Netherlands > Touring Terschelling

Today is the last day of the strict corona measures. Starting tomorrow, there will be some relaxations. In the breakfast room, it already seems that this moment has arrived. No one worries anymore about keeping one and a half meters distance or wearing a face mask. It probably wasn’t such a big deal after all. After breakfast, we get ready for a bike ride around the island. The cycling route starts at the hotel De Walvisvaarder in Lies. Via Fomerum, we ride to the starting point. Then the route takes us through the dunes to the Boschplaat, a beautiful nature reserve on the east side of the island. The bike path winds through the rolling landscape. The easternmost part of the reserve is not accessible. We make a turn and arrive at Oosterend, the easternmost village on Terschelling.

Netherlands - At low tide the Wadden Sea largely falls dry

Via Hoorn, we reach Lies again on the south side of the island. From here, the second loop of the bike route begins: the Midsland aan Zee loop. Through forests and dunes, we cycle to Midsland aan Zee. The route is easy to follow because almost every intersection has a mushroom-shaped sign or a signpost. It’s really hard to get lost. From West aan Zee, the route bends back toward Midsland. We don’t take this way. Instead, we follow the route to West Terschelling. Later this afternoon, we will take the ferry back from there. There are two routes back to the village; we choose the longer one along the green beach on the west side. A beautiful cycling route along the shores of the Wadden Sea. Just before West Terschelling, we pass a high staircase. We park our bikes and climb the dune using the stairs. From the top, we have a view over West Terschelling and the Brandaris lighthouse. A beautiful sight. We end the bike ride in West Terschelling. In the shopping street next to the Brandaris, we order coffee with the typical Terschelling “pondkoek” — a kind of taaitaai (spiced gingerbread) filled with almond paste. We still have some time before the boat departs again. Marco goes for another short bike ride. I take a stroll through the village of West Terschelling. Typical fishermen’s houses line the streets here.

Netherlands - The hotel reflected in the water in Franeker

Especially outside the tourist center, it’s a charming sight. The route runs through the dunes. From the sandy hills, I have a view of the village and the lighthouse. At three o’clock, we join the queue for the ferry again. The boat has just docked. An impressive number of people disembark. I am especially surprised by the many cyclists. Probably many people come for a weekend on the island. Back on the mainland, we drive to Franeker, just ten kilometers away. We spend the night at the Stadsherberg, just outside the old city canal. In the center, we eat at a narrow terrace by the canal. The sign requesting drivers to drive carefully is definitely not without reason.