Nijmegen: VVV office
Velorama
Bridge over the Waal
Hoge Veluwe
Hoge Veluwe
Kroller-Muller museum
Scupture park
Chalet B & B
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Since we would be leaving the Maas Route today we went to the VVV (tourist office) in Nijmegen where we were able to buy a complete set of maps and a guide showing the long-distance cycle routes in the southern half of the Netherlands for about €18. We weren't able to read the guide, which is in Dutch, but the maps proved invaluable for the remainder of our journey.
We then headed for the Velorama National Museum which had been strongly recommended to us. It did not disappoint; the exhibits cover three floors of the purpose-built museum. Highlights included:
After a couple of hours at the Velorama we eventually found the correct route for cycles to cross the Waal and wasted some more time searching for a quiet route towards Arnhem where we planned to enter the vast Hoge Veluwe national park. We left Arnhem on LF3 but left it after taking directions from a fellow cyclist and then we found ourselves on forest tracks which eventually reached the gate to the Hoge Veluwe at Schaarsbergen. It was 3 pm as we entered the part, paying €14 each.
The Hoge Veluwe is a huge sandy moor-like park (55 square kilometres) covered with heather and pine trees. It is criss-crossed with well-surfaced cycle paths and there are free bikes available (1700 of them) for visitors who arrive without them. After a picnic, we cycled 10 kms on these tracks to the Kröller-Müller Museum, a collection of painting and sculpture situated at the heart of the park and started by Helene Kröller-Müller about 100 years ago. The collection includes a large number of Van Goghs - many that we had never seen before - e.g. some of those he painted at St Rémy and some early ones including a version of The Potato Eaters. Another room is devoted to Mondrian's work. The Museum is surrounded by an extensive sculpture park with works by Barbara Hepworth, Maillol, ... Sadly we hadn't arrived in time to see all the worthwhile works in this magnificent museum before it closed at 5 pm but we made a good stab at it.
We had reserved a rural B & B at Otterlo, a village on the western edge of the park. It turned out to be timber chalet hidden in the woods but only a short walk from the centre of the village - which turned out to be a modern holiday resort and we had little choice but to eat at 'formula' restaurant.
Today's distance: 55 km, weather: cold and dry, accommodation: De Vogelvlucht B & B
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Nijmegen: VVV office |
Velorama |
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Bridge over the Waal |
Hoge Veluwe |
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Hoge Veluwe |
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Kroller-Muller museum |
Scupture park |
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Chalet B & B |
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