Some weeks ago the heath was in full bloom all over the Netherlands. Not knowing it from each other David and I decided to cycle through the heath in the same weekend and we both filmed too. His video of the heath in Drenthe province could be seen earlier. I will show you my video of the heath near Hilversum and Laren in North-Holland province today.
Cycle path through the heath near Hilversum
and Laren (North-Holland province).
There are beautiful cycle paths. The white of the crushed shells used as paving material stands out against the purple heath, the blue sky and the green of trees and grass. This heath is special in the history of cycling in the Netherlands, but not the recent history that I covered in last weeks post.
These cycle paths go back a long way. A very long way. In fact they were among the first to be built in the Netherlands. Money for their construction was brought together by societies founded for the specific reason of building and maintaining cycle routes in this richer region of the country. The paths were needed for the well to do who wanted to spend a nice Sunday afternoon on their brand new bicycles. The “Vereniging voor aanleg en onderhoud van wielerpaden in Gooi en Eemland” (Society for construction and maintenance of cycle paths in Gooi and Eemland) was founded on 4th March 1914. Albeit under a different name, the society still exists and takes care of 110 kilometers of cycle paths in a relatively small region.
Chosing the model for directional sign posts for cyclist in the Netherlands,
February 1919.
Early in its existence the society also pushed A.N.W.B. the –then– national cyclists’ union to place road signs. At the heath near Laren some members of the board gathered around three proposed designs. On 21st February 1919 they chose a simple low and square shaped concrete sign post. It was painted white and the destinations and distances were hand painted on all four sides. The signs were soon to be nicknamed ‘paddestoelen’ or toadstool/mushroom because of their shape. To this date the sign posts can be found all over the Netherlands. A replica of ‘mushroom’ number 1 is placed at the heath near Laren on the exact location where the decision was taken.
Highland cattle in the Netherlands
The video shows how pleasant it is to ride your bicycle through the heath. Not only do you meet many others cycling, there is also some wild life. We see roe deer, a lot of sheep and –more surprising– highland cattle too.
Cycling through the heath, Hilversum (Netherlands)
Looks very nice. Thanks for not adding music to the video. It was nice hearing the nature sounds - the bird singing. In places the path was quite narrow. You seemed to rent a bike for the ride. Here in Ontario they make multi-use recreational paths out of old railway tracks; they pull out the rails; the surface is hard soil, pleasant enough for biking. I like cycling on them, though they don't form any interconnected network. Some are only 20 km or so in length and some can be quite long.
@Micheal yes I always rent an OV-Fiets when I'm not in Utrecht or 's-Hertogenbosch where I have my own bikes. And I do enjoy the silence too so kept it for you to enjoy as well.
@timoohz those bulls are free to roam also on those paths and they are quite impressive. I did stay well away from them! You can see I cycle over cattle grids in the video, like at 1:35. So they cannot escape the heath. There were big heaps of poo in the woods. I already wondered what the deer were on, until I met the bulls... ;-)
timooohz - Actually the bulls are not the most dangerous, it's the cows with calves you need to stay away from. These cattle were selected because they are rugged enough to stay out all year so they more or less live in the wild. Not unlike the red deer in some London parks which last month attacked passers-by during the rutting season - of the deer, that is.
The positive stuff Three types of safety - the importance of subjective safety. Dutch Safety Figures - Cyclists in the Netherlands are the safest in the world. Sustainable safety - the principles which have lead to Dutch roads, streets and cycle-paths being safe. A million per hour - The scale of cycling in the Netherlands is enormous. Dutch people make more cycle journeys each day than the entire English speaking world put together. What Works - examples of policy, infrastructure and campaigning which have made a different in the Netherlands. Superhighways - "Cycling superhighways" are not a new idea in the Netherlands Cycle Paths - Well designed cycle paths benefit all cyclists, regardless of experience or speed Segregation without cycle paths - you don't always need a cycle path to keep cyclists safe from motorists History - how the Netherlands got to where it is now Before and After - views of places before and after they have been transformed for cycling Directness - examples of prioritising cycling Traffic Lights - examples of how cyclists can be prioritised and kept safe at traffic light junctions. Roundabouts - roundabouts in the Netherlands have one very important feature to learn from: They keep cyclists away from motor vehicles. This is far more important than the differences in geometry vs. roundabouts in other countries. Gritting of cycle paths - dealing with snow and ice. Children - It may seem hackneyed, but children really are the future. If they can't cycle safely then where will future adult cyclists come from ? School travel Cycle Parking Cycle Parking at railway stations Health effects of cycling Road Works - cyclists are thought of in the Netherlands Commuting - Commuting cyclists are interesting, but they're not the only people who should ride bikes. Anatomy of a reliable everyday bicycle - the common features of bikes used by nearly every person every day in the Netherlands. Speed - a post specifically for those who imagine that everyone in the Netherlands is slow
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We make our living by organizing cycling holidays and selling quality bicycle components.
A cyclist in a cycling family living in the capital of the cycling province of the world's greatest cycling country. I was born in the UK, lived for a bit in New Zealand and now live in the Netherlands. I do varied work, running a web shop, making baskets and as a cycling tour guide.
My email address is david@hembrow.eu
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4 reacties:
Looks very nice. Thanks for not adding music to the video. It was nice hearing the nature sounds - the bird singing. In places the path was quite narrow. You seemed to rent a bike for the ride. Here in Ontario they make multi-use recreational paths out of old railway tracks; they pull out the rails; the surface is hard soil, pleasant enough for biking. I like cycling on them, though they don't form any interconnected network. Some are only 20 km or so in length and some can be quite long.
Glad to see you weren't ignoring the bull! :-P
I didn't see any bullshit on the paths, so is the cattle fenced away from the paths?
@Micheal yes I always rent an OV-Fiets when I'm not in Utrecht or 's-Hertogenbosch where I have my own bikes. And I do enjoy the silence too so kept it for you to enjoy as well.
@timoohz those bulls are free to roam also on those paths and they are quite impressive. I did stay well away from them! You can see I cycle over cattle grids in the video, like at 1:35. So they cannot escape the heath. There were big heaps of poo in the woods. I already wondered what the deer were on, until I met the bulls... ;-)
timooohz - Actually the bulls are not the most dangerous, it's the cows with calves you need to stay away from. These cattle were selected because they are rugged enough to stay out all year so they more or less live in the wild. Not unlike the red deer in some London parks which last month attacked passers-by during the rutting season - of the deer, that is.
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