Rotterdam to Wijk bij Duurstede

Rotterdam, NetherlandsRoad

Retraced from the map Ridden by Marcus on 30th August 2015; the recording was lost, so the line is the road between the day's towns, drawn from OpenStreetMap (the rider logged 84.7 km that day).

78 km
Distance: 0 m
Elevation gain: Moderate
Difficulty: Paved
Surface

Download GPX Map

On the road: Rotterdam to Wijk bij Duurstede

Elevation profile

Total ascent: 0 m
Distance: 78 km

Rider notes

An improvised fitting of the rear pannier rack allows a mid morning departure from Amsterdam.

Short pedal in the warm sunshine takes me to Amsterdam Centraal for the only train of the trip [all being well]. Ignored the “no bikes” signs on the Intercity for the trip to Rotterdam. So it’s all looking good at the start location. Two bikes, 2 riders geared up and ready to go. A short pedal to the river for a lunch and planning meeting. Donny has “The Rhine Cycle Route” book which seems to be of limited use as it assumes a start point in Germany. Still, it made a handy wasp swatter.

Thanks to trusty Google Maps we made it out of Rotterdam and picked up signs for the first stop of the day. If you’re ever planning a tour of Holland there is little to recommend Schoonhoven. 32km covered.

Onwards from here, passing through some classicly pretty Dutch countryside. A Donny said, “This is what we signed up for.” Mid-afternoon and we picked up the Rhine as it flows from Amsterdam towards Germany. Here the path turned from a paved roadway into an uneven slabbed toepath. The new Ridley performed well. That is until my improvised pannier installation decided to shed one of the untightened bolts. Unsurprisingly, neither of us had brought any spanners for the trip. A quick zip tie fix to replace the lost bolt and we were on our way.

Perhaps due to the heat of the day, and my lack of fluid intake, I started to hit the wall around 6pm with a mere 65km covered. Donny saved the day with some of the best tasting honey and oat bars I’ve ever had. That was enough to see us on to the first day end point, the very pretty Wijk bij Duurstedm, or just Dijk as the locals call it.

Weather was just about perfect all day. Big lightning and thunder storm just hit so here’s hoping it blows itself out by morning. I’ve decided we need to have perfect weather for three weeks.

Route overview

Suitable for riders looking for a flat, moderate distance ride with some sections on cycle paths and minor roads.

Day 1 of Rotterdam to Budapest: 77.7 km from Rotterdam to Wijk bij Duurstede with 0 m of climbing, retraced from the map.

This 77.7 km point-to-point route starts in Rotterdam, passing through places like Feijenoord, Kinderdijk, and Schoonhoven before reaching Wijk bij Duurstede. The elevation gain is negligible, with the highest point at 7 m near km 52.5. The profile is flat throughout. The route surface is mainly paved (85%) with 2% gravel or unpaved sections and some unmapped segments (13%). Road types vary: about 30% cycle path, 21% minor roads, 15% roads with cycle lanes, 10% quiet streets, and 6% paths. There are 4.6 km on main roads with speeds over 80 km/h and 4.7 km of main roads without cycle lanes. Food and drink options include cafés and restaurants such as Starbucks at 0.6 km, Van der Grijn bakery at 18.2 km, and Café-Slijterij De Roode Leeuw at 50.2 km. Shops are available in several towns, with the longest stretch without café, shop, or water lasting 7.8 km between km 20.2 and 28. Multiple bike shops and bailout points accessible by ferry or station provide support along the way.

Highlights

Kinderdijk at 14.4 km
Unesco viewpoint near Kinderdijk
Slotgracht voormalig kasteel Liesveld at 31.7 km
Kasteel Heemstede near 59.4 km

Along the route

Measured from the recorded track and OpenStreetMap.

Places passed

Feijenoord 4.6 km
Bolnes 11.5 km
Krimpen aan de Lek 14.4 km
Kinderdijk 14.4 km
Nieuw-Lekkerland 17.2 km
Lekkerkerk 17.9 km
Achthuizen 18.6 km
Ammerstol 29.8 km
Groot-Ammers 30.8 km
Liesveld 31.7 km
Gelkenes 32.9 km
Schoonhoven 34.7 km
Cabauw 38.4 km
Lopik 42.1 km
Jaarsveld 44 km
Graaf 44.7 km
Uitweg 47.4 km
Lopikerkapel 50 km
Klaphek 52 km
Houten 62.3 km
't Goy 67.8 km

What this ride is like

Measured from OpenStreetMap along the track and the elevation profile.

Roads: 30% cycle path · 21% minor road · 15% road with cycle lane · 10% quiet street · 11% unmapped
Main roads: 4.7 km on main roads without a cycle lane — likely busier
Fast roads: 4.6 km on roads with a limit of 80 km/h or more
Cycle paths: 34.1 km on cycle paths or roads with a cycle lane
Main roads used: M A Reinaldaweg (6 km), Beusichemseweg (3 km), Wijkersloot (3 km)
Surface: 85% paved · 2% gravel or unpaved · 13% unmapped
Gradient: 0% climbing · 0% descending · 100% flat