This week's Bike Overnight comes from Friedel Grant, who says this about herself: "I launched into bike touring with my husband on a tour around the world. We pedaled 48,000 kilometers through 30 countries before settling down to ride bikes in the Netherlands. I write about bike touring on my website, Travelling Two (though, with the recent birth of Luke, that may change to Travelling Three)."
Of her most recent Bike Overnight, Getting Away From It All -- in Crowded Holland, Friedel writes, "It's not easy to get away from the crowds when you live in one of the world's most densely populated countries. But if you know the right places, you can escape from the city to your own little bit of nature even in the Netherlands -- and for free!
"Last fall we did just that. With the essentials on board, we started cycling toward what we think is one of the best-kept secrets in the country: a paalkampeerterrein. What's that? Loosely translated, the name means 'pole camping site,' and there are about 30 of them across the country. The name comes from the fact that these simple tenting sites (don't count on water or a toilet) are marked only by a wooden pole. There's no cost to use them and they're usually set in a wooded area or other nature reserve. Only cyclists and walkers can use them, and we've fallen in love with a few particularly scenic ones.
"Our favorite paalkampeerterrein so far is just off a quiet bike path in the middle of the Dutch countryside. Across a narrow bridge is a small patch of land surrounded by water and trees, and with just enough space for three tents. A true hidden getaway. With only a few cows to keep us company, we cooked and laughed the night away at our own private campsite."
Be sure to read Friedels's entire Bike Overnight at BikeOvernights.org. While there, also check out the archives of Bike Overnights and Photos of the Week. Our recent weekly photo selection, published March 23 and featured below, comes courtesy of Carry Porter from her post North of the Border: Cycling with Sasquatch.
BikeOvernights.org Photo of the Week, 03.23.12.
Top photo by Friedel Grant.
BIKE OVERNIGHTS is posted every Monday by Michael McCoy, Adventure Cycling?s media specialist, and highlights content from BikeOvernights.org. Mac also compiles the organization's twice-monthly e-newsletter Bike Bits, which goes free-of-charge to more than 44,000 readers worldwide.
Source: http://blog.adventurecycling.org/2012/03/getting-away-from-it-all-in-crowded.html
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