Hi Charlie, thanks for featuring our Dutch Countryside Cycling video, my son did the filming, editing and narration and I'm on the Hase Lepus recumbent trike. We'll looking forward to returning to the Netherlands for more great cycling in 2024, you must visit! Martin
I had a stroke, due to that I can't drive a car or ride a 'normal' bycicle, with two wheels. Since staying mobile is very important, I made a request to the City I live in. It has a special facility for disabled people. I now have a tree wheeled bycicle. It is not my property, but I can use it for as long as I need it. Because of my low income ad on't have to pay for it. And if anything happens, I can call the company that owns it and they will help me on very short notice. I am so happy with my bycicle. It is absolutely comfortable and helps me to be independent. That is how important cycling is here in the Netherlands.
We the Dutch are some 800 miles more to the north then Indiana USA, but because of our sea climate, we have only soft rainy winters and mild summers with even more then 16 hours of daylight. 🍻
Very important to realize: in the Netherlands the driver of a "strong" vehicle (car, truck, motorcycle) must ALWAYS take care to avoid "weak" vehicles such as bicycles and pedestrians. The basic philosophy of the law is that it is never allowed to kill or mame somebody, even iff they are doing something "wrong", or not following a rule. And those roads with a narrow section for the cars are specifically designed to force car drivers to be carefull. It works very well in practice. There are very few accidents with cyclists on those roads.
Hi, in the UK changes to the Highway Code were introduced in January 2022 including an explicit 'hierarchy of road users', similar to the Dutch system where the more powerful have a duty of car to the more vunerable. Unfortunately in the UK there are still far to many agressive and impatient drivers who don't know this and pass too close and too fast. I use powerful daytime lights to help ensure I'm seen. That's why cycling off the road on dedicated paths in the Netherlands is so relaxing and we keep coming!
@@on-3-wheels Great to hear that they are making strides in the UK too! But of course it takes time to get people educated on such things... Lets hope that people start picking it up soon!
Charlie when you finally come over here in the Netherlands?😊 You and your family are more than welcome over here😊 Other than that a great video/reaction well done and thank you👍 And greetings from the Netherlands🇳🇱
@@ItsCharlieVestI think you’d never have to book a hotel here. Just staying over at a bunch of Dutch describes that would looove to show you around here 😂
Here too in rural areas of the UK...often find seedlings of tomato plants and flowers too as well as the fruit and veg, one near me does eggs...you just put the money in a provided envelope and pop it through their letterbox if close by or slip it into a s!offer box that's usually attached to the table if the house is a long way down the lane. They've been around for years and I've never heard anyone ta!ing ad vantage. You even see them on main roads outside 'ordinary ' houses, who ha e get gardens of allotments, attitude tends to be that if someone needs to take stuff and has no money, that's ok too. 😊👍🇬🇧💖
We have those cycling paths like that too in Belgium and U can easy ride into the Netherlands and back and even parts of Germany. Following the routes.
Nowadays it's less relaxing, because of e-bikes. They are just so fast and silent, I get jump-scared whenever one passes me with a perfectly functioning bell on their steering wheel they don't use.
People should use their bells, or slow down and say hello. E-bikes are wonderful however for allowing people with physical weakness like me to keep cycling
I was in the Netherlands in early November last year. I’ve been many times but this trip gave me the opportunity to finally try the amazing cycling infrastructure. It really is amazing, it was during Storm Ciaran and great to see Dutch people still going about their business by bicycle, regardless of the crazy winds and heavy rain. I can’t wait to get back.
The most exciting thing about Dutch roads to me is the fact that almost all highways are constructed using ZOAB (Pervious concrete) which practically eliminates any spray from it during showers or when it's wet.
I am from the east countryside in the Netherlands. And in the spring / summer and autumn, we love to cycle around here. My town is surrounded by forests and farms and rivers. Love walking the dog in the early morning when none is awake yet.. you hear the water from the streams and the wind through the trees, and the birds sing. It's so amazing. Don't get me wrong, I love going to big cities but .. on the road going home, i always feel surrounded by peace and feel home again . I am such a Countrygirl. I could never leave ( unless it is to another countryside )
That video is mainly about leisure. The real cool thing is that everyone (almost) commutes by bike on work days, or at least cycles to the train station. And possibly has a second work bike at the destination station as well, to get to the office. I have Dutch friends who have two crappy bikes for work, and a nice bike for recreation on weekends. Kids, grannies, working parents, students everyone (who's able to) rides a bike at some time.
