Holland Part 4 - Largo

I'd finally arrived at my destination only instead of taking my estimated "just over an hour" and arriving at 15:00ish, I had pulled up outside the front door at around 17:15. This was no problem as check-in goes on until 23:00 but the problem it did present was that I had missed the order time for a hot meal and free coffees. Once again my Dutch hosts were to restore my faith in humanity when I was told in the bar that although I had missed the evening meal there were probably a few bits and pieces left over and that I was welcome to have them at no charge. I hope I don't get anyone into trouble for saying that but it was sheer bliss to tuck into a huge mound of sauteed vegetables, garlic wedges and lo and behold, there was one piece of pan fried chicken with a mushroom sauce that was, at that moment, perhaps the greatest meal I'd ever eaten.

Bliss...

I retired to the bar for a couple of excellent Jopen beers and my personal favourite Palm before the overpowering urge to sleep came over me.

"It's a new dawn, it's a new day...and I'm feeling good." Next morning, feeling refreshed after a hot shower and excellent breakfast in the dining room I was out on the bike into the sunshine.

I did have a quick look around to try and find my error yesterday. Naturally as soon as I got to the main road I started to recognise features from Google Streetview and of course very quickly found the turn off I had missed the previous evening that had led to a less than magical mystery tour of the district of Velserbroek about three km off course. I needed a completely stress free day so decided against any long bike rides to anywhere, despite my room-mate offering me a lift to a big market he was intending to visit somewhere near Ijmuiden, I instead opted to cycle into Haarlem and just chill.

OK, I would at this point suggest if you're not interested in cycling infrastructure then what follows may seem to be a series of rather dull photographs and descriptions of paving stones and roads but it was one of the reasons I chose to visit, so...

Haarlem is by all accounts a fairly standard Dutch city in terms of cycling infrastructure and yet with one exception on the day I arrived, I never felt ill at ease let alone in any danger from being mangled by speeding motor traffic, even on sidestreets, or rat-runs as we call them somewhat depressingly in the UK. Before I start posting pictures if streets, let me make one thing clear, in the city of Haarlem there is a smattering of this stuff.

Shared use path for cycling and walking

Yes indeed it's the UKs favourite shared use path. Now here's the thing, I travelled quite a few Km over three days using a mix of these paths and segregated bike paths, sometimes sharing with other bikes, sometimes pedestrians even dog walkers didn't present too much of problem. I don't know if it's just me but it seemed that by designating a path through a park as a bikepath it somehow had more validity than the variety of  things that crop up in the UK. This was only a path through a park which led to a canal at the end of which was a junction crossing a wide, busy road.

Fairly typical junction, green light delay for cycles

The junctions had a delay to allow for bicycles to get a head start on motor traffic. Even with segregation this is really essential to prevent bicycles being "right hooked" by turning motor traffic. I'm no traffic engineer but the layout of junctions and the provision of segregated paths seemed entirely logical once I started using them, even as a pedestrian it took no time to figure out what was going on.

Haarlem has plenty examples of pretty good, pretty poor and, in my opinion, exceptionally good cycling infrastructure. Without inducing too much tedium, check out the good:

Complete segregation from motor traffic

 The not so good:

Looks familiar...

And the "yes, that's the way to do it"

Now THAT's an underpass!

Were it not for the fact that so many other people have written screeds about this stuff I would go on and on. The interesting thing for me was how quickly I started to judge the merits of one section of infra from another. I was only there three days but within hours I was thinking, "well that's a pretty good idea" or "wow that's an improvement on the UK", to the wow, "why can't we do this?" response. Indeed the road right outside the hostel had absolutely no segregation between bicycles and motor traffic but didn't seem to phase anyone particularly despite the local buses driving through at a speed I thought I wouldn't be comfortable sharing with.

Right outside my accomodation, no segregation here

In truth I DID use this road and had no issues, in fact the place I did feel uncomfortable was, unsurprisingly, the painted bike lane labelled "Looks familiar..."

Holland Part 3 - Presto

I'd been cycling on and on for what was beginning to feel like hours, it wasn't but you know how it is when you're off track (or lost as some people say) and you think you're heading in the right direction. I stopped and checked the phone, yes I was off track but it looked relatively easy to recover, especially as I noticed the volume was turned down on the GPS navigator app, which started bellowing directions at me as soon as I turned it up. I was off again, in 150m turn left at...happy with this I carried on until something totally unexpected happened; the segregated cycle lane stopped and I was back in familiar territory mixing it with Friday afternoon "we've just finshed work, get out the way" traffic. Fortunately I only had to put up with a couple of hundred metres of this nonsense before I was back on a segregated bike path and heading towards my destination from the eastern approach.

