NordZee route to Hook of Holland

My blissful time in the Netherlands was coming to an end, but thankfully I had one final day to savour a few last sips of South Holland. I rode back through Wateringen, where I met a crew of friendly, inquisitive livestock.

On my way, I met this super friendly flock of sheep and goats. Well, curious and friendly to me. I was petting a this super fluffy sheep, when a baby goat came up. I gave the adorable dumpling a little pet, then the sheep head butted the little guy out of the way. Its the way of the farm, I suppose. {Note for my sisters: I didn’t even put on my sheep-petting gloves! I have clearly come so far in life!}My only practical task of the day was to find myself from The Hague to the Hook of Holland by the evening, so I took the opportunity to ride part of the NordZee route, which weaves its way along the shores of the North See (as you might suppose). The wind was still fierce – whipping the bits of sand violently around. I found it amusing to see how each of the shells was resting on its own little pedestal, as the wind carried all of the rest of the surrounding sand away. There were a few brave (and likely completely batty) wind surfers enjoying the wind, which at times mean they were flying more than 10 meters over the waves. As you might imagine, the bike path was picturesque and beautiful. There were other classic Dutch scenes as I biked along: The bike path was spectacular. And I came across another surprise reference to the Dijkxhoorn name! As I neared the Hook of Holland, I walked along a beach boardwalk, tempted to sit and enjoy the view, but deterred by the howling wind and flying sand. I soon spotted a chalkboard announcing cheesecake from a restaurant on the beach, which had a comfortable patio with plexiglass walls, so I could enjoy the best of all worlds – the sun, beach, and sea while being protected from the wind. I had ended up spending several blissful hours there, reading my book, sipping coffee, and quadrupling my freckle count on my face. It was everything I could have possibly hoped for. Absolute bliss.

Remember, this is all part of my “Pedalling for Mental Health” challenge, where I am hoping to raise money for mental health research. If you are able to support this great charity, please donate here!