Cycling the Low Countries // World Bicycle Touring Episode 28

We took the Dover to Dunkirk ferry and rode a few miles in France before cycling through Belgium, the Netherlands, and Northern Germany. We primarily followed the North Sea Cycle Route, or EuroVelo 12, to travel through this part of Northern Europe.
During this section of our bicycle tour, we dealt with record high temperatures and difficult wild camping. The riding was consistently flat and got a bit monotonous at times, but we found nice beach forests and incredible bicycle infrastructure to keep our spirits high.
We rode this section in July of 2022.
Blog post with GPX and more route info:
www.rollingexistence.com/rout...
Instagram: / rollingexistence
Support us on Patreon and get early access to our videos: / rollingexistence
Bicycle gear list below. We're running a mix of traditional panniers and bikepacking bags.
- 2020 Surly Ogres
- 36h Rohloff Speedhubs
- 36h Son 28 Dynamo hubs
- Ryde Andra 40 rims
- Marathon GT365 29x2.0 tires
- Avid BB7 brakes, 200mm front, 160mm rear
- Sinewave Cycles Beacon headlight/USB charger
- Ergon SMC Core (Andrew) Terry Butterfly Century (Jenny) saddles
- Rogue Panda custom frame bags
- Ortlieb Back Rollers Plus rear panniers
- Bedrock Bags Hermosa front panniers
- Tubus Cargo rear rack (Andrew), Tubus Logo Classic (Jenny)
- Planet Bike AL fenders
Camera Gear:
- Fuji X-T4
- Fujinon 16-80 mm f/4
- Fujinon 23 mm f/2 prime
- GoPro Hero 8 Black w/Media Mod + DIY windscreen
- Rode VideoMic Pro
- Mavic Mini 1 drone
Music Credits:
Monma x cocabona - Garnet
- Provided by Lofi Records
- Watch: • Monma x cocabona - Garnet
- Download/Stream: fanlink.to/lazySunday
Laffey - Nighttime
- Provided by Lofi Records
- Watch: • Laffey - Nighttime
- Download/Stream: fanlink.to/summernightsEP
Laffey - Crush
- Provided by Lofi Records
- Watch: • Laffey - Crush
- Download/Stream: fanlink.to/summernightsEP
Flitz&Suppe x Mr. Käfer x Kupla - Ato
- Provided by Lofi Records
- Watch: • Flitz&Suppe x Mr. Käfe...
- Download/Stream: fanlink.to/YokaiEP
Jhove - It All
- Provided by Lofi Records
- Watch: • Jhove - It All
- Download/Stream: fanlink.to/lazySunday

[@mardiffv.8775]

09:04 Those concrete half pipes are a wind blocking wall, so ships won't collide with the narrow bridge opening by the strong wind.

[@RollingExistence]

Thanks for explaining, we were wondering what exactly its purpose was!

[@jamesdick2604]

Rode basically this route from London to Amsterdam last year. One of the best things I've ever done.

[@j.k.6148]

Thank you for bringing to life a sense of calm, serenity, peacefulness through scenery, soundtrack, editing, and your voices. Really enjoyed the video. Safe travels Jenny & Andrew!

[@ohjajohh]

9:09 those things protect ships from the wind. It's usually quite windy there, and without this construction ships have a very hard time steering straight in small canals

[@YnseSchaap]

Stealth camping in the Netherlands is an art form 😁 in all my years I've only been caught once and that was along the northern coast of Frisia in very open country

[@YnseSchaap]

@@sailingaeolus 😁

[@VeloObscura]

Bruges is just a magical place - even though it's very touristy, it still feels like a fairytale with all the beautiful old architecture and horse-drawn carriages. Last time we were there we went into the Basilica and saw the Holy Blood..... It was a pretty odd experience.... A bunch of people queueing up to see some crusty red residue that may or may not be the blood of a preacher who died 2000 years ago....😅

[@RollingExistence]

Agreed, we really enjoyed it despite the crowds! Lovely place to stroll around and take in the architecture. Those relic sites are always a little strange...but an interesting experience in their own way.