I have to now admit I did stop someone and ask for directions at this point, I prefer local knowledge over satnav anyday. The guy I asked told me some very simple directions "straight over that bridge and about fifty metres further you have to make a left just past the canal".

Schoterbrug, Haarlem, Courtesy Google Maps

With hindsight his instructions could not have been better, thank you sir, but when I think of a canal I think of something maybe wide, maybe has barges or houseboats. Anyway, off I go over the bridge and ok where's the canal? I cycle fifty, one hundred metres, I don't see a canal, further on perhaps? Keep going on and on and I'm at a big road junction...ok, turn around and go back, retrace my steps. Damn, I've gone way past the bridge, why didn't I spot that? I'm really thirsty, and getting a bit hungry so I stop another passer-by, "ah yes, go back to the bridge, turn slightly left, about fifty metres, turn left at the canal, you can't miss it although I wouldn't call it a canal myself..." I go back, again, "where the f*** is this canal?" It must be further on surely? I cycle on to the big junction, I see a MacDonalds, food and sugary drinks beckon, I head towards it, ah, can't go that way, follow the bike path and lo and behold a canal! At last I've found it, slightly more than fifty metres but there you go, except when I researched on Google Earth I'm sure there were houses on both sides, further along of course, that must be it. Anyway, forget Big Mac and Coke, I'm almost there, I think. Nope, backwards, forwards, I knew I was close but...of course GPS app, why hasn't this been...oh wait, I'm out of charge, phone is completely dead. At this point I thought, why didn't I purchase a good old fashioned map of the area? Map and compass and I'd be fine but no, I go for the techy route, not thinking of course that the camera app and numerous others were still running in the background whilst hungry GPS gobbles up my charge.

Let's pause the story for a moment. Remember my speech a few moments ago, "...when I think of a canal I think of something maybe wide, maybe has barges or houseboats."? Well here's the thing, I cannot imagine what was going on in my head when, following instructions, I blithely cycled past the cut off for Jan Gijzenpad.

Looking towards Jan Gijzenpad, Haarlem, Courtesy Google Maps

In fairness to myself, looking at these Google Streetview images with the benefit of hindsight I can understand missing this cutoff from the cycle path.

Jan Gijzenvaart, Haarlem, Courtesy Google Maps

However, I think not spotting a, what was it again? "Something maybe wide, maybe has barges or houseboats...". Yes, that was my fatal error, not keeping my eyes open and engaging brain. I now realise I've been out a long time since Hoofddorp with nothing to eat or drink, I am
starting to weary. I resort to the tried and trusted "Excuse me sir/ madam, I am a dumb tourist who has made a stupid error of judgement and I need help" approach. A young lady on foot said, "oh yes, go back to the big junction, cross over then head back to Haarlem". Back to Haarlem? Where on earth was I? So, onward, or should I say backward, to Haarlem. Excuse me, do you know where...? "I don't know it", "I don't speak English" fair enough, "of course I know it, it's right over there" pointing to the furthest away of a group of high flats. I will forever be in the debt of this young family who had a brief exchange in Dutch interpersed with occasional English phrases and smiles from the young lady with the baby in a bike seat. "OK, no problem, I'll take you there, it will be easier than trying to explain." I could have cried. We said goodbye to the lady and baby and the two of us made for the flats in the distance. Truthfully, I would have been going round in circles for even longer had I not stopped this family for directions. Within ten or so minutes we were standing outside the backpackers hostel. I offered to buy him a drink even a soft drink, he had to get back to help prepare dinner, I could not thank him enough.

Stayokay Hostel, Haarlem

I'd finally arrived at my destination only instead of taking my estimated "just over an hour" and arriving at 15:00ish, I had pulled up outside the front door at around 17:15. This was no problem as check-in goes on until 23:00 but the problem it did present was that I had missed the order time for a hot meal and free coffees. Once again my Dutch hosts were to restore my faith in humanity when I was told in the bar that although I had missed the evening meal there were probably a few bits and pieces left over and that I was welcome to have them at no charge. I hope I don't get anyone into trouble for saying that but it was sheer bliss to tuck into a huge mound of sauteed vegetables, garlic wedges and lo and behold, there was one piece of pan fried chicken with a mushroom sauce that was, at that moment, perhaps the greatest meal I'd ever eaten.

Bliss...

I retired to the bar for a couple of excellent Jopen beers and my personal favourite Palm before the overpowering urge to sleep came over me.