Dutchie here: I have a racing bike, casual bike, shitty bike (for when we hit the town) and a 1965 Gazelle tandem, which I restored to mint condition. Also I have a car that I have to drive every now and then to keep the battery topped up and fluids liquid ;-)
In Europe the tax dollars go to making public spaces functional and beautiful . If your interested in city planning I recommend videos on the new towns on the new island „Flevoland“ in The Netherlands. or how Rotterdam is preparing for rising sea levels. I admire the dutch how they’re planning already for sea level rising. they’ve gotta…. but they are ingenious and innovative. ❤
My Hase Lepus has electric assist through a motor on the front wheel, unfortuantely my legs are weak and don't provide much assistance. The trike will do 50kph or so downhill in the UK, more like a go cart!, great fun
7.22 No!Single lane is in the middle off the road.That means the cyclist has to make place for cars if they come a cross off each other.Two lanes on the side means that the cars may NOT be on the same place on the road to pass.They have to wait until the cyclist and the car is passed.But if there is no cyclist on the side the car can use the space to bypass the other car.So the line is not solid and means that you may drive over it.
Holland is very much like Indiana, just with a whole lotta water. Why do you think so many Dutch ended up settling in Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois, Minnesota, Ohio, Iowa and Indiana
The province of Drenthe is the bike province of The Netherlands. We have a lot of tourists every holiday with bikes. The province of Drenthe was the first to introduce a bike routeplanner on the web. The more rural side of The Netherlands is quite pretty, small villages surrounded by nature and agriculture areas. I love it :)
You mention windmill the Zwaan in your video. The windmill originated from village Vinkel. A few years ago, the windmill was rebuild in Vinkel, called Zwaan 2.
My wife and I also often go cycling. A lap of 30 or 50 kilometers. My wife is in a wheelchair and has an electric hand bike. To attach to her wheelchair. Now, she wants MTB tires for her wheelchair. €375 each. Greetings from Spakenburg, Netherlands.
Hi, that sounds amazing. We love seeing people out in so manay different bikes, wheelchairs and mobility scooters. Only twice in 8 cycling holidays to the Netherlands have we had barriers I couldn't get my trike through, a narrow gate and a narrow sluice bridge. Electric assistance is amazing, keep enjoying the cycling and watch out for an English guy on a recumbent trike!
We love that in the Netherlands the cyclepaths are also suitable for wheelchairs and mobility scooters. Here in the UK there are often no paved paths between villages, only roads and our offroad 'bridlepaths' and 'footpaths' are in poor condition, often muddy and with gates meaning that the wheelchair user can't get through.
You're right we have some stunning countryside, exploring on my trike is a pleasure, I just have to watch out for cars, vans and tractors. We'll spending 5 weeks in total in the Netherlands this summer, riding on traffic free paths brings a smile to my face, looking forward to it!@@AdvdW
At 8:32 that roundabout is just 2 miles from my home 🤣Great !!! I pas this when I go to the forest. At 12:56 is the main street of Balk my home town (this is hilarious)
Hi, we love Gaasterland. We stayed in the same holiday villa in Sondel in 2018 and 2022, and are returning again in August this year for 2 weeks, keep an eye out and you may see us!
Those roads at 7:20 have two wide bike lanes on each side (the size of a half car lane each) and a single (!) car lane for both directions in the middle. If there are cars in both directions, they have to slow down and merge into the bike lane each. These roads have a maximum traffic of 3000 cars (usually WAY less) and a limit of 60 kph (35 mph) compared to 80 or more on roads with a separated bike path. Still they are more or less a compromise until a proper bike path is build - and from what I have seen are some of the weaker parts of the Dutch road safety. Similar designs also exist in Belgium and Denmark, however often only a line and quite narrow bike lanes. Germany doesn't use this outside the build-up-area (theoretically they are not allowed, but a few still exist), but a version where the outside is just gravel - and with even lower traffic volumes rarely above 500. Those aren't as great for cyclists, but better at keeping the cars slow.
There is no country in the world ,other than the Netherlands,where you can safely travel across the country as a cyclist.Too many comparisons are made between major cities, while cycling outside them is a hundred times safer!👌👍
I agree, in the UK I believe London is introducing much improved seperated cycle routes. However in our countryside you have to cycle on the road and compete with cars, lorries and tractors. The Dutch cycle paths are also so inter-connected, the UK has far to many 'end of cycle path' signs where you are then left on your own!
