Hike in Holland

We were pleasantly surprised by the diversity in The Green Heart of Holland, despite being on holiday in our own country. Everything was arranged very nicely. Sometimes the hikes were a bit more intensive than expected, due to the uneven paths in some parts of the trips. However, we enjoyed our journey and would highly recommend it to anyone who likes a beautiful hike.

This is a review for a hike called Along the Dutch Waterline. The Netherlands has become an old friend — we meet now and then, have a few beers, go for a hike, have a few beers, talk to folks we meet along the way, eat some cheese and Dutch apple pie, drink some beer — you get the idea. Dutch ingenuity didn’t fail to impress me again. I’ve already seen first-hand the enormously complex system of water management here. But I’ve learned something new — this complex system designed to enable people to inhabit the land could also be used for the opposite purpose — to make the land impassable by strategically flooding selected areas to stop invading infantries and cavalries. It worked several times in the past to prevent invasions of Holland, but the employment of aviation for making war made this elaborate system obsolete. Well, not quite obsolete because it’s a part of the impressive Dutch infrastructure for recreation and outdoor activities. I visited a few familiar towns, and a number of towns and villages new to me. If I were to do this again, I’d book an extra night in Utrecht, a town delightfully old and modern at the same time. The Dutch are masters of making contemporary architecture fit perfectly within the context of both history and landscape. Instead of sticking out like sore thumbs, modern buildings and structures appear very harmonious with their surroundings, like art objects upon the landscape. Of course, the hotels and food were excellent as I’ve gotten used to in the Netherlands; Navigation was very easy, did not lose the route even once by using the printed instructions and the provided GPS tracks with voice prompts. Didn’t even need the printed maps.

Netherlands is a very walkable country, and Hike in Holland makes it very easy and enjoyable to explore beautiful Dutch countryside and towns on foot. I had the best experience and would absolutely recommend "Hike in Holland."

Holland in February? Freezing weather, North Sea gale winds plunging temperatures to -30 degrees, 2 meter high snow drifts? Actually, nothing like that at all. I’ve walked/hiked many of the tours offered by Hike In Holland in Spring and Summertime, but this time my wife and I were looking for a February walk, and we chose The Estates of South Holland. For better or for worse, February is now Springtime in Holland weather-wise. Although we had a few rainy days (no problem with Gore Tex clothing), it was reasonably warm most days. And we were delighted to see many flowers in bloom everywhere we went: rhododendrons, spirea, heath/heather, snowdrops, daffodils, crocuses, even some tulips, and many others. Some trees and shrubs already had small leaves opening up. While this walk was centered in The Hague, Leiden and Voorschoten, there was also some walking in the rural/suburban areas between those towns. Rie and Peer selected paths that took us through a number of old Dutch estates with parks, gardens, manor houses, lakes and canals. Although the gardens weren’t as lavish and bright as they would be in Spring or Summertime, there’s also beauty in the Nature in other seasons. And dropping into a warm cozy Dutch teahouse or coffeehouse on a rainy day provides a greater jolt of pleasure than it would do on a warm sunny day (in my humble opinion). Netherlands is uniquely architected for the enjoyment by walkers as there are walking paths or sidewalks from anywhere to anywhere. In many (most?) countries the road infrastructure is prioritized for cars and trucks, but in the Netherlands walkers and cyclists are given as much (and sometimes more) priority and consideration. Discovering a place on foot is very different from discovering it by bike or car — walking allows one to focus on surroundings, pause or linger to enjoy birds, trees, flowers, architecture, people you encounter on your path. Most things in Netherlands are built on a human scale (with the exception of a few monumental structures in the Hague), so as a walker you don’t feel overwhelmed by the man-made environment and cars. Almost no other place we’ve travelled shows more respect for walkers than Netherlands. For example, cars stopped for us at pedestrian crossings even before we showed any intention to cross the road (as opposed to Italy where cars aim and speed towards you as you step onto a pedestrian crossing 🙂 Also, hardly any other place is as friendly to English speakers as Netherlands (recently in France when I asked “Do you speak English?” the person responded, with a friendly smile, “Do you speak French?” :-). Nature is always the focus of our walks, but in the Netherlands it’s also very interesting to see innovative architecture with both great artistic flair and brilliant engineering. I’m always impressed by the amount of collective on-going intellectual and organizational effort that went into the design, construction and operation of canals, waterways, bridges, dams and related infrastructure. Hike In Holland selection of hotels was very good, convenient to the walking routes and in the good/interesting parts of towns for additional exploration, food/drink, etc.” Looking forward to my next Hike In Holland walk: Coast to Border in April. Allen & Joanne, United States, February 2020, The Estates of South Holland

Great service and interesting itineraries!