Leuven to Dordtse Kil II

Friday October 22, 2010

Stijn's bed which he let me use for the night.

Stijn's bed would have to be the most comfortable bed I've slept in for the whole trip.
I headed off from lovely Leuven at around mid-day. I thought I'd better take a photo of something in the city before I left.

The Leuven Town Hall, built in a Brabantine Late Gothic style between 1448 and 1469, famous for its ornate architecture, crafted in lace-like detail.

I was definitely heading into more cycling territory, I had a bike lane the whole way, it was unreal.

Riding along on the separated bike path on Bredabaan, just after the town of Driehoek, Belgium.

Nothing very exciting happened but riding was pleasant nonetheless. It was very flat the whole way, and good to have a bike lane so that I could relax and not have to worry as much about being hit by cars and protecting myself from the traffic.
I rode through a number of towns and cities, including Antwerp.
At some stage during the day I crossed the border into the Netherlands. The amount of cycling infrastructure in the Netherlands is just amazing, just about every road has a bike path beside it and most of them are separated from the road so that it's safer for cyclists. I was so impressed, and it makes cycling in the Netherlands a pleasure. It's also good to see so many other people out on bikes too. Everyone seems to have the same kind of bike, with the large 28 inch wheels, the low cross bar, upright geometry, etc. They're bikes which are made more for comfort than speed. Interestingly you don't see many of these around Melbourne, but you see a lot more racing bikes in Melbourne. I didn't see many people on racing bikes here in the Netherlands today.
At one point I had to cross a massive inlet:

Hollands Diep

Going through one city along the way, I can't remember what it was called but I was heading towards Rotterdam, I found a black glove lying on the bike path. I picked it up and had a look at it, it was a winter glove. I thought about what to do with it. Someone must have dropped it; they probably have no idea where they dropped it so they probably weren't going to find it again. My hands were also very cold at the time because I only had my fingerless summer gloves, I needed a pair of winter gloves. And although this was only one glove, it was better than none, so I decided to take it with me. If I didn't take it, someone else probably would have taken it anyway. Then just a few tens of metres up the path, I found the other glove to make the pair. They looked clean too, and smelt good, so I put them on. They fitted very well, what a good find, they were just what I needed!
I got to a place called Dordtse Kil II where I decided to set up camp. First though I went to the Maccas for Wi-Fi and ate some lollies, chocolate and a banana for tea, and the last of my fruit cake which I've carried with me since London!

My last portion of fruit cake which I bought in London a month and a half ago, and have carried with me since.

I researched some hostels in Amsterdam.
There were lots of options for camping, but most were quite exposed or near a busy road and therefore not very quiet. Eventually I found a spot to set up the tent beside a canal. The ground was very damp, but it seemed the ground was damp everywhere I'd looked at so far, so it would have to do.

My route for the day, Leuven in Belgium to Dordtse Kil II in the Netherlands.

Overview of my route so far from France to the Netherlands.

Ride stats:
Distance: 138.35 km
Average: 21.3 km/h
Maximum: 38 km/h
Time: 6:28:27
Total ascent: 326 m
Total descent: 367 m