
Holiday Highlights
- Exploring Amsterdam
- The town of Haarlem and its many interesting sites from the 17th century
- Discovering the historical windmills of Kinderdijk
- The famous 400-year-old Hortus Botanicus (Horticultural Garden) with its countless exotic plants and trees
- Staying overnight in Leiden – a historic city with many little courtyards, façades, and historical buildings
- Discovering Delft – a well-conserved medieval city with canals, a magnificent town hall and a royal tomb in the Nieuwe Kerk
Every day was a sheer delight. The scenery was varied and beautiful. I woke up every day feeling excited about the days cycling ahead. I was never disappointed. This has been a brilliant holiday.
Itinerary
- Meals: Dinner
Between 13:00 and 14.00 you’ll board your boat and be met by the captain, crew and local leader. After stowing your luggage you can enjoy a cup of tea or coffee and meet the other guests. The first part of the tour see us sailing to Spaarndam (at 14:15), known as the village of Hansje Brinker and from here we’ll take a gentle ride into the beautiful city of Haarlem.
Haarlem offers many interesting sites from the 17th century. The Market Square with the Grote Kerk (Great Church) or St. Bavo Kerk (1390-1520) is particularly well-known; Mozart gave a concert here! Other famous places include the Town Hall, the Waag (weighing-house) and the Vleeshal (the former Meat Hall, now housing part of the Frans Hals museum with many 17th-century old masters).

- Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Today starts with a short ride through the centre of Haarlem to have a better look at some of the city’s typical almshouses. From Haarlem you’ll be cycling to the ‘Cruquiusgemaal’ (Cruquius Pumping Station), one of the three steam-powered pumping stations that drained the Haarlemmer Lake between 1849 and 1852. Now a museum, it gives you an excellent idea of the Dutch ‘battle against the water‘. You’ll then make your way through the dunes to the beach and on towards Leiden, your destination for the day.

- Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
You’ll leave Leiden in a southerly direction and ride along the Vliet canal. In Voorschoten you’ll turn westwards towards the coastline. ‘Wassenaarse Slag’ (the entrance to the beach near the Dutch town of Wassenaaryou) is a great spot to take a break. The beaches can be reached through the Meijendelse Slag at the southern end or the Wassenaarse Slag at the northern end of the 8 Km stretch of coast.
The route to Delft takes you along the water once again. The old centre of Delft is well worth a visit; a well-conserved medieval city with canals, a magnificent town hall and a royal tomb in the Nieuwe Kerk. .

- Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Today is yours to do with as you please! You can stay in Delft and discover the old centre or visit The Hague by public transport. Delft is a beautiful town to wander round; learn more about the famous dutch painter Vermeer at the Vermeer Centre or visit the Nieuwe Kerk. When the weather is clear the view from the Nieuwe Kerk (New Church) is spectacular; a large part of the Green Heart can be seen from here! It is here in Delft also, that the famous blue and white Delft Blue pottery originated and it’s still produced by hand.
The most prominent features of Delft are its five windmills, the tallest in the world. Once there were over twenty mills in the town, most of them being used for grinding grain for the distillers who distilled malt spirit for the jenever (Dutch type of gin) industry. The remaining five giants are still characteristic of the city.
The city of The Hague has an international character with its wide avenues, parks and stately mansions. Possible visits include the Peace Palace (housing the International Court of Justice) the Binnenhof, with the 13th-century Ridderzaal (Knights’ Hall) and the seat of the Dutch Government and Parliament.
- Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
The first part of today’s route will see you sailing through the centre of Rotterdam, thus giving you the best view of the modern architecture of this port. Your cycling day starts in Kinderdijk and then takes you through the Alblasserwaard, situated in between rivers and showing you a wide scenery of water and meadows.
Via the ‘storks village’ of Groot-Ammers you’ll cross the river Lek and enter Schoonhoven, renowned for its silver industry. In the Bartholomeus Church Olivier van Noort was buried, the first Hollander who made a trip around the world, in the 17th century. The bells in the little open tower of the town hall were cast out of his ship’s cannons.
You’ll continue on towards Gouda. Known for its cheese, pipes, stroopwafels (treacle-waffles) and pottery. You will also discover beautiful stained-glass windows, a fairytale-like town hall and atmospheric canals. Gouda is a beautiful Old-Dutch city and after dinner you will be able to talk a walk through the city.
- Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
From Gouda you will continue your tour over country roads, banks and channels through the Green Heart and polders to Oude Wetering, a sleepy village between the lakes of Braasemmermeer and Westeinderplannen.
On the way you pass the wetlands of Reeuwijkse Plassen, north of Gouda, and will ride through typical Dutch countryside with many waterways, green pastures and of course some windmills.
- Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Today you will first ride to the village of Uithoorn. Circa 1885, several fortifications were built around Oude Wetering and Uithoorn as part of the Defence Line of Amsterdam. This UNESCO World Heritage Site is a 135 km long ring of fortifications around Amsterdam.
From Uithoorn you start your ride into Amsterdam. Amsterdam’s name derives from Amstelredamme, indicative of the city’s origin as a dam of the river Amstel. The extensive network of bicycle paths ensures a relatively easy way back into the city, showing you some remarkable sites in the center.
Time for a farewell dinner and then you may wish to take a canal trip or take a stroll through the city.

