
Holiday Highlights
- The historic village of Monnickendam
- Forests, dunes and beaches
- The beautiful city of Hoorn
- Staying overnight on the isle of Texel
- The city of Den Helder, the Dutch naval port, situated at the mouth of the Noord-Hollandskanaal
- The unique nature reserve Het Zwanenwater (The Swans’ Water),
Saddle Skedaddle made it very easy from the start. Making it simple to organise our holiday and offering good advice about travelling there. This put our minds at ease straight away. Bitten well and truly by the cycling holiday bug!
Itinerary
- Meals: Dinner
Your tour starts in Amsterdam, and you should board the barge between 13:00 and 14.00. You’ll be met on board by the captain, crew and guide and after stowing your luggage you can enjoy a cup of tea or coffee and meet the other guests. Time permitting, there will be a short introductory loop ride tour through the northern part of the city. After dinner on board, your local leader will explain the programme for the next day and the coming week.

- Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Early morning we’ll leave Amsterdam. A ferry will take us to the Amsterdam Noord quarter and soon you will be cycling through the rural area of Waterland. You’ll visit the former isle of Marken, whose museum shows you how people used to live and work here.
After Marken, the route continues to the historic village of Monnickendam, which received its municipal charter in 1355. There was a flourishing seafaring trade here with the Baltic countries and Suriname, as there used to be a direct waterway between the Zuiderzee (the Southern Sea) and the North Sea. For a long time Monnickendam has been renowned for its eel smoking; to this day eel and other fish are smoked in the harbours.
You’ll continue your cycling along the Gouwzee dike to Volendam, today’s destination. Originally Volendam was a small fishing community, whose inhabitants wore their distinctive and picturesque traditional costumes. From Volendam, you’ll sail to Hoorn. During the evening walk you will have the opportunity to explore this beautiful city.

- Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
You’ll start cycling along the dike, with a wonderful view over the Markermeer on your right and West-Frisian villages on your left-hand side. The recently (1976) built dike from Enkhuizen to Lelystad (in the Noordoostpolder) will appear on the horizon.
Your destination for today will be Enkhuizen, a town which came into existence when two adjoining villages joined. You can end your day with a visit to the Zuiderzeemuseum. This museum, with both indoor and outdoor sections, shows you the history of everyday life around the Zuiderzee until the middle of the 20th century.
- Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
The ride today will start on the IJsselmeer dike, which you’ll soon leave behind to go through a nature reserve and typical West-Frisian villages. Medemblik will soon come into sight, the oldest city of West-Friesland (1289), with an illustrious past and whose Radboud castle dates back to the 13th century.
In the summer months an old steam train runs between Medemblik and Hoorn, pulled by one of its five shining locomotives. Here you can take a break to have a closer look around. After Medemblik you’ll board your boat and sail the IJsselmeer and Wadden Sea to the isle of Texel.

- Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
The isle of Texel is the largest of the small Dutch Wadden Islands, highly appreciated by bird-watchers! In springtime around 80 different types of birds breed here, mainly in the dune areas, but all in all about 300 different species have been seen on Texel.
A tour around the island with its numerous cycle tracks is well worth the effort. The largest village on the island is Den Burg, where you’ll find most of the island’s shops. The local museum gives a good impression of island life and is housed in a building dating from 1599. De Koog, one of the oldest villages, is the principal bathing resort and De Cocksdorp, the northernmost village, is entered through a tunnel of interlocking tree branches! If you cycle to the most extreme northerly tip of the island you may be able to see Vlieland, the next island making up the chain of Wadden islands.
You can choose between round trips of 35, 48 or 62 Kms. (Note – The leader will cycle the 35 Kms.)
- Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
The ship takes you back to the mainland, and you’ll disembark in the city of Den Helder, the Dutch naval port, situated at the mouth of the Noord-Hollandskanaal.
Today’s route will take you through the dunes. In April and May you will cycle through the flower bulb fields around Anna Paulowna, the centre of the North Holland flower cultivation. South of Callantsoog you’ll pass by the unique nature reserve Het Zwanenwater (The Swans’ Water), with its lakes and boggy hollows in the dunes. A little further on, you’ll cycle on the Hondsbossche Sea Dike, with its spectacular view of the North Sea.
Your destination for today is Alkmaar, also called the City of Cheese. Its weigh house was the first in the country and it is here that the weighing and trading of cheese used to take place. Like Amsterdam, Alkmaar houses a great many ‘hofjes’ or almshouses: typical 17th century enclosed courtyards with little houses inhabited by single women and usually supported by the church. Just under 400 heritage sites, canals and a harbour dominate the townscape.

- Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
After leaving Alkmaar the route will take you through Droogmakerij land with the 17th century towns of Schermerhorn, Graft and De Rijp.
You may also have time today to pay a visit to the Zaanse Schans, a unique hamlet where people live and work, with original houses and windmills from the river Zaan area. Traditionally this was a region where foodstuffs such as edible oil, nuts, rice and grain products were imported and processed. At the beginning of the 18th century the area boasted more than 600 windmills! Nowadays nearly all of them have been replaced by motor-driven pumps. The hamlet is dominated by three operating windmills, the oldest built in 1673, for grinding mustard, spices, paint and oil and for sawing wood into planks.
The last stretch of the trip takes you through the Twiske leisure park to Amsterdam. After dinner you may want to finish off your trip by going on a city walk or taking a trip on one of Amsterdam’s canal boats.
- Meals: Breakfast
After our last breakfast, it’s time to disembark (before 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.
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. 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
The Telegraph (April, 2019), 30 best cycling holidays for beginnersAs seen in the press...The Netherlands is where “pancake” became an adjective, its terrain perfect for cycling novices. On this eight-day guided Windmills and Golden Beaches holiday, you’ll glide past dunes, canals and tulip fields on a loop from Amsterdam. Staying on a traditional Dutch barge removes daily packing and unpacking, allowing more time to visit cheesemakers, historic ports and the island nature reserve of Texel.
Colin, NewcastlePlanning another holiday!Saddle Skedaddle made it very easy from the start. Making it simple to organise our holiday and offering good advice about travelling there. This put our minds at ease straight away as this was my families first cycling holiday. We were told not to expect luxury but were pleasantly surprised to find our cabin on the barge spacious with good quality beds, en suite, air con and plenty of space for storage. Definitely going on another cycling holiday. Bitten well and truly by the cycling holiday bug!
The Telegraph (June 2015)As seen in the press...Free from troublesome gradients, Holland is the perfect choice for family escapes by pedal power. Saddle Skedaddle runs a regular “Windmills & Golden Beaches” group excursion specifically aimed at travellers with children. It takes eight days to progress through North Holland, the peninsula and province that juts out above Amsterdam, ticking off the coastal hotspot of Hoorn, the port of Den Helder and Texel island, with its windswept dunes.
Linda, SurreyBrilliant service...We could not fault the service provided by Ton and Annie, Ton in particular as he had led groups many times before, whereas it was the first time for Annie. She made up for lack of knowledge with lots of enthusiasm. The captain and the catering staff were great too.
Pamela, LincolnshireExcellent...Cabins were a little small but plenty of storage space with air con and free wifi. Lovely lounge/dining/communal area. All meals were delicious and plentiful too.
Loved Texel, a lovely island, like the Netherlands in miniature.