I repeat: the Netherlands is not flat; the Netherlands is not cold

We break rule number one (never leave late on a hot day) again today, but in our defence we do have to travel from Zutphen to Arnhem before we can start cycling. The very kind Neil leaves me to sleep late (late for me), so we are running about an hour after plan from the get go.

I’m still suffering the after-effects of yesterday’s heat, and my legs are shot, so it is an unpleasant surprise to find that much of the early part of the day (once we are out of Arnhem) involves cycling on rolling … hills is probably an exaggeration, but there are definitely inclines that tax me more than they should.

Today was planned to be a very long day – nearly 100km – so given the heat, and the fact that I couldn’t explain why we had to do such a long day followed by only 30km or so tomorrow into Rotterdam, we adjust, and our destination is Wijk Bij Duurstede, which is only about a 50km ride.

”Where are we going tonight?” Neil asks me on the train this morning. I start to tell him, but then say, “You’ll need to see it written. I can say it till the Dutch cows come home but you’ll never be able to hear or picture it.” (Even though I do have some history with the Dutch language, I doubt I can do the town name justice anyway.)

We’re lucky (besides the hills) that a good part of our journey today is in shady forest, though finding our way through the myriad of forest bike paths proves a little challenging at times.

We stop at a small town called Rhenen for lunch and I enjoy a gazpacho. Neil growls that it isn’t enough, that I need to eat more, but it is cool and filling and I enjoy it. Any food in is good at this stage!

With huge relief (on my part) we arrive in Wijk Bij Duurstede and are welcomed to our accommodation. Our lovely host shows us to our room then provides cold drinks to help start the recovery. While I prefer a cold bitter lemon, Neil firmly believes the only way to quench his thirst is a beer. To each their own.

Wijk bij Duurstede is a pretty little village, with an ancient castle as a riverfront centrepiece. The town has a great feeling about it, and, like last night, there are plenty of people out and about in the evening. There’s even a wedding on at the castle, so sadly no end of day beer at the castle for us today.

We eat at a restaurant that has several menu items for me. I go for the Aardpeer (jerusalem artichoke) dish, which is delicious. Those who are familiar with Aardpeers will know that once eaten, they are with you, and everyone around you, for some hours to follow. But yummy though!

Our hotel, 1851 Bar & Hotel has an interesting concept. Not only is it a hotel and a bar (and a seemingly quiet one on the night we stay) it also has a number of personal cinema rooms. People can book a room and a movie and watch in privacy and comfort, while being served drinks from the bar. I wouldn’t have thought there was much of a market for this, but on the night we are there at least three of the rooms are booked. One of the staff tells us that people come from as far as Amsterdam, watch a movie and then go home. Do they not have Netflix here?

Stats for today:

• Distance: 50.56km
• Climb: 274m
• Average speed: 16.4km/h
• Average temperature: 32C
• Moving time: 3:05:24
• See our ride on Strava

The beer picture

At the end of a day’s ride, our tradition is to enjoy a beer, and to photograph it for posterity. Today’s beer picture was taken at a restaurant/bar in Wijk bij Duurstede, well after I had cooled down and recovered. I was beyond beer by then though, so I enjoyed a refreshing Aperol Spritz – not the first for the trip, but the first that has made beer of the day.

Along the way today:

Too hot to stop for pictures – the pictures are all in the story above.