Out of Amsterdam

The ride across Amsterdam was very pleasant and stress-free, now that navigation was working in our favour and because there were cycle paths everywhere. Almost too soon, we were out of the city and heading north-west, back to the North Sea and the Kustroute.

Rain arrived in the night, complete with lightning and low rumbling thunder. It's always a pleasure to hear raindrops on the tent fly, not so much to find water inside the tent. There was some dampness in the morning. And the rain was forecast to last most of the day. It was an easy decision to stay put, eventually emerging from our tent a few minutes before noon. 

But I only exchanged the tent for the shelter of the barn where I could sit more comfortably. And watch the rain fall, it sometimes fading to almost nothing then returning with a vengeance. This should be bringing a smile to farmers' faces.

In the mid-afternoon, the skies lightened and we risked a walk to the nearby dunes that maintained a buffer between the below sea-level fields and the powerful North Sea.

Then we continued our walk into Egmond aan Zee, the nearby seaside resort. I'm sure the beach was a little different today, absent the sunbathers who have probably been stretched out on the sand for the last few weeks.

A typical stretch of Dutch cycle/pedestrian path.

Then, to cap it all, the tastiest meal of mussels that I remember having. With a view of the sea, close to high tide now, and a few hardy souls heading out in wetsuits and with surf or stand-up paddle boards.