South Holland
Dutch rural gothic: rainy gloom and lone windmills
South Holland’s countryside looks best when nobody else is out in it — just you and the squeaking of mill blades in the wind.
Rolling over the South Holland dunes in summer
The landscape between Scheveningen and Lisse hides more than you’d expect: a tulip-domed temple and a medieval ruin nobody has heard of.
North Holland
Fishing villages, smoked mackerel, and unicorns of North Holland
Behind the tulip fields and cheese markets, North Holland has a coastline that smells of salt and fish and hasn’t changed much since the sea was drained.
Overijssel
Following the medieval trade route between Overijssel’s oldest cities
Three Hanseatic cities on the IJssel, connected by a medieval trade route that still follows the river.
Zeeland
Where the sea once ruled: a journey across the Dutch Delta
The sea has shaped and reshaped Zeeland for centuries. Cycling through it, you can still feel where the water used to be.
Winter Zeeland is not for beginners: cycling through fog, drizzle, and darkness
How we endured the coastal chill until the last train carried us home from the province’s sleeping capital.
Drenthe
Dark corners of Drenthe: from old prison cruelty to Stone Age tombs
Drenthe has more prehistoric sites than any other Dutch province, a murder victim from 54 BC preserved in peat, and the world’s oldest boat. It also rains constantly.
Flevoland
Flevoland: a drama of lost islands and conquered sea
Dutch engineering defeated the sea but left the island soul of Urk and Schokland almost intact.
Gelderland
Castles, moats, and a chained library: crossing Gelderland north to south
A three-day cycling expedition through Dutch medieval strongholds, ending at the Roman ruins on the German frontier.
Groningen
Spirit of the North: wild paths, cute seals, and mustard soup
Groningen feels like the edge of the country. We came for the Wadden Sea, but the countryside won: villages selling jam on the honour system, paths barely wide enough for the bike.
Limburg
Cycling Limburg: from Roman baths to medieval treasures
South of Maastricht, the Netherlands gets confused about whether it’s still the Netherlands. Hills appear. The beer goes crazy.
Utrecht
In the middle of the Netherlands: tranquil secrets of Utrecht Province
Utrecht City has a ring highway. Everything worth seeing is on the other side of it.