Island Hopping

Netherlands Bike + Boat Tour

Pearls of the North

What could be more enjoyable than sailing over the Wadden Sea and cycling on the West Frisian Islands? Come and find out yourself on board a boat that will bring you to three of the most beautiful West Frisian Islands as well as the Island of Wieringemeer. Breathe in the fresh air on the windswept beaches, cycle through forests and dunes, and enjoy the exceptional beauty of this part of The Netherlands. You’ll do one or two round trips on each island. Short and long bike rides are always possible, but of course you can also decide to visit the beach or go for a walk. The tour guide will ride along with you every day, choosing the long or the short route depending on the wishes of the group. However, you can also fill in the day yourself using the route descriptions.

This tour is very suitable for children. Each day offers comfortable riding with many routes to explore.

Where You’ll Stay

On the Standard Plus class ship, the Anna Antal.

What’s Included

• 7 night accommodations on board ship
• Breakfast buffets, packed lunches, 3-course dinners
• Coffee + tea on board
• Tour guide
• Route information
• Ferry fares en route

What’s Not Included

• 24-speed hybrid bicycle
• Museum entrance fees
• Beverages (incl. alcohol), available on board
• Train ticket Amsterdam to Stavoren, €27

Tour Dates

• Saturdays on July 7 & 21, 2012.

Skill Level

Easy bike & boat tour. Average daily distances of between 13 to 37 miles - variable - over flat bike paths or paved roads with little traffic.

Tour Boats

• Anna Antal

Day-To-Day Itinerary

1. Stavoren, boarding at 4 PM; short round trip, 12 mi. (20 km)
2. Stavoren – sailing to Den Oever, round trip Wieringen, 12/25 mi. (20/40)
3. Den Oever – sailing to Texel, round trip around Texel 25/31/38 mi. (40/50/60 km)
4. Texel – round trip, 25/31/38 (40/50/60 km)
5. Texel, by boat to Terschelling, round trip, 12/24 mi.(20/40 km)
6. Terschelling, round trip, 12/24 mi. (20/40 km)
7. Terschelling –sailing to Makkum – cycling to Stavoren, 20/25/28 mi. (33/40/45 km)
8. Stavoren, disembark after breakfast.

*With extreme weather, alternate routes are offered.

All distances are approximate. The above planned itinerary is subject to change due to changing wind and weather conditions and other unforeseen circumstances having to do with mooring requirements, etc.

SATURDAY: Stavoren, board at 4:00 P.M., short round trip, 12 mi. (20 km)
You can put your baggage away in your cabin and then enjoy a cup of coffee or tea. It is also a good moment to become acquainted with the guide, skipper, crew, and of course your fellow passengers. The bicycles are distributed and you can make a round tour from Stavoren. Stavoren was once a famous and prosperous Hanseatic town. The statue of the legendary “Lady of Stavoren” at the entrance to the harbor reminds visitors of this fact. The saga about this mistress goes like this: a rich merchant’s widow had valuable wheat thrown overboard and thus doing called a curse upon herself so that within a short period she lost her entire fleet and was reduced to begging. Stavoren was a member town of the German Hanseatic League. This was a powerful association of trade towns that negotiated with the kings of Norway, Sweden, and Denmark on behalf of the different member towns and tried to ensure that these nobles kept their promises. Currently, Stavoren is the busiest water sport area in Friesland thanks to its good location on the IJsselmeer and a good water connection with the Frisian lakes that are such big attractions, especially in the summer. In the evening you dine on board, after which, plans for the rest of the week are discussed.

SUNDAY: Stavoren - sail to Den Oever, round trip Wieringen 13/25 mi. (21/40 km)
After sailing over the IJsselmeer you berth at Wieringen, an area that was an island for many centuries. It’s only since 1926 that Wieringen has been connected to the mainland, due to the reclamation of an adjacent section of sea. Wieringen consists for the greater part of lateral moraines formed during the Ice Age; this gives the landscape a slightly undulating appearance and the soil a varying structure from place to place. As a result, the cultivation and soil use on Wieringen is many-sided and diversified. Over the centuries, clay areas have silted up on the edges of the higher parts; their open character gives a totally different view. Wieringen still looks like an island: many small residential areas, centuries-old picturesque roads connecting the villages, and small-scale soil cultivation. On your bike you can do a round trip counter clockwise from Den Oever over the island and see all the aspects. You will also ride through the polder area bordering Wieringen. This area contrasts strikingly with Wieringen: vast farmlands, but also forests planted in areas where the seabed was not fertile enough.

MONDAY: Den Oever - sail to Texel, round trip Texel 13/25 mi. (21/40 km)
The island of Texel is the largest of the Dutch Waddeneilanden (Wadden Islands). The average length of Texel is only 12 miles (20  km).
Bird watchers would highly appreciate this island; during the springtime, some 80 different types of birds migrate here. All in all, over 300 different species have been found!
Texel is also the highest place in Europe where spoonbill birds breed. These elegant white birds feel right at home on the island due to the absence of their greatest enemy: the fox. The largest spoonbill colony in the Netherlands is located in the De Geul nature reserve.