[@ramdynebix]

We rode most of your route in NL as well late this summer, just in the opposite direction. Recognized a *lot* of places 😄. And also a Hilleberg tent, just like us.

[@usuhshshsh]

فيديوجميل جميل جميل جدا ممتازجدا مرحبا بكم 😗😙😚💪✌👍👏💕💖

[@mardiffv.8775]

The problem of finding a hidden camping site could have avoided by looking at Google Maps in the satellite image mode. Then you can see where the forests are, where you can stealth camp. Instead of following the coast along the Eurovelo 12, you could have the route: Antwerp, Breda, Nijmegen, Arnhem, Apeldoorn, Zwolle, Groningen to Leer, Germany. Plenty of small forests where you could have camped.

[@RollingExistence]

That's a great tip, we use Google Maps satellite view every night, it's our primary way of finding woods. We learned pretty quick during our 300+ nights of wild camping in Europe that spots that look good on satellite aren't always as good as they look from above, so it's often still a matter of scoping for a good spot as we ride.

[@marctenoever7941]

Please respect our nature there is a reason stealth camping is not allowed. There are enough legal options. Pay a small fee.

[@davidreadbikes]

We jsut found your channel. This is a really well done video of a part of the world we want to cycle in. Thank you!

[@electricbike8547]

Hello my dear brother great video Thank you, dear brother, for your participation and support

[@BangBangChicken]

Awesome to see my hometown beach! What a lovely video

[@CanyonWanderer]

Funny that since I subscribed, I've seen you cycling almost anywhere in the world , and now in this video you're actually passing a few miles from my house (live about 5 miles South-East of Scheveningen (that's around 10:20 in the video)! As you mentioned the free camping options in The Netherlands are very limited. I do not know many other countries where every bit of soil is either someones property, managed by the government, fenced anyway, cultivated in another way or hardly reachable because of ditches, waterways, dikes. Nearly all 'forests' are planted, some centuries ago, but still only a few are original. Anyway, chances are 100% I'll be passing here: @9:42 tomorrow morning, after a week behind the computer I'm really ready for it 🙂 Keep on cycling!

[@RollingExistence]

So cool! It's really fun to hear that we've cycled near the homes of our viewers. Enjoy your upcoming ride!

[@gkamphuis61]

Funny to see you guys cycling in my home land the Netherlands

[@juandelgado1168]

Beautiful scenery! Thank you

[@pousserlaportedelaventure]

Toujours tres agreable a regarder vos videos, j'adore !!! vous etes passes par chez moi , a Dunkerque . A bientot

[@ART-qw9ds]

Good 🚴‍♀️

[@alafenetre81]

Nice and diverse landscapes. Same for me with spiders :-) It's beyond fright, there's no word for that! Looking forward to Scandinavia...

[@RollingExistence]

Glad to hear that others are equally unnerved 😅

[@5402261]

super!!!

[@amsterdamwalks]

Nice trip!

[@youngsikjun6274]

♥♥♥

[@markbaker1124]

Awesome, I'd love to tour one day, bless you guys

[@tseringdanlama]

I find this channel and clik the suscribe button it is amazing that

[@lancebarker]

I really appreciate your videos, thanks. I’m okay with spiders, except the poisonous biting kind, which thankfully, are in short supply. You two are a big inspiration to me. Cheers from N. California.

[@petesig93]

Great video again of your travels. I would definitely look at the occasional caravan park or cheap hotel when travelling across the Netherlands, if only to be based in towns and get the time to experience more of the Dutch culture. If you guys really like the wild-camping approach you need to get yourselves down to Australia. Even in most small towns there is no great worry in camping on a recreation reserve (just not on the football oval), and there are lots of forest areas where it is easy to camp in. If you go outback to our red centre and northern savannah lands you can just pull off the road to get a secluded spot almost anywhere.

