Great Campsite. Very friendly & helpful staff. Close to supermarket. Efficient campsite. Good heart restaurant woth fair prices. Wifi, works well on hole campsite. Lend us a small table and chairs. Willing to put freezer block in freezer. Street a little noisy but not to bad. Will stay here again
Day 3 Kröv to Trittenheim We cycled 48km Kröv (Mosel) to Trittenheim 🚴🏻♀️🚴🏻 Day 14. Another great day! We cycled 48km Kröv (Mosel) to Trittenheim 🚴🏻♀️🚴🏻 (Day 14). Another great day. The wonderful vineyards, beautiful river , landscapes is just amazing
The gradient of the vineyards is just incredibly steep. I am amazed!🍇🍇🥂🍷
https://anniestours.blogspot.com/2024/03/?m=1
https://strava.app.link/5lU27f3VSKb
🏕 Camped at:
https://www.camping-trittenheim.de/
Great Campsite. Helpful staff. Very clean. Wifi, works well on hole campsite. Lend us a small table and chairs. Willing to put freezer block in freezer. The owner lend us good quality glasses to enjoy our wine. 🍾🍷Will stay here again
Day 4 Trittenheim to Konz
We cycled 48km from Trittenheim via beautiful Trier (considered oldeat city in Germany) to Konz.🚴🏻♀️🚴🏻 (Day15) Another great day!🍇🍇🥂🍷
We were lucky, we had enough time to enjoy ☕️ & breakfast and pack up our camp before the rain started. It was a fairly cold rainy day 🌧 but we still enjoyed it a lot. We spend some time in Trier, lovely city. We bought a new gasbottel at Globetrotters
Amazing store! I got carried a way a little... In short, I had some retail therapy. Will show you..
The campsite in Konz is located at the confluence of the Mosel & Saar River. We started the Mosel Section at the " junction" of the Mosel & Rhine River. Special!
Trier is considered Germany's oldest city. It is also the oldest seat of a bishop north of the Alps.
Trier was one of the four capitals of the Roman Empire during the Tetrarchy period in the late 3rd and early 4th centuries.
In the Middle Ages, the archbishop-elector of Trier was an important prince of the Church who controlled land from the French border to the Rhine. The archbishop-elector of Trier also had great significance as one of the seven electors of the Holy Roman Empire.
Due to its significance during the Roman and Holy Roman empires, several monuments and cathedrals within Trier are listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
https://strava.app.link/eoLU4p0dWKb
🏕 Camped at:
https://campingplatz-konz.de/
Great Campsite at the confluence of the Mosel and Saar Rivers. Friendly & Helpful staff. Wifi, works well on whole campsite. Tables and chairs available for the small tents as well as charging points. Willing to put freezer block in freezer. Facilities bit older but clean. Very reasonable rates. Good, hearty restaurant on site. Will stay here again.
Day 5 Konz to Kylburg
We cycled 65 km from Konz to Kyllburg in the South Eifel of Germany 🇩🇪🚴🏻♀️🚴🏻 (Day16) Wonderful route. Some stretches magically beautiful. We also cycled thoroug Bitburg known gor good Bitburg beer 🍻 The route was challenging towards the end, with many "uphills". We slept well😴🚴🏻♀️🚴🏻
Naturpark Südeifel in Germany, lies within the German-Luxembourg Nature Park which is a cross-border nature park, which was established on 17 April 1964 by state treaty between the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate and the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. It thus became the first cross-border nature park in Western Europe.
https://strava.app.link/mScG7sLTXKb
🏕 Camped at:
https://campkyllburg.de/
Great Campsite on the Kyllriver. Friendly & Helpful staff. Wifi, works well on whole campsite. Tables and chairs available for the small tents as well as charging points. Fridge with small freezer section available for small tents. Facilities good & clean. Very reasonable rates. Will definitely stay here again.
Uphill and downhill. Challenging day with heavy bicycles. 🚴🏻🚴🏻♀️⛺️
Day 6 Kylburg to Kronenburger See
We cycled 64 km from Kyllburg to Kronenburger See in the Vulkaneilfel of Germany 🇩🇪🚴🏻♀️🚴🏻 (Day17) Wonderful route. The route was challenging lots of uos and downs but amazingly beautiful We slept well😴🚴🏻♀️🚴🏻
Naturpark Vulkaneilfel in Germany, lies within the German-Luxembourg Nature Park which is a cross-border nature park, which was established on 17 April 1964 by state treaty between the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate and the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. It thus became the first cross-border nature park in Western Europe.
https://strava.app.link/VvlSmgU2YKb
🏕 Camped at:
https://www.campingpark-kronenburger-see.de/
The only campsite in the area that we could find. Efficient Campsite Friendly & Helpful staff. No Wifi, works, no charging points, no tables and chairs available for the small tents. No Fridge orfacilities freezer facilities. Bathroom facilities good & clean. Reasonable rates. Will stay here again, partially because there is n other options.
