Today was going to be a great days cycling - my cold was much better, there was no rain, there was only a slight headwind nd as I set off from Hoorn the sun was out, blue skies and I had one lesslayer on than normal .I hugged the coast for 4 miles at a very gentle enjoyable pace before stiking inland towards Avenhorn, where my plan was to follow quiet dykes rather than busy roads.
In no time I found muyself at a beautiful little corener near Oudendijk called Les Deux Ponts wher two small vintage looking bridges spanned a couple of junctions where two dykes branched, there was a small cafe and I imagined this place getting rammed in the summer.
I followed a waterway down to Middenbeemster where a 90 degree turn east took me to De Rijk which was beautiful with houses backing on to waterways and great reflections. Stll following the waterways I was pretty much in the middle of Noord Holland and at Spikkerboor about 4 dykes meet up, one of which is major and the land between here and Wormer to the south is just as much water as land - propert fenland, I guess this is a few feet lower than the rest of the area.
As a result I needed to cross quite a klarge dyke and there wasn't a bridge, there was however a guy with a boat big enough for maybes 10 bikes going back and forward as people turned up. This was a really pretty corner too, away form the main roads.
The ride down to Ijmuiden for the last 10 miles became more urban as I went through Krommenie then beverwijk and Velsen-Noord before crossing the huge sluiceways stradling the entrance from the North Sea into the Amstel and all the dutch inland waterways and seas.
I passed the huge Tata Steelworks before fiinally crossing the sluices at my 3rd attempt as they've been closed for refurbishment for a few years.
So Back on board the ferry affter a late autumn 390 miles to Dortmund and back - enjoyable ? Yes, very much so.
Would I advise it ? Probably not - you are really at the behest of the weather at this time of year and the hours of daylight are short. Plus the debris and dirt the bike pick up is unreal.