Park & Ride, Part 1: The Great Waal

I've been getting into a new mode of touring, partly due to lockdown rules. Overnight stays with Vrienden op de Fiets are out. So instead of overnighting, I simply leave my bike at a train station at the endpoint of the day's tour. Then return another day to continue the tour. Parking is always available at stations, usually secure, often sheltered from the rain. I tried this approach along the North Sea coast last summer with great success, from Amsterdam going straight west to Zandvoort beach, then heading north in stages: Beverwijk, Castricum, Heiloo, Alkmaar, each station an easy 5-10km ride to a fabulous beach. Then I rode back along an alternate route with different beaches. 

This time I tried the park & tour method in central Netherlands, and again it worked brilliantly.

I started by taking the train to the southern town of  's Hertogenbosch, aka Den Bosch, of Hieronymus fame, then following a tour from my ANWB guidebook, the Bommelerwaardroute. Virtually the entire tour skirts rivers, the highlight being the conclusive ride along the south bank of the River Waal to the town of Zaltbommel. I picked it up northwest of Hedel, the town across the Maas River from Den Bosch. 

Crossing the Maas

(original date of this entry: Nov 7, 2020)

kp 51 → 50 → 49 → 48 → 97

It took a while to reach the Maas, aka the Meuse, from Den Bosch Centraal Station. But it is a lovely jaunt through the basin of the Dieze River, a tributary of the Maas that flows through the city of Den Bosch. The Dieze was a component of the old defensive waterline, dating from 1629, which you can follow on a trail (gratis app available). Finally I reach an old arched bridge over the broad Maas (→ kp 97). 

kp 14 → 40 → 98 → 80 

I followed the north bank of the river west toward Ammerzoden, site of a medieval castle that I didn't see. This route traverses vast green fields and horse pastures that back up on the river. From Ammerzoden the narrow road/dike continues to hug the Maas, with splendid views the whole way, dotted with plenty of lookout benches. Unfortunately too much traffic, of all kinds, along this stretch: racing cyclists, cars and vans, and most annoyingly big-ass motorcycles. It seems neither safe nor serene. Beyond Ammerzoden, the route (LF-7) proceeds up a tributary of the Maas, the Afgedamde Maas ("dammed Meuse"), going through Well (another castle unseen), Wellseind and North Nederhemert. These roads are old dikes with different names: the Wellsedijk and the Slijkwellsedijk. 

kp 17 → 18 → 19 → 6 

Beyond kp 80 the traffic thins a bit. This whole region is covered in green pasturelands with various horse farms and stables. Along the way is the straggling farm community of Aalst, and there's a pumping station toward kp 19. Toward kp 6 the traffic ends and soon I reach Zuilichem on the Waal. Here I wandered down a footpath to the bank of the river at sundown. There is a real beach. The only other soul in sight was a fisherman, casting off a spit. An enormous freighter moved west. 

Day 1: Den Bosch to Zaltbommel via Aalst

kp 8 → 66 

As dusk descended I was riding east along the Waal with no wind and a mild temperature. The river and its swampy banks looked lovely and at points the route shifted to a fiets-only path. To my right the communities of Nieuwaal and Gameren, the softly lit rear side of large sturdy wooden houses, children playing in the yards, a world of domestic bliss. Now some illuminated ships could be glimpsed on the river. It was an enchanting ride. I came into Zaltbommel, a historic gem with an impressive bridge across the Waal, but it seemed dead this evening. 

I followed signs to the station, quite a ways from the center. This station has a unique system of lifts. To get to track 1 for the train to Utrecht Central, I had to board a lift up to a corridor, then go to the other end and catch another lift. As expected the station had substantial covered bike parking and a bank of OV-Fiets share bikes.

Waiting on the platform with my bike for the return trip home, I decided instead to leave the bike at Zaltbommel station, so I could continue the journey along the Waaldijk at a later opportunity. The next journey could be to Tiel (on the north bank of the Waal), or alternatively along the Maas, or up one and down the other, keeping an eye on wind direction. I guess I can keep doing this down to 10 degrees C or so. Today was up to 14. 

***

(Nov 8, 2020)

Another day of sunny windless weather so I figured I should continue the journey. I'm taking another keuzedag ("choice day," free ride for people over 60). My plan is to cycle to Tiel along the south bank of the Waal. Today is koopzondag (the one Sunday per month when stores are open), so there should be a ferry from Wamel to Tiel till 5 pm — but if I get there too late I can take the bridge at Beneden-Leeuwen and cycle back to Tiel.

Jewish cemetery of Zaltbommel

It was tricky getting out of Zaltbommel — signage was lacking — but a circuit of the center took me past a substantial Jewish cemetery with a WW2 memorial. From here I managed to find the Waaldijk way, which approaches the sinister towers of the Martinus Nijhof bridge north (A2), paralleled by an old railroad bridge, a route I could have taken to avoid the question of ferries but I would have missed the Waaldijk. 

Day 2: Zaltbommel - Tiel

Martinus Nijhof bridge

kp 78 → 67 

The Waaldijk is about as great as I expected. Its character is much like the route east of Nijmegen: an elevated strand of asphalt overlooking the grand river and its swampy banks. The stretch east of Zaltbommel flanks the river, then moves inland past various waterways, such as the Kil van Hurwenen. The fietspad is busy today, mostly older couples with matching bikes and racers in lycra. I am approaching the village of Hurwenen. At Rossum I'll pick up the LF-12. 

kp 67 is Rossum with several horeca ("hotel-restaurant-cafe") establishments overlooking the river — takeout only, needless to say. 

kp 69 → 24

From this point on the path only gets better, at first shooting in a straight line for miles, immediately left of the road. Then the fietspad veers away from the road as trees form a barrier to the urbanization of Heerewaarden and Voorne. The panorama takes in (left to right) the river—now and then plied by giant freighters—the vast pastures of the bank, the path, houses and industry. The cyclists are sparser here and many are solitary. I have been this way before, in the reverse direction, on my way to Den Bosch. I was on the De Blasi then. (I only realized that because of this blog!)

