Check-in is between 2pm-4.30pm. At 5pm there is a welcome drink and safety briefing where you will meet the crew and your fellow travellers. During dinner the boat slips her moorings and cruises out of Amsterdam to Zaandam just outside the city where we moor for the night

After breakfast we disembark for our first cycle ride. The destination is the Zaanse Schans, a fascinating open-air museum complete with traditional wooden houses, working windmills and traditional arts & crafts. After exploring the museum, cycle on through the green, polder landscape punctuated by tiny villages and windmills. This is the Land of Leegwater where, in the 17th century, scientist Jan Leeghwater devised a revolutionary system for reclaiming land using a system of windmills. Visit a former whaler’s villlage De Rijp and pass the windmill of Schermerhorn. The boat is waiting for us near the beautiful old town of Alkmaar.

Our second day’s ride is a delightful route to discover the North-Holland Dune reserve which supplies the drinking water for most of the province of North-Holland. Then on to the beach and artists town of Bergen before returning to Alkmaar. During the afternoon the boat cruises north to the naval port of Den Helder, the northern-most town on mainland Holland, where she moors for the night.

After breakfast we take a 20 minute ferry ride (included) across to the isle of Texel. After disembarking in the tiny port of Oudeschild we begin our ride around the island. Charming villages, deserted beaches and a network of wonderful cycle paths characterise this idyllic little place and there are a number of routes to choose from. In the late afternoon we catch the ferry back to the mainland and re-board our boat in Den Helder for a short cruise to Den Oever where the impressive, 20 mile long Afsluit Dyke separates the North Sea from the IJssel Lake. We moor in Den Oever for the night.

The day starts with a breakfast cruise across the IJssel Lake to the province of Friesland. The IJssel Lake was created in 1932 when a 20 mile breakwater was built between the provinces of North Holland and Friesland. Occupying 1100 km², it is the largest freshwater lake in western Europe. The boat moors in the small port of Stavoren and after disembarking you can choose between a long or a short ride or a combination of the two. The shorter ride leads you on a gentle, circular route through the untouched beauty of the Gaasterland nature park while the longer option leads you through the extensive and equally beautiful lake district. The boat remains moored in Stavoren for the night.

During breakfast we will cruise back across the IJssel Lake to the pleasant little port of Medemblik. Here once again we can choose between a long and a short route. The shorter ride leads us along a scenic, lakeside cycle path directly to the beautiful town of Enkhuizen. The longer route also finishes in Enkhuizen but first heads south, via a succession of small villages to Hoorn, erstwhile home port of the powerful Dutch East India Company. In the evening we can enjoy a short, guided walking tour of Enkhuizen.

During breakfast we cruise south to Volendam where we disembark with the bikes. For our last day of cycling we’ll venture into the ‘Waterland’ area of Holland, aptly named, as it is a network of canals linking a myriad of small lakes. We also recommend adding on a short detour to pedal out along the breakwater to the former island of Marken. We then enjoy a leisurely ride back into Amsterdam along canal-side cycle paths for a last night aboard moored close to the city-centre.

After breakfast it’s time to disembark, by 9.30 am, and head for home or your next adventure.