August 9, 2023
To Roosendaal
Our last full day in the Netherlands
We woke today to a fine day and what were said to be somewhat lighter winds. Goringem when we got away from the area around our hotel proved to be a very pretty town with a canal going through it . Some of the houses were built directly on the canal and had landing stages for their boats. It was very close to the Rhine and we knew that we were going to have to cross it today but were not sure how. We thought it might be over a huge scary bridge. However just as we were coming out of the town Komoot suddenly routed us directly into the river. There was a small ferry terminal, there with ferries going to a number of places it was just a matter of finding the right place to go. A ferry pulled in I asked the captain and he told me to take the next one that came along and it would leave at 9am. Rather a different ferry from the one yesterday - inside you really felt as if you were in a floating bus. It only took about 10 minutes or so to be efficiently taken over to the other side and we were once more on route
From now the riding was rather mixed. For quite a long time we were riding alongside a very busy motorway which is always rather tedious Then it was along dykes with small houses built along them. We were looking out for somewhere for a coffee and eventually we spotted a small town below which looked as if it could be promising so we came down and eventually found a bakery. We were not the only ones there, there was also a pair of Dutch touring cyclists. They had been on the road for three weeks and were getting home today. They were camping and said they really had had very bad weather the whole way. I am suprised at how few touring cyclists we have seen so far
We were now approaching the Maas the second large river we needed to cross today. This time it was on a bridge with a perfectly engineered cycle path . the towns on either side are taking every advantage of living on a river.
We were beginning to get tired now as the gentle wind that had been a head wind all day was no longer so gentle. We were approaching Breda which is a surprisingly big industrial city and I felt we were being taken to see ever factory in Breda - I am sure it has a nice centre but we haven’t seen it. Coming into a small town for the first time on the trip we actually overtook someone. Our route was just glancing the town so no hope of sustenance. He said follow me I will take you to the centre, so we did. Just a small problem I rode straight into a post and over I went. How embarrassing. It certainly caused a stir with people from everywhere coming to pick me up (including a lady on a mobility scooter). The only damage to either me or my bike was to our pride. The coffee and cake we had in the centre was delicious
And then we arrived. The hotel is a couple of notches down from last night but it is comfortable and has what we need. This is our last night in the Netherlands, tomorrow we get to Antwerp. We have really (apart from the unusual weather) loved our ride through the Netherlands and feel that we have seen a good cross section of country probably more that we rode through her previously on a more easterly route.
Today's ride: 67 km (42 miles)
Total: 533 km (331 miles)
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