Format round in The Hague

The Hague, the capital, the government city. A city with many faces. A city with a harbor (Scheveningen) and a beach. One that is not known for its beautiful bike paths, let alone the infrastructure to enjoy a nice ride around. It doesn’t have the appeal of the Heuvelrug or a tourist attraction if Dwingelderveld. With the formation that has been completed, we thought it was a nice nod to take a ‘tour’ of The Hague. Because perhaps The Hague itself isn’t such a fantastic cycling destination; you can certainly cycle around it beautifully. The Hague is also a Cyclingdestination.

Start and end in De Hoek

Of course, there are many places where you can start this tour, but for us, this tour starts in ‘De Hoek’. Advantages: You can easily get there by public transport, it’s not too crowded, and if you’re done, you can even have a little rest on the beach on a summer day.

Through the dunes to the north

From Hoek van Holland, you actually walk into the dunes right away. Many Dutch people actually forget how unique this area is. However unique the dunes are. Because wherever you come from in the world, nowhere is as beautiful as here. You drive almost 20 kilometers through the dunes before you arrive at the port (and the craziness) of Scheveningen and Kijkduin. That is pure enjoyment, especially in a densely populated area like here. The Westland is one of the most densely populated/developed areas. Even The Hague has its ‘urban sprawl’, not to mention Greater Rotterdam. The tranquility and beauty of the dunes are something to be enjoyed.

Onward to Katwijk

After maneuvering around the boulevard, you will reach the beautiful Meijendel. This is a lovely piece of nature, west of Wassenaar. You might still encounter a lost hunting dog here, but overall it is truly a pleasure to be here. The bike path here is also somewhat wider than the well-known dune paths, which can help reduce the level of irritation among different cyclists. You will also find a water filling station here.

Shortly before Katwijk we finally turn right again to get back to the edge of Meijendel. The intention is to minimize the impact of the urban development here. With the loop around Wassenaar and then the crossing via Leidschendam, that works quite nicely!

Along the new climb?

For Leidschendam, we dive into the polder and in the distance we can spot the outline of Snowworld in Zoetermeer. What would be nice if a climb of about 70 meters could be realized here! Until then, we have to do with the constructed polders. The bike paths here are also very nice and spacious and you can pedal around comfortably. Along the Molendriegang from Stompwijk it goes in that direction towards Zoetermeer.

Biting

After Zoetermeer, it’s a lot of turning and turning. We did our best to avoid all possible urban agglomerations, but just like with a coalition, sometimes you have to make compromises. It’s almost impossible to get back to the Nieuwe Waterweg without a city connection. We’ll still take the Ackerijkse polders as a natural highlight, but we’ll head towards Maassluis via a street in Delft. There you’ll also have to overcome a few roundabouts, but driving quickly is a pleasure, passing by the water.

Back on the road towards Hoek van Holland

The last stretch along the waterway is a bit tricky. There is usually wind here. At sea the wind is always a little stronger than inland. So at the end, when you arrive in the Port of ‘de Hoek’, you have a round of 116 kilometers. Enough for a good team discussion, for exchanging views and finding common ground. Maybe we can give the new cabinet the Komoot I need to send them a link. Then we can convince them that The Hague is also a Cyclingdestination.