Trip No. 45:  Amsterdam - Winschoten - Bremen - Nijmegen - Amsterdam

Date Routing Province Country Km
20 Jun 1988 Schiphol - Beverwijk Noord-Holland Holland 67
21 Jun 1988 Beverwijk - Westerland Noord-Holland Holland 82
22 Jun 1988 Westerland - Afsluitsdijk boundary Noord-Holland Holland 20
22 Jun 1988 Afsluitsdijk boundary - Heerenveen - Steenwijk boundary Friesland Holland 80
22 Jun 1988 Steenwijk V boundary - Noord-Wolde boundary Overijssel Holland 27
23 Jun 1988 Noord-Wolde boundary - Hoogersmilde boundary Friesland Holland 25
23 Jun 1988 Hoogersmilde boundary - Stadskanaal boundary Drenthe Holland 50
23 Jun 1988 Stadskanaal boundary - Winschoten Groningen Holland 25
28 Jun 1988 Winschoten - Nieuweschans boundary Groningen Holland 16
28 Jun 1988 Nieuweschans boundary - Rhederveld boundary Niedersachsen Germany 22
28 Jun 1988 Rhederveld boundary - Winschoten Groningen Holland 20
29 Jun 1988 Winschoten - Bourtange boundary Groningen Holland 35
29 Jun 1988 Bourtange boundary - Dötlingen Niedersachsen Germany 97
30 Jun 1988 Dötlingen - Bremen West boundary Niedersachsen Germany 54
30 Jun 1988 Bremen West boundary - Bremen Bremen Germany 10
01 Jul 1988 Around Bremen Bremen Germanyv 10
04 Jul 1988 Around Bremen Bremen Germany 12
05 Jul 1988 Bremen - Bremen East Bremen Germany 10
05 Jul 1988 Bremen East - Lembruch Niedersachsen Germany 122
06 Jul 1988 Lembruch - Osnabrück boundary Niedersachsen Germany 55
06 Jul 1988 Osnabrück boundary - Gronau boundary Nordrhein-Westfalen Germany 61
06 Jul 1988 Gronau boundary - Enschede Overijssel Holland 10
07 Jul 1988 Enschede - Haaksbergen boundary Overijssel Holland 30
07 Jul 1988 Haaksbergen boundary - Winterwijk Gelderland Holland 34
08 Jul 1988 Winterwijk - Lammers boundary Gelderland Holland 8
08 Jul 1988 Lammers boundary - Rees - Gennep boundary Nordrhein-Westfalen Germany 72
08 Jul 1988 Gennep boundary - Nijmegen South boundary Limburg Holland 14
08 Jul 1988 Nijmegen South boundary - Otterlo Gelderland Holland 40
09 Jul 1988 Otterlo - Harderwijk boundary Gelderland Holland 40
09 Jul 1988 Harderwijk boundary - Muiderberg boundary Flevoland Holland 35
09 Jul 1988 Muiderberg boundary - Amsterdam Noord-Holland Holland 22
11 Jul 1988 Amsterdam - Schiphol Noord-Holland Holland 22
      SUM: 1 227

Other means of transport

Date Means of transport Routing Service today
20 Jun 1988 Airplane Stavanger - Amsterdam www.klm.com
11 Jul 1988 Airplane Amsterdam - Stavanger www.klm.com

 

What I remember

The ride across Afsluitsdijk: More than 30 km on a motorway bridge (with separate bike road), most of it dead straight, but fog reduced visibility to 100 - 200 meters.

The northern route via Winschoten was practically dead falt all the way from Amsterdam to Bergen.

My route passed under a test area for new railway technology (a huge bridge in the shape of the digit 8) just east of the river Ems.

Riding into Bremen from the west I had to ride along very busy streets.  East of Bremen was an area with parks linked with bikeroads.  On the return from Bremen I rode out towards east and made a semi-circle crossing the river Weser at Achim .

Over most of Northern Germany there were fighter planes passing right over my head several times per day.  I hated the sound of them, it was like rough sandpaper working on nerves worn thin.  On the northern route I also had to read the map carefully to avoid restricted military areas.

Maybe the nicest area was around Dümmer See south of Diepholz in Germany.  At the other end of the list were roads with heavy traffic in Bremen and Osnabrück.