Day 7 Kronenburger See to Monschau
We cycled 65 km from to Monschau through the Nordeilfel of Germany 🇩🇪🚴🏻♀️🚴🏻 (Day18)
Beautiful route and we saw water buffalo on the way which I thought was amazing!
My bicycle 🚲 broke down. We were blessed that this happened 500m from a bicycle shop in the small village of Sourdough in Belgium 🇧🇪 . Even more blessed that the store, Burkardt, had all the spare parts in stock.
We visited the picture perfect historical city of Monschau. Beautiful!
Water buffalos 🐃 are helping the Deutsche Bahn🇩🇪🚆to transform former military sites into a swamp which ensure the survival of other animals.🐸
https://nachhaltigkeit.deutschebahn.com/en/measures/water-buffalo
In other areas the water buffalo 's🐃🍶 milk are used to make delicious buffolo mozzarella 🧀 😋
The North Eifel, the northern part of the Eifel, is a low mountain range in Germany and East Belgium. It is a beautiful area that offers plenty of hiking, cycling opportunities as well as cultural activities.
https://nordeifel-tourismus.de/en
https://strava.app.link/VvlSmgU2YKb
🏕 Camped at:
https://zum-jone-bur.de/
Good Campsite. Good location. Friendly & Helpful staff. Wifi frre but only works in reception area. works. One table and bench available for the small tents. No Fridge or freezer facilities. No charging points, charged at plugs in bathroom. Bathroom facilities good & clean. Willing to put my freezer block in freezer. Reasonable rates. Will stay here again.
Day 8 Monschau to Vaals via Aachen
We cycled 60 km from Monschau via Aachen (in Germany 🇩🇪) to Vaals (in the Netherlands🇳🇱)🚴🏻♀️🚴🏻 and cycling through Belgium🇧🇪. (Day19) Part of the route is called the Three Landen route. With good reason, we were criss-crossing between 3 Countries 🇩🇪 , 🇳🇱, 🇧🇪
One often only realize that you now in another country when your phone indicates "no network". Then you have to switch" the network operator" to the country you in. When doing so, you find out in which country you actually are.
And of course the menus in restaurants also suddenly change between 🌭 Bratwurst, Stoofvlees, Bitterballen and 🍟 Pommes frites, frietjes, friets etc. And of course the beers 🍻 Bitburg, Davel, Heineken and more!
Food for sale in Grocery Store also indicates to an extent in which country you are.
Frites which the Belgians are believed to have invented back in 1781. Frites are thicker than French fries and very crisp because you fry them twice. You can pick up a cornet de frites (fries in a cone-shaped card container) from a mobile food stall known as a frietkot (or fry shack).
And to top it all, it is a beautiful route. 🚴🏻♀️🚴🏻 Large part was on the lovely Venbahn route.
The Vennbahn Cycle Route is a cross-border long- distance cycle route between Germany , Belgium and Luxembourg , which runs along the route of the Vennbahn , which was built during the Prussian era and closed and dismantled in 2002, over a distance of around 125 km.
The route was created as the longest cross-border, connected cycle, and hiking route in Europe on disused railway lines. The total costs were estimated at 13.6 million euros in 2012. The main financial contributors were the EU, Germany, Belgium. It is part of the RAVeL network (French: Réseau Autonome de Voies Lentes)
https://anniestours.blogspot.com/
https://strava.app.link/mhGo2JQt3Kb
🏕 Camped at:
Kampeerterrein Hoeve de Gastmolen in Vaals
https://g.co/kgs/2oX3S9u
Great Campsite. Good location. Friendly & Helpful staff. Wifi free but only works in reception area. works. Two table and benches available for the small tents. Freezer available to use. Recreation room. No charging points, charged at plugs in recreation room. Bathroom facilities very good & clean. Will definitely stay here again.
Day 9 Vaals via Maastricht to Maasmechelen
We cycled 60 km from Vaals via vibrant city of Maastricht (in the Netherlands🇳🇱) to Klein Borkel in Belgium🇧🇪. Wonderful cycling day! (Day 20) 🚴🏻♀️🚴🏻
Maastricht might be the oldest city in the Netherlands, some claim that Nijmegen holds the title. Either way, it has been inhabited continuously since Roman times, evolving from a Roman settlement to a religious centre, a garrison city and an early industrial city.
Maastricht was almost in abelgium, the Belgians declared independence in 1830. When the border had to be drawn in 1839, General Dibbets, at the very last minute, stopped Maastricht from becoming Belgian territory and made sure it was part of the Netherlands.
