Day 21
Woudrichem to Rotterdam

Miles cycled
Day         26
Journey   656

We decided to go back and look at Woudrichem and have a coffee before we left. The look was short ( it was a small place) . No coffee on Sunday mornings. It was a pretty town, walled, and virtually on an island. Statutory windmill.

Woudrichem

We then had 20 miles to cover to Dordrecht – an old city. With a strong easterly we were to cross the Biobosch. This is a highly protected area of wetlands. At Woudrichem the Maas enters the Rhine. The huge amount of water spreads out into a giant delta of wetlands. We sped across (apart from a short hiccup when Brin discovered his front wheel was loose and in danger  of coming off. Sorted.)

The Biobosch, and ferry crossing.

There were hundreds of Dutch cyclists out, from women in pretty dresses to gaggles of young men in lycra. There did seem to be a bit more helmet wearing than previous years, but mainly the lycra ones.

In Dordrecht we found coffee, then visited the old town for a cafe lunch. We shared a Broodsplat.

Then the excitement of the day , The waterbus to Rotterdam. We have done this before to avoid cycling through all the docks and suburbs. To Rotterdam takes an hour. Bikes are free. It tears along, jet propelled. To see the vast expanse of waterways , shipping and tall skyscrapers from the water was a real change.

Waterbus

Our stop was Erasmus Bridge in Rotterdam. We had another cafe stop, a supermarket stop for supper supplies and out to the suburbs to the campsite. “City Camping”. We have stayed here before. It’s between the sports stadium and the zoo. Very leafy , secluded , green and good facilities. A handy place to stay before catching the boat. The main drawback is traffic noise all around. But ok as a useful one night stop. There are geese using it too.

Rotterdam cafe