Polder Notes

Take the
long way home.

Cycling notes from the flat country

I ride the small roads between Dutch canals, fields and dikes. These are the turns I remember, the places I stopped and the distances I have generously rounded.

From the road

All six routes
A white drawbridge and a red cycle path crossing a quiet rural canal 28 km · canal

A ferry and two bridges

The ferry ride took three minutes. Waiting by the water took considerably longer, quite happily.

A short note from the road.

Early tulips in muted red and peach rows beneath a broad Dutch sky 24 km · polder
From an early-season ride through the same fields.

Tulip fields, off season

The flowers were long gone on this ride. The open sky and the little roads between the fields remained.

A short note from the road.

A wet lane through green polder fields reflecting the clearing sky 32 km · polder

Polder roads after rain

Puddles held small versions of the sky. I came home with muddy socks and a much better mood.

A short note from the road.

Coffee on a wooden table beside a canal lock with a bicycle nearby 18 km · canal

Coffee at the lock

An eighteen-kilometre excuse for a long coffee. The lock gates did most of the work that afternoon.

A short note from the road.

Small boats and brick houses reflected in the still water of a canal

A small detour.

I stopped here to tighten a loose bag strap. Then the water went completely still, so I stayed another ten minutes.

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