Just over the cycle path on the road, if there are broken stripes on the road, you can also drive on the cycle path section. If a car is coming in the opposite direction, wait behind the cyclist until the oncoming car has passed and then overtake the cyclist. and the road you saw is a 2 way road, not single track.#07:36
'Knooppunt' routes are the scenic routes - They are definitely not the fastest routes. But I do tend to take them if I can spare the time. Also; one gets spoiled by the excellent Dutch bicycle infrastructure markings. Once I cross over into Germany things deteriorate quickly and carrying a (digital) map becomes a must. To be fair - the Germans are steadily upgrading their biking infrastructure.
6:50 here in Middelburg all of the old-city center has signs saying that cars are guests, pedestrians and cyclists have primary right of way. Of course this leads to ignorant folks beeping their horn if you're cycling in their way.
Great video. It's hard to overstate about how the entire Dutch road system, and cycle road system is oriented towards keeping people safe. The US and its "freedom" allow such a higher level of danger, which of course results in many more dead drivers, cyclists and pedestrians. The other thing that is amazing about the Netherlands, is it is Europe's most densely populated country... but you'd never know it. With smart planning, plus the need to have a successful agricultural sector, each town is carefully planned. The end result is a cycling experience where there never seems to be an absence of open space. Lastly, the Fietsknoop system is so amazing... all you need to do is put a piece of tape on your handlebars, write whatever route numbers you have planned to get to your destination... and you can put your maps and phone away. Just follow 4,17, 82 or whatever and you have a day's tour planned.
A big misunderstanding, big error, nobody talks about it, is the walkability off a big city, you can ! but sometimes not feasible you have to bike or take public transport. Big mistake off tourists (like US citizens heard off walking) Ooh it looks like a half hour walk on a map.
Hi Im from The Netherlands and am not a fan of the nodes-thing at all. We used to cycle on insight and maps, as intelligent people, now people follow the nodes and GPS apps and are becoming increasingly mentally lazy. It is not heathy and I would like to do a George Carlin on this topic.
I read a lot of comments about the climate differences between the Netherlands and the US on the same lattitude. OK the Netherlands has a seaclimate.....but the States have the problem that there are no big mountains from the east to the west to stop the arctic winds coming from the Northpole & Canada in the winter. Also no stopping when the warm & moisty winds from the Gulf of Mexico come in and create easily hurricanes. Which happen if cold and warm winds can meet with all their force.
Idiana looks to be on the same latitude as mid to northern France like Paris and below Paris. The Tree's and bushes in northern France, Belgium and the Netherlands are much alike. I had to look it up Latitude is north to south positioning and Longitude is the east to west positioning. And fietsknoop is more for tourist to use and is a more scenic and relaxed route. where he mentions the cyclepath not on that fietsknoop map it is a cycle path mostly used to commute to and form work/school or shopping centers. The have their own markings shields on poles with bicycle symbol and for example Amsterdan 15 km or what is called a ANWB paddestoel (mushroom because of its shape) and also the nearest town and distance on it and these are mostly on crossroads or junctions. (this was used before the fietsknoop app or maps to navigate). The street with white markings and red sides is to optically make the road narrow so cars slow down. You can drive as car driver on these red parts if there is no cyclist on that part, if there is oncoming traffic the car is supposed to stay behind the cyclist this marking also reminds the car driver he is on a 60 km (about 37 miles) road. There are also the same streets with almost same striping but closer to the edge and no red tarmac it is mainly to remind the car driver he is on a 60 km road. Most of these road are narrow any way so the driver has to take extra care for cyclist and most of the car drivers are also cyclist them self they know how to deal with these situations.
More poverty leads to more crime. Here a lot of farms put a unmanned booth next to the road with their produce. Honor system too. But more and more farms are starting bigger farm stores, with more diversity in products. Neighbours all bring what they produce and the store is stocked.
7:26 It's a 2 way street for cars and cyclists, mopeds etc. Cars are allowed to drive on the cycle lanes there. The interrupted line means drivers and cyclists are allowed to cross the line. So when 2 cars come at each other, they just drive partly on the cyclist lane. An uninterrupted line means you can't cross the line. Interrupted or uninterrupted lines are part of most of our roads, also in the middle of a road sepperating two way streets. Interrupted line means you are allowed to over-take, uninterrupted means you are not allowed to over-take.
lol, there are no honesty boxes in the Amsterdam centre. Just as you say , only in small places, otherwise it would simply not work. We have dishonest people aswell, and homeless people for instance. Ofcourse they wouldnt treat an honesty box like it should be treated.
