than just Amsterdam.

I wanted to stop in Texel as it seems like a nice quiet relaxing place and very close to nature (and beaaaaacheees!!!). I live in a big crowded noisy city, so for me this would be a nice change of scenery.

Yes, please send me some routes and if you can show me the area that would be very nice. I will send you more info about my arrival when I am 100% sure of the dates. Now I'm calculating the dates and planning and planning and planning (it will be a longer tour).

In Holland, I don't plan to ride all day without stopping (actually, the longest ride in Holland is 3 hours). I plan to enjoy this country as much as I can and visit as much as I can. I'm more interested in the rural areas and the Dutch scenery and less interested in museums (unless there is something absolutely fabulous). I guess the only beach in Holland I'm stopping at is the one in Texel.

I also have to take into consideration the fact that I will be having a lot of luggage. So, I depend a little on the accommodation over night (to leave the luggage at the hotel/hostel/B&B and go for a ride/visit the surroundings). I will check all the towns you suggested and see how I fit them into the route. It would be lovely to see the less touristy part of Holland.

I usually travel solo, so the accommodation would be for 1 person.
 

Silvia6

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Hello guys,

I managed to visit the Texel island on my summer tour. I spent one night there and I also took some nice pics. The place is really beautiful and peaceful and it is definitely worth a visit.
 

Cloggy

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Hello guys,

I managed to visit the Texel island on my summer tour. I spent one night there and I also took some nice pics. The place is really beautiful and peaceful and it is definitely worth a visit.

Thanks for sharing, nice pics, how did the rest of the trip go?

I was on Texel 2 weeks ago and we followed the texelse route on this site (click on Google maps to see the route), we had good weather and stopped at Oudschild and ****sdorp for a drink and a meal.
 
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Silvia6

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Thanks for sharing, nice pics, how did the rest of the trip go?

I was on Texel 2 weeks ago and we followed the texelse route on this site, we had good weather and stopped at Oudschild and ****sdorp for a drink and a meal.

My trip went just great, except for the rain (Everytime I got on the bike it started raining, heheh. I felt like I was driving with a black cloud over my head) and one small incident on the French highway due to the wind (I stopped on the highway to put my rainsuit and the wind knocked off my bike. Thanks to the crashcage I installed, there was no significant damage. The only damaged thing was the windshield..but I used some isolation band until I reached my destination and I repaired it afterwards).

Other than that..perfect! One month of good quality riding and a total of 7556,4 km and 9 different countries. :)
 

Cloggy

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My trip went just great, except for the rain (Everytime I got on the bike it started raining, heheh. I felt like I was driving with a black cloud over my head) and one small incident on the French highway due to the wind (I stopped on the highway to put my rainsuit and the wind knocked off my bike. Thanks to the crashcage I installed, there was no significant damage. The only damaged thing was the windshield..but I used some isolation band until I reached my destination and I repaired it afterwards).

Other than that..perfect! One month of good quality riding and a total of 7556,4 km and 9 different countries. :)

Shame to hear you had rain, great to see you tried a couple of local tastes, I like the Texels beer as well the (raw) Herring mmmm...

Looking forward to hearing about the rest of your travels ;)
 

Silvia6

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Shame to hear you had rain, great to see you tried a couple of local tastes, I like the Texels beer as well the (raw) Herring mmmm...

Looking forward to hearing about the rest of your travels ;)

Herring ..yuuuumm. It was the first time I've ever tried it and I loved it! Yes, it was a bit annoying that it rained so much because I couldn't stop and take as many pictures as I would've wanted. But, I found one thing that is really annoying about the Netherlands: the speed limit! Especially if you're coming from Germany (God bless that 'no speed limit' thing in Germany, hehehe). A lot of highways had a 100 km speed limit..which is so...low..

I entered the Netherlands from Germany and the first stop was Groningen. Then I drove to Den Helder and crossed with the ferry onto Texel island, where I spent the night. After Texel it was Amsterdam (and rain rain rain), so I decided not to visit Utrecht..and other cities because all my equipment was soaking wet :))..so I just relaxed for 2 days ..in Amsterdam..visiting and enjoying it!
 

Cloggy

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That looks like an amazing trip, looking forward to the new thread and the pics ;)

I know what you mean about the speed limits here, that's the reason that a lot of Dutch guys go on Holiday to Germany, in England the speed limits are also higher (on average).

So where did you stay, if you could add a few addresses to the "Where I stayed with my bike" thread :thumbup:
 
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