Friesland and the Wadden coast

Route description

Hindeloopen, one of the eleven towns of the famous Elfstedentocht skating race, sits right on the IJsselmeer with wooden bridges and its own style of painted furniture. Follow the dike road north to Harlingen, a lively harbour where the ferries leave for Terschelling and Vlieland.

Take the N31 east, stopping in Franeker for the Eise Eisinga Planetarium, then on to Leeuwarden, the Frisian capital, with its leaning Oldehove tower and canals. From there minor roads lead north to Dokkum, a star-shaped fortified town with two windmills on its ramparts.

The last stretch runs along the Wadden Sea dike, a UNESCO landscape of salt marsh and tidal flats. Lauwersoog is the harbour for Schiermonnikoog and the edge of Lauwersmeer National Park, known for birds and dark skies; in Pieterburen you can see the seal centre and book a guided mudflat walk.

End in Groningen, a student city with a big market square and the Martinitoren. Roads here are narrow and lined with cyclists, but flat and easy for motorhomes; bring layers, as the wind off the Wadden Sea is constant.