Lucy’s New Adventures_2018

Two days in Overijssel  Monday 11th - Tuesday 12th June 2018 The IJsell river flows through the Province of Overijssel and gives it its name, over means about, so it is about, or around, the IJssel and the river forms much of its western border. Overijssel is hilly in the east near Germany and flat in the west. Before the Province of Flevoland was created from reclaimed land after the Afsluitdijk was built, Overijssel was on the coast.  The IJssel near Deventer The Hanseatic League Overijssel had some important ports dating from the 800s, and seven towns along the IJssel prospered after the formation of the Hanseatic League, the powerful trading community formed in the mid-13th century. I visited two of these towns, Zwolle and Deventer.  Grote Kerk in Zwolle Knooppunten (numbered markers) I have mentioned the excellent Dutch cycle paths several time before. The main routes between towns are signed with red signposts at every junction giving the distance to ...

A Weekend in Drenthe Saturday 9th - Monday 11th June Once Lucy had changed back into her orange jersey and finished the suikerbrood I started to make my way South East through Drenthe. I cycled in this Province last year on my way to and back from Iceland, and I mentioned on the blog that Drenthe is described as ‘a fairly sparsely populated agricultural area’.  It is also has a National Park, Drentsche Aa Landschap, with miles of trails for cycling and walking through heath and woodland. Drenthe has been populated since prehistoric times and  is home to 52 dolmen (hunebedden),  burial chambers. It was strange cycling on trails through forests after spending the last three weeks riding through treeless, flat, open countryside following canals and dykes Het Gevangenismuseum Het  Nationaal Gevangenismuseum - The National Prison Museum at Veenhuizen As I headed for Assen, home of the Dutch TT, and a city that I visited twice last year, I realised that my route took me a ...

Groningen and Drachten  Wednesday 6th - Saturday 9th June 2018 Lauwersmeer (Lake Lauwers) I cycled south from the ferry along the shore of the Lauwersmeer, then followed the river Lauwers that marks the border between the Provinces of Freyslân and Groningen and headed to the city of Groningen. On the way Lucy spotted the Groningen flag, and of course she wanted another jersey. Groningen is described in the guide books as a vibrant, youthful city, which it certainly is. It has been a University town since 1614 and has a student population of around 40,000. As there was a lot to see and do, I decided to stay for two nights and spent the first evening sitting in a restaurant in the Grote Markt chatting to a University lecturer who, in my opinion, had a very strange view of British politics.    The place where I stayed had an eclectic collection of pictures hanging on the staircases including a map of Warwickshire and a Derbyshire hunting scene.  A Day in Groningen - Thu...