[@RollingExistence]

We definitely want to tour Australia someday! 🙌

[@sixtoorlandopinzonturriago8527]

Mucha belleza amigos. Es único desde Colombia. Los saludo

[@marcvanMaanen]

You've cycled across the densely populated south holland and north holland provinces where the countryside is open and popular with tourists so no wild camping, it would ruin nature. Next time spend some time more inland for woods, moors & even some hills 🙂

[@evosportychop8332]

Was that zebra white with black stripes or black with white stripes

[@ronwhite8503]

Yes.

[@welshbikepackingadventures]

I hate spiders 🕷 too! Freak me out . Hope you're both well, love your content guys 🙏

[@jodyssey9921]

Just looking at your handlebars makes my wrists hurt.

[@bike-and-travel]

👍

[@BikepackingMyanmar]

Jenny looks so sweet!

[@Daltesq]

[@swissride4k]

I really like the World cycling tour but due to a lot of work, I'm not able to go outside of Switzerland. I'm just sharing the scenery of Switzerland with People!

[@RollingExistence]

There's definitely no shortage of spectacular scenery to explore in Switzerland!

[@swissride4k]

@@RollingExistence Yeah, You are right! Have you visited Switzerland? I'm from Schwyz, Switzerland!

[@edzeppelin933]

Nice video! What's your tent?

[@RollingExistence]

Thanks! It's a Hilleberg Anjan 2.

[@nathaliebard1777]

I like the relaxed position of your handlebars. Can you tell me what the model is ?

[@RollingExistence]

They are Jones H-bars (aluminum) with Ergon grips.

[@gamarusmarco3576]

Superbe vidéo merci.. Pouvez vous me dire quelle tente utilisez vous

[@RollingExistence]

Thanks! We have a Hilleberg Anjan 2.

[@zeez3139]

What was the black netting thing she was putting sausages or something in a forest ?

[@RollingExistence]

We were cooking inside a hunting blind. Unfortunately didn't get a shot of the whole thing from the outside because it was raining.

[@martinvaughan9790]

Where did you get the helmet covers? Really like them😊

[@RollingExistence]

They are from a company called Da Brim. We're big fans!

[@dimrrider9133]

@@RollingExistence In the Netherlands we dont like helmets ;p But its fun because we know who the tourist are hehe.

[@Bikepacking]

Did you do a break down of cost for the year yet

[@RollingExistence]

Haven't had time to do a detailed analysis yet. Still working on the trip video backlog at the moment!

[@lkruijsw]

I see comments that wildcamping is illegal in the Netherlands. I think that is not completely correct. The national law was abolished a few years ago, so it is no determined on local level.

[@tman5634]

It's a shame you didn't mention the places you went through after Amsterdam & in Germany, it would have made it more interesting for me. Though thanks for sharing your travels.

[@saaadaiii5529]

How many Kilo yall spend one day in average?

[@YouTubeOfficial.]

Si,.

[@marks.6480]

Please be advised that wild camping is actually illegal in the Netherlands so don't get caught LOL

[@RollingExistence]

Wild camping is illegal in most of Europe other than Scotland, Sweden, and Norway but we had no problem in the other 17 countries we rode and wild camped in. Respect no trespassing signs, never camp near residences, leave no trace, stay out of sight, setup camp near sunset and be gone in the morning worked out well for us on our 14 month ride across Europe.

[@corese75]

People that start fires, litter, stay for days and make noise are the ones that will get filed. On the other hand

[@marctenoever7941]

Its not allowed to camp in nature in the Netherlands. You have to find an official "camping". Its like that almost in all of Europe.

[@marctenoever7941]

Nice trip nu the way

[@bambiloren]

Santa Claus's bone? you mean to say Santa Claus is dead?

[@RollingExistence]

In Episode 14, we visited a church in Bari, Italy that supposedly has Santa Claus's bones so it was a reference to that. We don't think they're real though, so Santa Claus could potentially still be with us.

[@dimrrider9133]

@@RollingExistence Oh than you must have been to Monopoli? Im a greenhousebuilder and just came back from there, its beautifal district. Greetz from Breda the Netherlands.