- Meals: Breakfast
After our last breakfast, it’s time to disembark (by 10am) and say goodbye to your fellow passengers, your guide and the crew before starting your journey home.
Gallery
The Cycling
Terrain
The route is fairly easy-going and mostly flat (with just some gentle ups and downs when riding through the Dunes). The majority of the route will see you riding on a combination of cycle paths and cycle lanes (separated from motor vehicles), with around 35% of the route on roads shared with traffic. Due to the leisurely nature of the tour we do recommend a hybrid bike, however as the majority of the route sticks to tarmac the route is suitable for road bikes. (There may however be short sections on cobbles or hard-packed gravel or dirt roads where you may have to take extra care). The trip has a riding guide but you will get your own route notes on arrival, and maps are available to purchase so if you’d prefer not to stick with the group, you can cycle at your own pace.

Leisure Cycling Grade
Aspects of both our grade 1 and 2 holidays
Suitable for those looking for a relaxed ride
Occasional ups and downs
Our grading guidelines have been carefully created based on our many years of cycling experience, as well as customer feedback from our trips. Of course, if you're still struggling to figure out where you fit on the scale, do feel free to give us a quick call and we'll be more than happy to help!
For more information about our grading system click here.
Is this suitable for you?
Holidays that are graded as a 1-2, will have aspects of both our grade 1 and grade 2 holidays. These tours are still suitable for those looking for an accessible cycling holiday with manageable daily distances, along predominately flat terrain, however there will be some days / sections where we’d expect you to be up for a slightly cheeky challenge. It might be that the distances are a little longer on some days or that the terrain is slightly more undulating, but the rides are still relaxed and manageable for someone whose generally fit and healthy.
The crew were fabulous, barge was lovely ( Liza Marleen) mountains of food and stunning Dutch countryside. We were very well looked after and I could have turned around and done the whole week again.
Dates & Prices