A thing to remember the direction of lattitude. Lattitude = latteral movement... aka sideways movement (spinning of the globe) the equator is 0 degrees lattitude. Indiana is around the same latitude as Greece, the Netherlands would be somewhere in Canada between Calgary and Edmonton.
There is a RUclipsr called "AmericanFietser" he lives in Carmel Indiana (they have 140 roundabouts) where you can see how a "smaller" city looks like, sort of.
Hey man, if you would like to have some more footage of dutch country side / farm lands small towns like the place of the wind mills you can contact me and make some for you with a motorcycle ride
yes - in Germany bikes have precedence over cars . Also the effort in big german cities is to eliminate cars- your car has to have a green sticker , meaning that the emissions are low- in order to even drive in the city centers and park somewhere- that’s the plan .
Fort Wayne, IN is at 41,08 degrees north Utrecht, NL is at 52,08 degrees north. at 40 degrees lattitude the distance per degree is about 53 miles. In all Utrecht is about 760 miles further to the north
The Netherlands is more like the same horizontal level worldwide as Winnipeg Canada, but we have a sea climate. So no real extreme weather (cold/warm), but a bit more wind and rain
The latitude is parallel to the equator, the longitude is perpendicular to the equator. South of the netherlands (N51) is 10 degrees above north indiana (N41), so NL is 6500 km more to the north. (4000 mile) At 7:25 the road is called an "edge lane"
Im from Noord Brabant but i never heard about south Brabant but maybe it was before christus haha, in Belgium its Flaanders if you cross the border by the most beautifal city of the Netherlands Breda
There is a province in Belgium called Brabant. The province of Antwerp lies in between. It used to be one big province but during the 80 years war it got split up between the Dutch Republic and the Spanish Netherlands (which much later became Belgium)
Whenever us Dutch see footage of bad quality road we often like to joke that it's probably Belgium, because the contrast between the quality of infrastructure between The Netherlands and Belgium is enormous. Fun fact, even in Belgium there is a huge contrast in quality of infrastructure between the north and south. I once traveled to the southern border and it was shocking to me how bad things are there. Overgrown signs, weeds growing onto the road, entire sections of road missing without any sign or warning about it, ghost-towns. It reminded me of East-Germany in the 90's.
Looking at lattitudes, Indiana is more equivalent to Portugal/Spain/Italy/Greece (ie Mediteranian Europe) The Netherlands would be around Edmonton Canada or some of the more southern Aleutian islands in Alaska.
A great follow up video for this would be you going to the Netherlands and trying their bike paths. But if you can’t go to the Netherlands in the foreseeable future, you may as well try some of their food. My recommendations are the Dutch croquette, frikandel, and stroopwafels. I’m sure you can buy the stroopwafles on line, but I’m not too sure about the Dutch croquettes or the frikandel. I’m originally from the Netherlands, but I live in Canada and the city I live has a few places where they carry all of these and much more. I hope you get a chance to try all of these and more. I know you’ll love them.
the southern most point in the Netherlands, is still far more north than the US/Canadian border (49th parallel), so no Indiana is definately not on the same latitude. Paris France is very near the 49th parallel, Rotterdam Netherlands is even more north than Calgary, AB Canada
No Holland is much more northern, yet has a similar climate and flora. Indiana lies on the same lattitude as Spain, where we are on the same lattitude as Edmonton (Canada) or northern Newfoundland.
I know you live in a town that starts with an R. I'm from there too but have been living in Germany for 14 years. Parts of the Netherlands also remind me of back home. I travel there often for a bit of nostalgia.
New York City is approximately at the same latitude as Madrid, Spain, so most of the USA is much more south than Europe, especially compared to the Netherlands.
I'm British and we were sat as Group in the Pub discussing where we were Next going. One Lad came up with the Dutch Country side .We are from Derbyshire in England 🇬🇧. All with Mountain Bikes .Top of the Range. Totally off Road .He got shot down quick style .One Lad explained we all have Mountain bikes .why the F..k do we want to bike somewhere Flat .😮.we went to France Chamonix. Beautiful.
