We were greeted by a very misty damp morning as we rode down the ferry ramp and into Holland. After a bit of trial and error we found the correct cycle path to Rotterdam and headed on our way.
The whole area was a bit like a ghost town, we can only assume nothing gets going very early in Holland. After about 20kms of drainage dykes, deserted cycle paths and the odd miserable other cyclist (In 3 days only about 1 in 20 acknowledge a greeting!) we had the rude awakening of cycling in Rotterdam.
Rotterdam's cycle lanes are great, but the sheer number of cyclists and mopeds using them, makes navigating two, quite wide, heavy bicycles a bit of a challenge. After some trouble and the assistance of a few helpful people we found the Tourist Information office (VVV in Holland). The plan was to buy some maps of the Rhein route and cycle off on our merry way. Maps however have turned out to be a problem, there are plenty to choose from, but none of them cover much area. Perhaps GPS may have been a wise purchase after all!
Leaving with at least one map, we made it safely out of the city and eventually to the passenger/cycle ferry that would take us to Kinderdijk.
Kinderdijk is a world heritage listed site containing probably the largest collection of preserved windmills in Holland. In 1740, 19 of them were built to drain water from the area and lift it to the river Lek. The cycle path between them is quite beautiful and certainly made a pleasant change from the more urban landscape of Rotterdam.
Passing a 'Mini Camping' (small, usually farm run camp site) we decided to stop for the night in the quiet village of Oud-Alblas. Our tent and bicycles got a few funny looks from the few other caravan owners but we were too tired to care.
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