Maastricht was the first Dutch city to be liberated by Allied forces after WWII ended, and also the site of signing of the Maastricht Treaty in 1992, which led to the creation of the European Union and the euro.
https://anniestours.blogspot.com/
https://strava.app.link/YAjNSGHb5Kb
🏕 Camped at:
https://www.campingsalamander.be/
Average Campsite. Good location to visit Hoge Kempen National Park. Friendly & Helpful staff. Wifi free but only works whole campsite. No tables and benches available for the small tents. We lend from other campers. Willing to put freezer block in freezer No charging points, charged at plugs in recreation room or at reception. Bathroom facilities not young anymore & clean. Restaurant good. Will not necessarily stay here again. We did enjoy our stay. Many permanent/long term campers, all very friendly and helpfull.
Day 10: Maasmechelen to Borkel
We cycled 67 km from Maasmechelen in Belgium🇧🇪 to Klein Borkel (in the Netherlands🇳🇱) another Wonderful cycling day! (Day 21) 🚴🏻♀️🚴🏻
We are amased by the Netherlands 🇳🇱 friendly people, lovely nature, good food, great hiking and cycling opportunities etc.
The Netherland may be small, but it has so much nature! 🐇🐦⬛There are 21 National parks and more than 160 Nature Reserves. In the parks you will find all the typical Dutch landscapes, such as dunes, woods, moorlands, bogs, valleys and swamps. Every park has its own local flora and fauna. It is a dream for cyclist, hikers, birdwatchers and nature lovers.
The knooppunt fietsnetwerk 🚲 is fantastic. The cycle junction (knooppunte) network is a system of regional cycle routes, composed of numbers from 0 to 99. You will encounter signs with the knooppunt numbers on along the regional cycle routes in the Netherlands & Belgium. At most of the knooppunte there is a map from where one can orientate onsself again.
The system makes it easy to map out your own cycle route, simply by connecting the junctions. Whether you are a seasoned cyclist or just want to relax in the fresh air for a day, the network offers an ideal way to enjoy nature and discover new areas. Fantastic!🚴🏻🚴🏻♀️
https://anniestours.blogspot.com/
https://strava.app.link/cp44BmKn7Kb
🏕 Camped at:
https://zwaluwnest.eu/
Great Campsite on a farm. Very Friendly & Helpful. Wifi free, works on most of the campsite. They gave us tables and chairs to use. Willing to put freezer block in freezer. Charging point availablefor small tents Can also charged at plugs in bathroom. Bathroom facilities very clean. No restaurant. Location great cycle or ho on hikes in adjacent nature areas Would love to stay here again.
Day 11: Klein Borkel via Eindhoven to Rosmalen
We cycled 80 km from Klein Borkel via Eindhoven to Rosmalen in the Netherlands🇳🇱). Another wonderful cycling day! (Day 22) 🚴🏻♀️🚴🏻
Eindhoven is a city of technology, design, and knowledge. Here, engineers and creatives work closely together on groundbreaking projects. These crossovers give Eindhoven its exciting energy and make it an international top city for innovation.
Eindhoven is considered the design capital of the Netherlands. Its biggest event is the annual Dutch Design Week, where hundreds of talented and established designers showcase their latest creations and new futuristic designs The Dutch Design Week (DDW) is arguable the largest design event in Northern Europe.
The Design Academy Eindhoven and the Technical University attract hundreds of new students from the Netherlands and abroad to study in Eindhoven.
More than 125 years ago, Philips brought light 💡to Eindhoven. Industrial heritage sites, such as old Philips factories and power stations throughout Eindhoven, have been transformed into trendy shops, exceptional restaurants, luxury lofts, and creative workplaces
Even in the field of cycling, Eindhoven is innovative. The luminous Van Gogh Roosegaarde Cycle Path is inspired by Van Gogh's 'Starry Night' and designed by designer Daan Roosegaarde. Hovenring is probably the world's first ever floating bicycle path?
Stratumcstreet, in the heart of the city, is officially the longest pub street in Benelux. 🍻
🏕Camped at:
We planned to camp here 👆🏻⛺️
However, a friend invited us to stay with her. So, we did not camp here as planned. It was a blessing since there was a heavy thunder storm ⛈️ 🌬 and it was pouring with rain🌧☔️
We had a lovely time with our friend. The complex had a bouls evening & and invited us to join. It was loads of fun & we learned some Dutch while playing 🎉🎈
Day 12: Rosmalen via Culemborg to Kockengen
We cycled 88 km from Rosmalen via Culemborg to Kockengen in the Netherlands🇳🇱). Lovely route. Another Wonderful cycling day! (Day 23) 🚴🏻♀️🚴🏻
Culemborg is the birth place of Jan van Riebeeck who is regarded as Culemborg’s most famous son
In 1652 Van Riebeeck and 82 men and 8 women arrived on 3 ships in Table Bay (Cape Town) 🇿🇦 They had to established a replenishment station for the Dutch East India Company. The ships travelling from the Dutch Republic to Batavia could then stock up on water and fresh fruit and vegetables in Table Bay. They were the first European colony on South African soil .
