Polder Notes

The route book.

Six rides, remembered from the saddle. Two longer stories and four short notes. Pick a distance; allow extra time for stopping.

Rides from July to October 2026 · newest first
36km · dike

The long dike in November light

Late October borrowed its light from November. I brought a thermos and stayed for the last of it.

· Full ride

 An empty road along a grassy dike beside water at sunset
42km · canal

Eight windmills before lunch

A canal-side loop, eight slow-moving silhouettes and a headwind with very firm opinions.

· Full ride

 Traditional windmills beside a still canal in soft morning light
28km · canal

A ferry and two bridges

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

· Short note

 A white drawbridge and a red cycle path crossing a quiet rural canal
24km · polder

Tulip fields, off season

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

· Short note

 Early tulips in muted red and peach rows beneath a broad Dutch sky
32km · polder

Polder roads after rain

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

· Short note

 A wet lane through green polder fields reflecting the clearing sky
18km · canal

Coffee at the lock

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

· Short note

 Coffee on a wooden table beside a canal lock with a bicycle nearby