My trike with the electric assist will go up most hills, however cycling in the Netherlands is not really about mountain biking or hills, it's about the infrastructure, respect for cyclists and being out amongst a community of people who use their bike not just for leisure but everything - work, social activities, shopping. One of our favourite moments was in Lemmer watching a group of 10 teenage girls all turn up to McDonalds on their bikes, where would you see that in the UK? Leave your mountain bikes at home, get the Eurostar to the Netherlands, stay at a Van der Valk hotel, hire Dutch bikes (from the hotel) and explore their amazing cities and countryside - be Dutch!, then come back and tell everyone how different the UK could be! A suggestion - try Utrecht and Houten.
In Belgium we have bicycle nodes as well. Also fietssnelweg network in the build up fase. Often based om river tow paths and disussed railroads + tramways. All extending into the Netherlands and northern France. Major bicycle races coming up soon. Amateur racers everywhere. We are on the north south path on the Leie river near the French border. Lots of southbound bicycle tourists frm the Netherlands and daytrippers passing by and switching routes (Kezelbergroute) to Brugges, Ypres or Tournai.
we also have boxes with fruit for the officepeople to eat healthy thing while working and those are free ( boss payes that ) i remember that video of that windmill ! you alse eat something Dutch as i remember well. and that windmill was transported to the usa right ?
@@ItsCharlieVest about brabant.. you said somewhere in your video that north brabant is dutch and south brabant is belgium. Its not. Brabant is the whole province which has indeed a northern part which we indeed call north brabant and the same goes for south. But they are both belonging to the netherlands. Although in south brabant, which does border belgium, there are a few tiny villages which belong to belgium but are surrounded by the netherlands. But the whole province belongs to the netherlands.
Hi Charlie, thanks for featuring our Dutch Countryside Cycling video, my son did the filming, editing and narration and I'm on the Hase Lepus recumbent trike. We'll looking forward to returning to the Netherlands for more great cycling in 2024, you must visit! Martin
No problem, I really enjoyed it. Your son is very talented I must say, it was a great video
Thanks, I'll let him know! @@ItsCharlieVest
@@on-3-wheelsplease tell him to turn music volume down and/or voice up.
That is the only thing I can find on this nice production. Well done
I had a stroke, due to that I can't drive a car or ride a 'normal' bycicle, with two wheels. Since staying mobile is very important, I made a request to the City I live in. It has a special facility for disabled people. I now have a tree wheeled bycicle. It is not my property, but I can use it for as long as I need it. Because of my low income ad on't have to pay for it. And if anything happens, I can call the company that owns it and they will help me on very short notice. I am so happy with my bycicle. It is absolutely comfortable and helps me to be independent. That is how important cycling is here in the Netherlands.
Das toch mooi man dat wij Nederlanders dit kunnen zeggen dat we dit krijgen zonder gedoe. Ik hoop dat het je goed gaat... STERKTE 👍👍👍👍
beterschap!
Same here.
Eight years now.
Beterschap. !!!!
Same here.
We the Dutch are some 800 miles more to the north then Indiana USA, but because of our sea climate, we have only soft rainy winters and mild summers with even more then 16 hours of daylight. 🍻
And 16 hours of darkness in the Winter. 🥴
"How come tree roots don't ruin the asphalt (obviously laid in a thinner layer than on the roads)? Where I live, it happens a lot."
@@erikmajaron12472:57
@@erikmajaron1247They do. They get repaired regularly.
@@MT_POBox Thanks, brother.
Very important to realize: in the Netherlands the driver of a "strong" vehicle (car, truck, motorcycle) must ALWAYS take care to avoid "weak" vehicles such as bicycles and pedestrians. The basic philosophy of the law is that it is never allowed to kill or mame somebody, even iff they are doing something "wrong", or not following a rule. And those roads with a narrow section for the cars are specifically designed to force car drivers to be carefull. It works very well in practice. There are very few accidents with cyclists on those roads.
Hi, in the UK changes to the Highway Code were introduced in January 2022 including an explicit 'hierarchy of road users', similar to the Dutch system where the more powerful have a duty of car to the more vunerable. Unfortunately in the UK there are still far to many agressive and impatient drivers who don't know this and pass too close and too fast. I use powerful daytime lights to help ensure I'm seen. That's why cycling off the road on dedicated paths in the Netherlands is so relaxing and we keep coming!
@@on-3-wheels Great to hear that they are making strides in the UK too! But of course it takes time to get people educated on such things... Lets hope that people start picking it up soon!
Charlie when you finally come over here in the Netherlands?😊
You and your family are more than welcome over here😊
Other than that a great video/reaction well done and thank you👍
And greetings from the Netherlands🇳🇱
Maybe one day!
