Following are the tips for travelers visiting the Netherlands
- The people of the Netherlands are very fond of using concrete sets to make some of their cycle paths this makes for an interesting and sometimes slightly uncomfortable ride.
- On certain cycle paths mopeds are allowed, watch out for these as they can give you a bit of a fright as they pass you at speed!.
- The mushroom style signs are sometimes easy to miss as being so low down they can be obscured by under growth or Dutchmen who find them just the right height to sit on!
- Cycle helmets do not seem to be 'de rigueur' with the recreational cyclists in Holland and probably reflects the fact that cycling in Holland is much safer than in the UK . This is probably due to the fact that most of the cycling takes place on cycle paths well away from traffic. We did find that a good proportion of the racers were wearing helmets. If like us you prefer to wear a helmet do not be surprised if you get funny looks or laughed at by the kids. As I understand there seems to be some opposition to wearing helmets as the government are thinking of making them compulsory.
- The Dutch don't seem to believe in public toilets! You will need to take advantage of the loos on your coffee stops!
- Screw on self sealing gas cartridges are difficult to get hold of except in a few specialist outdoor shops, the older style non self sealing gas cartridges are readily available in most campsite shops. A solution to this problem is to get hold of the new GoGas adapters that convert non self sealing cartridges for use with self sealing cartridge stoves.
- If you want a good snack in a restaurant or cafe, look out for the 'Uitsmijter' - usually grilled ham & cheese on bread, with eggs on top, delicious!
- ANWB the Dutch Automobile Association have placed emergency kits at many restaurants, pubs, campsites and bicycle sheds around the county. These are yellow boxes that contain puncture repair kits, a small first aid kit and tools to do small repairs to you bike.
|
