Dutch Borders, Day 4

A wood in Belgium, or possibly Holland.

Last day, bit of a shame really as my body is finally starting to work properly - my right knee stopped hurting after only a day or so, but of course it had been leading to a slightly unnatural gait and a strained muscle or two.  You'd think walking along completely flat terrain would be easy, I guess I am not as young or fit as I was, still, I stride north out of Hamont at a fair pace.  Today my route follows sandy tracks through forest and scrub - it is not exactly unspoilt wilderness, but it is nice that there is little sign of human impact other than the path I'm walking on.  At some point I walk back into the Netherlands, with as little sign or ceremony as when I left.  The woodland paths take me most of the way to Valkenswaard, where I get a hamburger for lunch - only in Holland would this come coated in breadcrumbs and deep fried!

Can't say I'm not seeing the sights...

From here it is back into the woods as I continue north towards Eindhoven.  This area seems popular with mountain bikers - I guess if you don't have any actual mountains, then an undulating sandy path through the trees is better than nothing.  Eventually I emerge into the open, and after a pleasant stretch alongside a small river I reach the outskirts of the city.  My route is along another canal here, but rather than being a green corridor it turns out to be rather industrial, still it is interesting enough to watch the cranes in action, and then I walk through a concrete factory, not sure if that was a public road to be honest.  That is as close as I get to Eindhoven, the canal continues into pleasant open country, and takes me all the way to the airport.  Time for a beer, then back to Stansted...

Well, this was certainly a different kind of hiking experience.  Less of the gruelling ascent into howling gales in the wilds of nowhere, and more of a lengthy stroll along a variety of entirely flat surfaces, all the while surrounded by civilisation.  And it doesn't really get more civilised than Holland - everything is so neat and tidy, I feel a little out of place at times in my scruffy outfit.  But still, it is certainly nice to immerse myself in a different culture - albeit, not very different.  I think that in this part of the country, a fair distance from the rather special case that is Amsterdam, you get to see the real Holland.  And it has to be said, it is not a great deal different to England.

Last canal of the trip, was rather charming.

Photos to go with this post can be found here.

Dutch Borders, Day 3

Street market in Heythuysen.

Another day in the Netherlands then.  I walk out of Heythuysen along the main street, seems it is market day.  Rather charmingly, while there are a few professional stallholders, it is mostly people selling their unwanted belongings, car boot style.  There are many used toys, but I resist the urge to buy lego, and head out of town.  A few miles of roadside cycle path, then I meet a canal, given I'm in Holland it's about time I walked along one of these.  Quite impressive it is too, more like a ship canal than the kind of thing we have around London.

I continue along canals for several miles, eventually reaching a fairly large town, Weert.  The canal takes me all the way through it, although I do stop for a beer and a 'kaas tosti' - my Dutch is improving.  Not far out of Weert I leave the canal, back onto cycle paths for several miles of woodland.

Canal!

The last couple of days I've strayed a little away from the border, essentially I've taken a short cut.  Time to get back to it then, as my destination today, the Villa Christina in Hamont, is in fact in Belgium.  In the event I walk all the way into Hamont with no sign of a border, then in the centre of town I notice shops advertising their web presence at .be addresses rather than .nl.  Guess I'm in Belgium then.  Seems pretty quiet, well, it is Sunday night.  I find a beer and some pizza anyway.

Belgium!

Photos to go with this post can be found here.

Dutch Borders, Day 2

Working barge on the Maas.

After a much needed night's sleep I set out on the second leg of my little escapade, heading into central Venlo.  Seems to be a destination for day trippers judging from the busy coach park.  I have no time to visit the Limburger museum however, another eighteen miles or so to do, most of it along the river Maas.  This is a broad, placid waterway plied by pleasure craft and substantial working barges - plenty of cargo in Holland still goes by boat.

The Maascorridor.

I'm pleased to find my route is a marked 'voet pad', that is, footpath, the Maascorridor.  After many miles of tarmac cycle route yesterday it feels much better to have grass underfoot.  I walk along with the sun-dappled river to my left, birds sing in the trees and dandelion seeds float in the air, it's all rather idyllic.  The miles roll on and before long I'm at my lunch stop, Kessel.  A pleasant little place, and as might be expected it does have a castle.

Back along the Maas, past a complex of locks built large enough for barges, and then I leave the river at another small town, Neer.  Walking through very English looking suburban style streets, the neatly trimmed hedges suggest this is a popular retirement destination.  From here I take another footpath, this time through woods, to the destination for today, Heythuysen.  The hotel Het Anker turns out not to have a bar or restaurant, but these things are nearby so all is good.

Fortifications at Kessel.

Photos to go with this post can be found here.

Dutch Borders, Day 1

Crossing the border into Holland.

Regular readers (that's me then) may recall me skiing from Italy into France a month or two back, and wondering why I'd not done something similar on foot.  Well, here I am then, flying into Dusseldorf Weeze airport (not in fact very near Dusseldorf), the plan being to walk into Holland - well that is today's plan at least.  Simple enough really, the airport, an old RAF base, is only a mile or so from the border, and so after a quick stroll, and then no more ceremony than, say, passing from Sussex into Kent, I'm in a different country.

Of course there is plenty more to do, I have a little over twenty miles planned.  To begin with I walk through the Maasduinen national park, an area of sand dunes which I guess is the nearest the Netherlands has to hills.  Then on through flat country, a landscape of woods, still lakes and fields bisected by drainage ditches.  Not exactly awe inspiring but certainly relaxing, although my right knee isn't feeling too happy.  Maybe I should have brought my poles?

The Maasduinen.

I stay near the German border, crossing it a couple of times without any noticeable change of scenery.  Cycle route signs with either 'D' or 'NL' are my best indicator as to which country I'm in.  Destination for the day is Venlo, a sizeable place, however as I didn't want to walk too far I'm stopping at a motel to the north of town.  Well, it has a bar and a surprisingly good restaurant, what more do I need.

Campanile Hotel, Venlo.

Photos to go with this post can be found here.