@@ItsCharlieVestI think you’d never have to book a hotel here. Just staying over at a bunch of Dutch describes that would looove to show you around here 😂
You see a lot of honestyboxes at the entrance of farms. Theyussualy provide eggs, fruit etc. You basically leave a “tip” so to speak.
Here too in rural areas of the UK...often find seedlings of tomato plants and flowers too as well as the fruit and veg, one near me does eggs...you just put the money in a provided envelope and pop it through their letterbox if close by or slip it into a s!offer box that's usually attached to the table if the house is a long way down the lane. They've been around for years and I've never heard anyone ta!ing ad vantage. You even see them on main roads outside 'ordinary ' houses, who ha e get gardens of allotments, attitude tends to be that if someone needs to take stuff and has no money, that's ok too. 😊👍🇬🇧💖
We have those cycling paths like that too in Belgium and U can easy ride into the Netherlands and back and even parts of Germany. Following the routes.
Thats a great video for someone with only 60 subs!
i agree, go sub to them!
@@ItsCharlieVest will do
The piano doesn't leave much of the speech. Guy has the wrong voice for that.
Thanks, glad you like it.
Cyclepaths, for a moment I heard Psychopaths.😂
Psychopaths are dangerous for pedestrians.
You beat me to it. I just wanted to mention their 'dedicated psychopath' D...
Your ears must still be on google translate - better upgrade :)
NL is extremely cyclepathic though
@@MiguelLopez-mu1ss we are.
Nowadays it's less relaxing, because of e-bikes. They are just so fast and silent, I get jump-scared whenever one passes me with a perfectly functioning bell on their steering wheel they don't use.
Agreed. Would be nice when people use their Bells when overtaking.
People should use their bells, or slow down and say hello. E-bikes are wonderful however for allowing people with physical weakness like me to keep cycling
I was in the Netherlands in early November last year. I’ve been many times but this trip gave me the opportunity to finally try the amazing cycling infrastructure. It really is amazing, it was during Storm Ciaran and great to see Dutch people still going about their business by bicycle, regardless of the crazy winds and heavy rain. I can’t wait to get back.
Yeah, we are like "It's only wind. As long as it doesn't blow you over, it is okay"
The most exciting thing about Dutch roads to me is the fact that almost all highways are constructed using ZOAB (Pervious concrete) which practically eliminates any spray from it during showers or when it's wet.
If I recall correctly it's a Dutch invention as well.
That kind of tarmac is vulnerable to freezing damage so it's not usable in all places.
@@gauloiseguy I didn't know that! Thanks.
@@joyl7842 yeah because in cold climates the moisture in the zoab will freeze and breake the asphalt
I am from the east countryside in the Netherlands. And in the spring / summer and autumn, we love to cycle around here. My town is surrounded by forests and farms and rivers. Love walking the dog in the early morning when none is awake yet.. you hear the water from the streams and the wind through the trees, and the birds sing. It's so amazing. Don't get me wrong, I love going to big cities but .. on the road going home, i always feel surrounded by peace and feel home again . I am such a Countrygirl. I could never leave ( unless it is to another countryside )
That video is mainly about leisure. The real cool thing is that everyone (almost) commutes by bike on work days, or at least cycles to the train station. And possibly has a second work bike at the destination station as well, to get to the office. I have Dutch friends who have two crappy bikes for work, and a nice bike for recreation on weekends. Kids, grannies, working parents, students everyone (who's able to) rides a bike at some time.
Dutchie here: I have a racing bike, casual bike, shitty bike (for when we hit the town) and a 1965 Gazelle tandem, which I restored to mint condition.
Also I have a car that I have to drive every now and then to keep the battery topped up and fluids liquid ;-)
In Europe the tax dollars go to making public spaces functional and beautiful . If your interested in city planning I recommend videos on the new towns on the new island „Flevoland“ in The Netherlands. or how Rotterdam is preparing for rising sea levels. I admire the dutch how they’re planning already for sea level rising. they’ve gotta…. but they are ingenious and innovative. ❤
those "laydown" bicycles can go very fast, because you can push off your back, instead of only gravity pulling your body down on the pedals.