Private Departures
Are you keen to only travel with your family or friends? Struggling to find the right date? Well, we can organise a private departure for this tour and tailor aspects to suit your group's specific needs. Contact our friendly team and we'll help you turn your dream into reality.
Whats Included 
A) Barge accommodation (shared twin / double en suite cabins) – Linen and towels provided
B) Meals as per the itinerary (B=Breakfast, L=Lunch, D=Dinner)
C) English speaking local leader
D) Daily route information
E) Ferry fares en route
F) GPX Tracks (available on request)
What's not Included 
A) Bike hire (available if required)
B) Flights and charges for travelling with your bike
C) Single cabin (available if required)
D) Travel insurance
E) Personal clothing and equipment
F) Personal expenditure (souvenirs, bar bills etc)
G) Entrance fees to museums and other attractions en route
H) Maps. These are available to purchase through Skedaddle. Great for if you want an overview of where you’ll be cycling, or if you fancy creating your own routes in addition to the scheduled rides. Please contact the office for more info
I) Travel to barge on arrival day and onward travel on departure day
The Essentials
News, Reviews & Stories
Reviews
Shelley, AustraliaI would highly recommend this tour!It was a fantastic holiday. Great tour guide, great cycling, great food and great companionship. I would highly recommend the tour.
Every day was wonderful with new scenery and sights. The riding was easy and following the guide meant we were able to enjoy the journey more rather than worry about where we meant to turn next. The countryside was beautiful and we spent much time cycling through peaceful forests and along serene laneways.
Was surprised at the high quality of the bikes. They looked brand new and had been well set up got my height. Gears changed smoothly and no one had any problems.
Great tour leader with a good sense of humour and fun. Gave us lots of information about the areas we were cycling through and during the wal ks after dinner. Set just the right pace for the ride.
Christina, EssexEvery day was a sheer delight.Every day was a sheer delight. The scenery was varied and beautiful. I woke up every day feeling excited about the days cycling ahead. I was never disappointed. This has been a brilliant holiday. The cycling routes were well chosen covering cultural sights, coastal areas, forests, canals etc. The food was worthy of a gourmet restaurant, the crew on the barge were welcoming and good fun. Our cycling guide was excellent. All in all a most enjoyable and highly recommended holiday.
Peter, EssexOutstanding!The bike & barge trip in the heart of Holand was outstanding! Good food, good company, great guide, and fascinating stops along the way.
Louise, BedfordThanks Skedaddle!I didn’t know what to expect and the Green Heart bike and barge holiday exceeded expectations. The crew were fabulous, barge was lovely ( Liza Marleen) mountains of food and stunning Dutch countryside. We were very well looked after and I could have turned around and done the whole week again.
Mike & Maureen, ShropshireExcellent!The food was five star, we had unbelievable meals on each of the days and the service was also to the same standard. Manfred, the chef and Titia looked after us in a fantastic fashion and even Michel the captain helped with the duties of serving and washing up. One problem would be to keep that standard up on any future holiday we may want to book!
Excellent – Wim is such a nice guy, everyone warmed to him straight away and he always took us out after dinner, for a short walk, to explain details about the area we were in, fantastic guy and we hope we see him again.
Madeleine, RichmondThe best holiday I've ever been on...Just a lovely relaxing time – bike routes well marked, flora & fauna interesting, pubs perfectly placed for provisions. The social side was very good. The independent cycling away from the group was good, safe, interesting and fun.
Rebecca, ShropshireThe holiday exceeded our expectations.Very comfortable and delightful to be on a barge. Air con had been installed with a recent refit which was invaluable. Without it, I don’t know how the barges operate as it was incredibly hot whilst we were on holiday. The barge was always clean and tidy.
Alison, HertfordshireGreat Holiday..We were staying on a barge whilst cycling in Holland. Accommodation was clean, tidy and cosy. Cabin was large enough and as expected.
One of our party required a gluten free diet. The chef was excellent in dealing with this and Clive was provided with the appropriate meals on every occasion. He has never had such a good service.
Our guide seemed to be on the go 24 hours but seemed to thoroughly enjoy his work. Nothing was too much trouble for him.
Liz & Clive, LondonExtremely Good Holiday...Just to say that we had an extremely good holiday and the tour leader Sietse was excellent – very knowledgeable, helpful and caring of the whole group. My husband is a coeliac and the cook Manfred and his assistant went to a great deal of trouble to provide him with excellent gluten free meals.
Helen, WarwickshireMany memories made..Everyday had something amazing to see and do, I really enjoyed the day we went to visit all the windmills. The day we left was probably my least favourite. We’d made so many memories and friends during the week it was hard to say goodbye.