TUESDAY: Round trip Texel, 25 mi (40 km)
It is certainly worthwhile doing a bike trip on the island with its numerous bicycle paths. The largest village on the island is Den Burg, which has a town feel about it due to the ring-shaped streets encircling the old church. The biggest shopping center of the island is in Den Burg. The Oudheidkamer (Antiquities room) gives an impression of the way of life of the island dwellers; it is located in a building from 1599. De Koog, just a stones throw from the beach – the widest beach of the island – has developed into the main bathing resort. At De Koog you will find the Nature Center Ecomare that provides information about the flora and fauna of Texel. There is also wildlife shelter for seals. The entrance to De Cocksdorp village is particularly beauuutiful. The trees on both sides of the entrance road form a kind of tunnel to the village. From the northernmost poiint of the island you can see the neighboring island of Vlieland in clear weather. This northern section contains the nature reserve “De Slufter”. The sea is allowed to penetrate this area freely. The villages Den Hoorn, Oosterend, and De Waal are the most original and are all protected historical sites. There are still some commodore’s residences (captain’s houses from the whaling industry) in Den Hoorn. The oldest church on Texel is in Oosterend, while in De Waal you can see the Wagenmuseum, an agricultural museum in an old barn. Oudeschild used to be the entrance port for Texel until 1962, when the ferry link was shifted to the southernmost point of the island, ‘t Horntje. The picturesque harbor of Oudeschild is now just a fishing and work port, with part of it being used as a yacht harbor. The Maritime Museum is established in two former granaries. Next to this museum is the Juttersmuseum (Beachcomber museum), in an original seaweed shed. The maritime museum in Den Hoorn is also interesting. In good weather a combination of bike riding and beach is great: the beaches are large, clean, and very peaceful.

WEDNESDAY: Texel, by boat to Terschelling, round trip, 12/24 mi.(20/40 km)
Terschelling is the second largest Wadden Island and has a lot to offer in the way of natural beauty.  It's beaches, natural landscapes, attractions, museums and bike paths will make you understand why it is certainly worthwile spending two days here.  On both days you bike a route that shows you all the sides of the island; the wide dunes area with acccess to the beaches, the sheltered area behind the dunes, the cheerful villages with various attractions, the quiet, expansive polders and the Waddendijkpad (Wadden dike path) with fantastic views of the Wadden. 

THURSDAY: Terschelling, round trip 13/25 mi. (20/40 km)
Terschelling is the second largest Wadden island and has a lot to offer in the way of beach, natural beauty, landscape, attractions/museums and cycle paths; it is certainly worthwhile spending two days here to ride around. On both days you ride a route that shows you all sides of the island: the wide dunes area with the access to the beaches, the sheltered area behind the dunes, the cheerful villages with various attractions, the quiet, expansive polders, and the Waddendijkpad (Wadden dyke path) with fantastic views of the Wadden. In the dunes you come across the cranberry. It is said that in earlier times a barrel with the berries was dragged by a beachcomber into the dunes. The ‘kooibosjes’ (cage woods) are typical of Terschelling: small primeval forests between boggy meadows and plots of alder thickets. Terschelling is the birthplace of Willem Barentsz who attempted to discover India in 1596 via the North Pole; on his third attempt he got stuck and had to spend the winter on Nova Zembla. The famous lighthouse (and the oldest in the Netherlands) is the Brandaris, built in 1594 to replace the St. Brandariskapel (chapel that was swallowed up by the sea). Of course there are different museums and attractions to see, including the Terscelling museum ‘t Behouden Huys with an extensive collection of historically interesting objects and facts, the Wrakken (wrecks) museum, a Cranberry farm, and a Fishing museum. You can also do walks in a nature reserve, with or without a guide, or visit a duck decoy.

FRIDAY: Terschelling - sail to Makkum, cycle to Stavoren 28/25/20 mi. (44/40/32 km)
After visiting the oldest earthenware factory in The Netherlands, the “Koninklijke Tichelaar Makkum”, known worldwide for its earthenware and tiles, you cycle over narrow paths and roads right through the Frisian country “De Greidhoek” (the meadow area). Here you will experience large expanses of pastureland with cows, birds, and haymaking farmers, with a lonely farmhouse here and there. On your way, you pass compact old towns with rich trade histories, like Workum and Hindeloopen. Both those places offer different interesting museums and attractions, and in the summer it is pleasantly busy. Take the time here to have a good look around. Workum used to be a thriving harbor town. The two canals in the center of town have been filled in, and now form a lovely marketplace. There is a earthenware factory here too, that still supplies the real Frisian farm earthenware in green and brown. The Jopie Huisman-museum is special: a museum dedicated to the painted art of just one man, who was a rag-and-bone man in his daily life. He died in the summer of 2000. You continue on to Hindeloopen. Hindeloopen is situated on a peninsula in the former Zuiderzee, and is very well known for its woodcutting and painting crafts, its beautiful captains’ homes, and traditional costume. Hindeloopen is great to visit on foot. You cross narrow bridges and walk through small passageways. After Hindeloopen you ride along the dyke, later through pastureland, until familiar territory appears: Stavoren. This is where your bike trip ends.

SATURDAY: Stavoren, debarkation after breakfast.

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