My Hase Lepus has electric assist through a motor on the front wheel, unfortuantely my legs are weak and don't provide much assistance. The trike will do 50kph or so downhill in the UK, more like a go cart!, great fun
7.22 No!Single lane is in the middle off the road.That means the cyclist has to make place for cars if they come a cross off each other.Two lanes on the side means that the cars may NOT be on the same place on the road to pass.They have to wait until the cyclist and the car is passed.But if there is no cyclist on the side the car can use the space to bypass the other car.So the line is not solid and means that you may drive over it.
Holland is very much like Indiana, just with a whole lotta water. Why do you think so many Dutch ended up settling in Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois, Minnesota, Ohio, Iowa and Indiana
The province of Drenthe is the bike province of The Netherlands. We have a lot of tourists every holiday with bikes. The province of Drenthe was the first to introduce a bike routeplanner on the web. The more rural side of The Netherlands is quite pretty, small villages surrounded by nature and agriculture areas. I love it :)
The Fietsknoop route planner is amazing
You mention windmill the Zwaan in your video. The windmill originated from village Vinkel. A few years ago, the windmill was rebuild in Vinkel, called Zwaan 2.
My wife and I also often go cycling. A lap of 30 or 50 kilometers. My wife is in a wheelchair and has an electric hand bike. To attach to her wheelchair. Now, she wants MTB tires for her wheelchair. €375 each. Greetings from Spakenburg, Netherlands.
Hi, that sounds amazing. We love seeing people out in so manay different bikes, wheelchairs and mobility scooters. Only twice in 8 cycling holidays to the Netherlands have we had barriers I couldn't get my trike through, a narrow gate and a narrow sluice bridge. Electric assistance is amazing, keep enjoying the cycling and watch out for an English guy on a recumbent trike!
In the summer I like to tour with my Electric Wheelchair through the Dutch countryside. 😎
We love that in the Netherlands the cyclepaths are also suitable for wheelchairs and mobility scooters. Here in the UK there are often no paved paths between villages, only roads and our offroad 'bridlepaths' and 'footpaths' are in poor condition, often muddy and with gates meaning that the wheelchair user can't get through.
@@on-3-wheels It's a shame that you can't tour with an electric wheelchair of mobility scooter. Countryside in the UK is very beautiful.
You're right we have some stunning countryside, exploring on my trike is a pleasure, I just have to watch out for cars, vans and tractors. We'll spending 5 weeks in total in the Netherlands this summer, riding on traffic free paths brings a smile to my face, looking forward to it!@@AdvdW
@@on-3-wheels Good to know you like our country and loved the dutch infrastructure.
At 8:32 that roundabout is just 2 miles from my home 🤣Great !!! I pas this when I go to the forest. At 12:56 is the main street of Balk my home town (this is hilarious)
Hi, we love Gaasterland. We stayed in the same holiday villa in Sondel in 2018 and 2022, and are returning again in August this year for 2 weeks, keep an eye out and you may see us!
@@on-3-wheels 😁
Those roads at 7:20 have two wide bike lanes on each side (the size of a half car lane each) and a single (!) car lane for both directions in the middle. If there are cars in both directions, they have to slow down and merge into the bike lane each.
These roads have a maximum traffic of 3000 cars (usually WAY less) and a limit of 60 kph (35 mph) compared to 80 or more on roads with a separated bike path. Still they are more or less a compromise until a proper bike path is build - and from what I have seen are some of the weaker parts of the Dutch road safety.
Similar designs also exist in Belgium and Denmark, however often only a line and quite narrow bike lanes. Germany doesn't use this outside the build-up-area (theoretically they are not allowed, but a few still exist), but a version where the outside is just gravel - and with even lower traffic volumes rarely above 500. Those aren't as great for cyclists, but better at keeping the cars slow.
13.07 there's probably a dog in that cart
We see a lot of people out cycling with their dogs in a basket on the bike or in a trailer
There is no country in the world ,other than the Netherlands,where you can safely travel across the country as a cyclist.Too many comparisons are made between major cities, while cycling outside them is a hundred times safer!👌👍
I agree, in the UK I believe London is introducing much improved seperated cycle routes. However in our countryside you have to cycle on the road and compete with cars, lorries and tractors. The Dutch cycle paths are also so inter-connected, the UK has far to many 'end of cycle path' signs where you are then left on your own!
Just over the cycle path on the road, if there are broken stripes on the road, you can also drive on the cycle path section. If a car is coming in the opposite direction, wait behind the cyclist until the oncoming car has passed and then overtake the cyclist. and the road you saw is a 2 way road, not single track.#07:36
'Knooppunt' routes are the scenic routes - They are definitely not the fastest routes. But I do tend to take them if I can spare the time.
