Cycling from Belgium to the Netherlands
- ️@BicycleDutch
- ️Tue Nov 12 2024
As an unexpected treat, I have a short extra post with a long video for you this week. After my visit to Belgium’s new floating cycling bridge, which I shared with you last week, I needed to cycle back to the Netherlands anyway. So, I decided to leave my camera mounted on the handlebars and record the return ride. The video is an hour and ten minutes long. Some of you might enjoy watching it during these longer, darker nights from the comfort of your sofa, while others may prefer to use it as a companion for exercise on a stationary bike. Whatever suits you best, I hope you find the video entertaining.
The start of the ride was in National Park Hoge Kempen. At Terhills Resort, you’ll spot these self-driving electric shuttles transporting guests from one end of the resort to the other.
Although Flemish-speaking Belgians and the Dutch both speak Dutch, subtle language and cultural differences can lead to misunderstandings—much like North American and British English. This sign, posted near a road closure, reads “You are here”, which would typically be part of a map rather than a standalone sign. I genuinely have no idea what this is supposed to mean!
On the way to the new floating bridge, I’d plotted a route using the recreational network of numbered junctions. However, I cycled back from memory, which nearly went wrong when I missed a left turn in one of the villages I passed through. Fortunately, I realised just in time and turned around—I’ve left that part in the video.
One of the most interesting aspects of this journey is the ferry crossing over the River Meuse (Maas), which also serves as the international border between Belgium and the Netherlands. I was lucky the ferry had just about arrived when I got there. Though the crossing itself was so slow that I sped up that part of the video.
Belgium is known for its “Moordstrookjes” (or “murderstrips”), painted on-street cycle lanes along busy roads. This was the most unnerving part of the entire trip: a counterflow cycle lane on a high-speed road with no barrier from oncoming traffic! Luckily, it was only a few hundred metres long—but it was terrifying.
Wondering how I navigated this area for the first time? I simply followed the numbered junction signs. Here’s an example from the Belgian part of the network.
This section of the River Meuse is not navigable, as shipping usually takes place in the parallel Julianakanaal. However, in August 2024, a leak in a temporary dam required a sudden draining of the canal to facilitate expansion works. You’ll notice there’s almost no water in the canal when I cross it. This situation is expected to last until spring 2025, forcing ships to take a significant detour via Belgium, Antwerp, and then Zeeland, which adds two days to their journey—a disruption that has understandably infuriated skippers.
A variety of two-wheeled vehicles waiting for the international ferry to arrive. The ferry, just visible in the distance, is nearly on the border—marked by the river Meuse—which sits closer to the Belgian shore than the Dutch side at this spot, where the river is not navigable.
An actual Dutch hill in the village of Berg aan de Maas (“Mountain on the Meuse”). With traffic from the ferry approaching from behind, this was not the easiest climb. I let a van pass where that was possible, but several cars were still close on my heels moments later.
Although my ride wasn’t very eventful, it may give you a good sense of how I reach the locations featured in my blog posts and videos. The international aspect of the journey might also be of interest. I found the cycling infrastructure in Belgium to be fairly good—mostly on par with the sometimes rather mediocre parts of the infrastructure on the Dutch side. In hindsight, I was glad I’d brought my own bike on the train. It’s pricier than renting an OV-Fiets and can be inconvenient, given the limited bike space in Dutch trains, but the extra gears on my bike were essential for this route, which was far from flat! In particular, there was a steep climb in Berg aan de Maas (“Mountain on the Meuse”), as well as some slopes around Maasmechelen and in the Hoge Kempen National Park.
An example of the Dutch numbered junction network signs. These guided me all the way to Sittard, although in the Netherlands, it was mostly one long, straightforward stretch.
Enjoy the ride!