As it turned out there was no ferry. When I got to the landing at Wamel around 4:30 there was obviously nothing going. The only soul to be seen there was a young guy on his scooter scanning his phone. The boy split, then another youngster roared up on his scooter and gave me the once over. 

Prins Willem Alexanderbrug, east of Tiel

Since there's no ferry I have to push on to the bridge east of Tiel. Heading east of Wamel, I could see the gold-lit arches of the Prins Willem Alexanderbrug, but how to get on it? Approaching the bridge, I saw a steep staircase at the base with fiets guide-rail. But that seemed too strenuous. Instead I continued down the Waal toward kp 86, looped through the town of Beneden-Leeuwen (Boven-Leeuwen to the east) and onto the bridge access ramp (to kp 85), typically a serene ascent through forest. It was a strenuous climb and the two sections of bridge must have been over a kilometer in length. By the time I arrived in Ooij, on the north bank, it was dark. I headed toward kp 85 in darkness. My dynamo lamp wasn't very good at illuminating the path but I managed. It wasn't far to Tiel. I saw just one other fietser on the trail, with a more powerful light. The young man powered past me and soon the red point of his taillight receded out of sight. Eventually I came to a crossroads, where a sign for kp 83 pointed north. This took me up to a road into Tiel. It was another 3km to this significant sized town and soon I was plying the cobblestoned streets, past housefronts through which large screens could be glimpsed. Sunday evening in Tiel. 

The way to Beneden-Leeuwen

I reached an intersection, not sure which way to turn and found myself facing the headlights of an SUV. He didn't honk, just paused, and I got out of the way. I passed a bare bones coffeeshop lit by traces of neon, allochthon youth hanging around. Eventually I found the station located at the top of the old center. A train to Den Haag was on the track. 

***

Picked up my bike at Tiel, then took another stellar ride, and not too strenuous, though I totally adlibbed the route. There was a ferry at Opheusden directly to De Blauwe Kamer, a forest just east of Rhenen. I've taken it before. Concluding with the best bit — a slender dirt path along the Nederrijn river — at twilight and arriving at Rhenen station just at sundown. 

(Nov 18, 2020)

Seems to be the last day of mild weather—up to 14 C—so I figured now is the time to return to Tiel and get the Batavus. As the wind seems to be blowing NNE, I'll stay on the north side of the Waal and head NE for Wageningen, just a 45 minute train ride back home. 

In Tiel I purchased the 2020-2021 Basiskaart LF-routes, published by Landelijk Fietsplatform (€24.95 at ANWB shop). A quick scan shows many additional knooppunten since the last edition. 

***

Here I am at the east edge of Tiel, precisely at the bottom of the turnoff for kp 83 that I spotted in the dark a couple weeks ago. Now it's bright and sunny. Also rather windy, with the wind coming off the Waal to the south. I'll be taking a different route east (to kp 52), which parallels the route I took in the reverse direction to Tiel. I can see the same 2 pair of cement silos that I spotted illuminated when I arrived last time. There is some clay mining going on, the stuff of the purportedly ecological bricks that pave the villages. My plan is to continue east a bit, then head north toward the Nederrijn, wondering if ferries are running. 

kp 52 → 44 → 2

The route east, paralleling the Waal along the Waalbaandijk (north bank) is quite pleasant on this perfect November day. Approach the Prins Willem Alexander bridge and go under it, immense expanses of green flatness on either side, pastures populated by sheep and cattle toward the banks of the river until IJzendoorn, where the dike is at a higher elevation and you get good views over both village and river, plied by many ships. The dike is rather busy — just as it was on the north bank of the Maas: cars, trucks, bikes (elderly couples mostly) and big-ass motorcycles. At Ochten I sat on a bench overlooking the Waal and had my sandwich. 

Day 3: Tiel - Rhenen

East of Ochten several little lakes fringed by tall trees parallel the Waal, flocks of ducks and geese on the banks. At Eldik, I struck north, crossing the Linge river, then climbing over the highway (A15), then the railroad. The zone north, between Kesteren and Opheusden, is busy with industry and intensive farming: fruit trees and hops. It didn't take long to reach the Nederrijn (kp 92). 

Nederrijn ferry

I headed east (to kp 94), turned off the dike left (to kp 24) to reach the landing where the ferry was just docking and cyclists were getting off. (There is no indication of this ferry on other maps, but there is on mine.) Arriving seconds before departure, I shared the little pont with just 1 car. A geezer with a pokey electric car on deck got out to collect the toll from me: 90 cents. Rather than heading east for Wageningen as I had originally planned, I made for Rhenen, only 4.6km from the ferry dropoff. Crossed the river then proceeded up a road flanked by bare trees tinged gold. At kp 24 (Grebbedijk), I was looking at the map when I was approached by a pair of 60ish nature gals, each with lovely thick white hair. One of them asked me if I knew the location of a bus stop to "the station." No idea, sorry. 

De Blauwe Kamer

A short distance west, I cut across the N225 to reach De Blauwe Kamer, a patch of high forest immediately east of Rhenen. The route along the Nederrijn is splendid with the ships rolling by on your left and the forest ascending on the right. Along the way are metal staircases up into the forest, a substantial climb. At the end of the path, you're just below the station. I parked the bike in a lit-up spot with protective roof. To be continued ...

Rhenen