Your cycling holiday begins in Delft, forever associated with its delicate blue pottery. The glory years of 1650 to 1750 saw some 100 ceramics factories operating here. Scenic canals adorn the Old Town and you really feel you’ve gone back in time, as you wonder at age-old lopsided canal houses, cobblestones underfoot. Visit the Vermeer Centrum just off the main square for background on this well-loved painter (1632-1675) known for his tranquil domestic scenes.

After a hearty breakfast, off you go into the Green Heart, riding through open countryside dotted with small villages. Take in the fresh air, sunshine and light. What’s that on the horizon up ahead, Gouda? Yes, the delightful town famous for its cheese market and home to one of the Netherlands’ most important exports, Gouda cheese. Other popular products manufactured here include Dutch waffles (since the 1840’s), candles (1853-1980), clay pipes (17th-18th century) and colourful Gouda pottery (1920s and 30s). The stained-glass windows at St. John’s church provide another vivid note.

If you plan to visit the cheese market, arrange to stay in Gouda on a Wednesday night and be there early Thursday morning. Just like in the olden days, dairy farmers and merchants settle each sale with a handshake. Other local delicacies can be sampled and purchased at the market too. 

Check out the cheese museum before cycling off along the River Meije. The rustic surroundings may look natural, but many aspects of this ‘cultural landscape’ were actually man-made. Centuries ago, dikes and windmills drained soggy marshes to create pastures and farmed fields. Peat harvesting dates back to the 13th century here, a process that left deep holes in the landscape which later filled with water and threatened to flood the area. Some were therefore drained and turned into polder land, lying well below sea level. Other holes were left as lakes, a modern-day summertime attraction. This afternoon, glide into the picturesque town of Leiden. The country’s first university was founded here in 1575 and later became one of the most prominent in Europe. Breathe history in at the 1590 botanical garden and stretch your legs on an inner-city canal tour.

Head for the coast this morning, cycling through dunes and rolling along the beach to the seaside resort of Scheveningen. Pedal onward to The Hague, the seat of government and parliament although Amsterdam is the capital city, and drop by Noordeinde Palace, the King’s official workplace. Take your pick of museums at the Gemeentemuseum, Mesdag, Escher, Mauritshuis . . . before cycling back to Delft. Get a glimpse of Dutch Baroque art at the 14th-15th century New Church, home to the mausoleum of William of Orange, ‘Father of the Fatherland’, responsible for the country independence from Spain and murdered here in 1584. The 1653 ceramics factory, ‘De Porceleyne Fles’, still produces Delftware d and remains open to visitors.

After breakfast, your cycling holiday comes to an end and it is time to make your way home.