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Day 1 Saturday: Arrive Hoorn.
From the airport in Amsterdam it is a short train journey to the centre of the city and then another train to Hoorn where you will be able to check in to your hotel. (NB If you plan to drive to the start please inform us so that we can arrange parking). Your table for your evening meal has been booked in a restaurant in the centre of Hoorn from where you can see the traditional sailing ships on the Havenhoofd.
On your arrival at the Hotel you will receive an information package, in which you will find the following:
A map on which your cycle trips are marked
An information booklet
The hotel vouchers
A bicycle form for your hire bike
Tourist information of each town where you will stay
Information of ferry departure times and prices. (These are not included in the package price, you will have to pay locally – approx £15 in total per person).
 Day 2 Sunday: Hoorn to Rijs, 22 miles (35km).
After breakfast you cycle along the coastline of the IJssel Lake to the lively town of Enkhuizen, another splendid port from the rich Dutch past. Enkhuizen, like its neighbor Hoorn, exhibits many interesting examples of domestic architecture dating from the 16th and 17th centuries, when it was an important and flourishing city. The facades of the houses are usually built in courses of brick and stone, and adorned with carvings, sculptures and inscriptions. If you are travelling with children take the opportunity to visit "Fairyland" to see Snowwhite, Little Red Riding hood, The sleeping beauty and lots of others. The children can visit the farm, sail in small boats or cycle in a 'rat' through Hamelen village. From here you take the ferry to Stavoren in the Province of Friesland (± 80 minutes - cost about €15 per person) where it is a one hour bike ride to your next hotel in Rijs for dinner and overnight stay.
Day 3 Monday: Rijs to Ossenzijl, 28 miles (45km).
From Rijs, you cycle via the 17th century port of Lemmer and ride alongside the Tjeuke Lake passing through several tiny rural villages such as Echtenerbrug to Ossenzijl. Your hotel for the night is the ‘De Kluft’ located in the National Park De Weerribben.
Day 4 Tuesday: Ossenzijl to Zwartsluis, 25 miles (40km).
Ride through the nature reserve ‘De Weerribben’ to Steenwijk and into the village of Giethoorn, the ‘Venice of the North’, a delightful car free village of quaint, thatched houses and tiny canals. The first inhabitants made their living digging peat out of the bogs. This formed lakes in the area as they dug down below water level. Because they needed ways to transport the peat, they excavated canals. These canals are now one of the most interesting features of the town. You can make a cruise on the canals with a 'punter' (a traditional barge especially used on these small canals) or just take a stroll around this fascinating village. Continue through an area of beautiful lakes and woodland ending in the lively town of Zwartsluis for dinner and overnight stay.
Day 5 Wednesday: Zwartsluis to Harderwijk, 44 miles (70km).
You take a small ferry to Genemuiden and cycle to Kampen, full of monuments and a historic hanseatic town. From Kampen, the road leads to Elburg, a former fishing-town with a beautiful harbour. There are a number of old water pumps in Elburg, all of which are still working. Another feature of the town is the mosaic work on the ground, made of white and black gravel. The day ends in the town of Harderwijk where you can enjoy a relaxing drink at one of the many terrace cafés.
Day 6 Thursday: Harderwijk to Eemnes, 31 miles (50km).
Cycle through a huge area of woods and moorland to Nijkerk where you can visit the local cheese farm or the steam pumping station. Continue your journey to your hotel in Eemnes.
Day 7 Friday: Eemnes to Weesp, 19 miles (30km).
After breakfast you cycle through the village of Blaricum with its exclusive houses and the Tafelberg moorlands to the 14th century fortress town of Naarden-Vesting, which is one of the finest walled towns in the Netherlands. Your journey continues via the Ankeveense Plassen, a lake area, and follows the picturesque river Vecht until you reach the final stop of your tour in Weesp.
Day 8 Saturday: Depart from Weesp.
After breakfast you check out from your hotel for your homeward journey. Weesp is only 20 minutes by train from Amsterdam.
NB - Some weeks the itinerary may be in reverse, i.e. Weesp to Hoorn |
Freedom Holiday 
Your holiday starts in Hoorn, where you dine in the old harbour overlooking the traditional sailing ships. You cycle along the coastline of the IJsselmeer towards Enkhuizen from where you take the ferry across the IJsselmeer to Stavoren in the province of Friesland. The wide Friesian landscape surrounds you while cycling to the village of Rijs one of your overnight stops. Cycling along the west coast of Friesland through an area of marshes, reedy broads and canals, you will reach the pleasant village of Lemmer, a popular water sports centre. From here your route passes the Tjeukemeer and goes through rural villages to the De Weerribben national park, a unique marshland. Because of the many small canals and waterways, Giethoorn is often called ‘The Venice of the North’. While you are staying there you may like to take a canal cruise with a ‘punter’. 