Culemborg was a prosperous trading settlement that received its city rights as early as 1318. It remained an independent domain outside of the Dutch Republic up until 1714 that gave refuge to criminals and debtors.
Throughout much of the era of the Republic of the Seven United Provinces (1581 to 1795), Culemborg remained a free city with market and asylum rights and a place where people trying to evade courts and creditors in the Dutch Republic could seek refuge. The laws of the Dutch Republic did not apply here and in the 16th and 17th centuries, Culemborg developed a fairly dubious reputation for itself. In Amsterdam, the phrase ‘going to Cuylenborg’ became synonymous with declaring bankruptcy and running off to evade the consequences. However, this did not mean that Culemborg was a lawless wild west: local law still applied.
Elisabeth of Culemborg was the last descendent of the House of Culemborg. A wealthy philanthropist, she left an indelible mark on the city. She was responsible for commissioning a new town hall and founded the Elisabeth Gasthuis, a home for elderly men and women. An orphanage was also built in 1560 with money from her estate.
https://janvanriebeeckmuseum.nl
https://strava.app.link/TGDY7PCyhLb
🏕 Camped at:
https://www.campingvdpanne.nl/
Campsite on a farm. Very Friendly & Helpful. Wifi free, works on the whole campsite. Willing to put freezer block in freezer. Nothing for small tents. No tables and chairs to use. No Charging points available for small tents Can charged at plugs in the bathroom. Bathroom facilities are old but clean. No restaurant. Lovely deck on water with bench. This was great
Day 13: Kockengen via Weesp, Amsterdam to Amstelveen
We cycled 60 km from Kockengen via Weesp and the de Pijp in Oud Zuid, to Aalsmeer in the Netherlands🇳🇱). Lovely route. Another Wonderful cycling day! (Day 24) 🚴🏻♀️🚴🏻
En-route we stopped for coffee ☕️ with friends & family. It was delightful to meet them on the way.
This was a cold, windy and rainy day, felt like Cape Town in winter.🌧☔️.
Weesp is on the Amsterdam-Rijn canal and the De Vecht River. It's history dates back to the middle ages, to the year 1355, when it was granted city rights. From the 12th till the late 15th century De Vecht river was a popular trade route for ships going land inwards. Due to a civil war in the late 15th century, the period of prosperity came to an end. After a period of economic decline, history of Weesp is characterized by breweries in the 17th century, porcelain in the 18th century and a chocolate factory in the 19th century. Weesp have monumental buildings, canals and small shops like Amsterdam, but its undiscovered by the big crowd. Amsterdam is just 15km away.
De Pijp is a charming, bohemian neighbourhood in Amsterdam, right outside the canal rings and neighbouring the famous Museumplein area; it’s a part of the bigger borough called Oud-Zuid. It has a residential feel to it, but it’s also lively, given the multitude of markets, shops and restaurants
https://anniestours.blogspot.com/
https://strava.app.link/wXdbpJ6FlLb
🏕Camped at; No camping tonight. We spoiled ourselves with a bit of luxury in a lovely abnb in Aalsmeer. Beautiful place, with lovely setting with a Weber gas braai on the deck. Inside fire place. Walking distance to supermarket and restaurants but in quiet relaxed area. Will definitely want to stay here again.
Accommodation:
https://www.westeindercabin.com/
Day 14 Kudelstaart to Piershil (where we started)This we cycled 83 km from Kudelstaart to Piershil in the Netherlands passing by Rotterdam 🇳🇱 This is where started initially, circle route of 1600km completed
Lovely route. Another Wonderful cycling day! (Day 25) 🚴🏻♀️🚴🏻
Rotterdam's history goes back to 1270, when a dam was constructed in the Rotte. In 1340,
It is the 2nd biggest city in the Netherlands 🇳🇱and has the largest seaport in Europe 🇪🇺
The near-complete destruction of the city center during the World War II German bombing has resulted in a varied architectural landscape, including skyscrapers designed by architects such as Rem Koolhaas, Piet Blom and Ben van Berkel
Rotterdam is known for its university, riverside setting, lively cultural life, maritime heritage, and modern architecture.
https://strava.app.link/T6LzItXrnLb
🏕Campsite: no camping tonight.
Accommodation: We stayed worh dear friends where we also left our bicycle boxes 📦 which we need for to pack bicycle for our flight back home
Day 26
Time to fly home ✈️🇿🇦 It was an amazing 1600km cycling tour through the Netherlands 🇳🇱 Germany 🇩🇪 Belgium 🇧🇪 Luxembourg 🇱🇺 🚴🏻♀️🚴🏻
Emirates Airlines was fantastic!
Hope to be back in 2025 🚴🏻🚴🏻♀️😀
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