Also; one gets spoiled by the excellent Dutch bicycle infrastructure markings. Once I cross over into Germany things deteriorate quickly and carrying a (digital) map becomes a must. To be fair - the Germans are steadily upgrading their biking infrastructure.
Honesty boxes in the big cities in NL would be empty within the hour and have 0 cash in it .
same here lol
6:50 here in Middelburg all of the old-city center has signs saying that cars are guests, pedestrians and cyclists have primary right of way. Of course this leads to ignorant folks beeping their horn if you're cycling in their way.
We'll going to spend a couple of days in Middelburg in June, coming from an island myself (Isle of Wight) I'm looking forward to it
BTW there is no South-Brabant. Belgian Brabant is called Vlaams (Flemish) Brabant. Although in practice both Dutch and Flemish just call both Brabant.
Great video. It's hard to overstate about how the entire Dutch road system, and cycle road system is oriented towards keeping people safe. The US and its "freedom" allow such a higher level of danger, which of course results in many more dead drivers, cyclists and pedestrians. The other thing that is amazing about the Netherlands, is it is Europe's most densely populated country... but you'd never know it. With smart planning, plus the need to have a successful agricultural sector, each town is carefully planned. The end result is a cycling experience where there never seems to be an absence of open space. Lastly, the Fietsknoop system is so amazing... all you need to do is put a piece of tape on your handlebars, write whatever route numbers you have planned to get to your destination... and you can put your maps and phone away. Just follow 4,17, 82 or whatever and you have a day's tour planned.
Great video!
As a Dutchie, I never heard of that app, gonna give it a try :P
The Fietsknoop App is great
Indiana is about the same latitude as Portugal/Spain while The Netherlands are on the same latitude as Newfoundland/Labrador.
Are you thinking of moving to the Netherlands Charlie?
A big misunderstanding, big error, nobody talks about it, is the walkability off a big city, you can ! but sometimes not feasible you have to bike or take public transport. Big mistake off tourists (like US citizens heard off walking) Ooh it looks like a half hour walk on a map.
In Dutch it's Boot but in English it's pronounced like Boat same with Knoop the pronounced is like Knoap in English
The hole video whas making in the Netherlands , ik know , i life here. . Al the signs are Dutch..
kneup???? there is an oo in the word as in slow knoop stroop etc m ooh as in slow or go
For a Brit, the pronunciation is very good.
Hi Im from The Netherlands and am not a fan of the nodes-thing at all. We used to cycle on insight and maps, as intelligent people, now people follow the nodes and GPS apps and are becoming increasingly mentally lazy. It is not heathy and I would like to do a George Carlin on this topic.
I live in the city of Tilburg. We have fietsroute (bicycle route 66) ... ;-)
I read a lot of comments about the climate differences between the Netherlands and the US on the same lattitude. OK the Netherlands has a seaclimate.....but the States have the problem that there are no big mountains from the east to the west to stop the arctic winds coming from the Northpole & Canada in the winter.
Also no stopping when the warm & moisty winds from the Gulf of Mexico come in and create easily hurricanes. Which happen if cold and warm winds can meet with all their force.
Idiana looks to be on the same latitude as mid to northern France like Paris and below Paris. The Tree's and bushes in northern France, Belgium and the Netherlands are much alike.
I had to look it up Latitude is north to south positioning and Longitude is the east to west positioning. And fietsknoop is more for tourist to use and is a more scenic and relaxed route.
where he mentions the cyclepath not on that fietsknoop map it is a cycle path mostly used to commute to and form work/school or shopping centers. The have their own markings shields on poles with bicycle symbol and for example Amsterdan 15 km or what is called a ANWB paddestoel (mushroom because of its shape) and also the nearest town and distance on it and these are mostly on crossroads or junctions. (this was used before the fietsknoop app or maps to navigate). The street with white markings and red sides is to optically make the road narrow so cars slow down.
You can drive as car driver on these red parts if there is no cyclist on that part, if there is oncoming traffic the car is supposed to stay behind the cyclist this marking also reminds the car driver he is on a 60 km (about 37 miles) road. There are also the same streets with almost same striping but closer to the edge and no red tarmac it is mainly to remind the car driver he is on a 60 km road. Most of these road are narrow any way so the driver has to take extra care for cyclist and most of the car drivers are also cyclist them self they know how to deal with these situations.
More poverty leads to more crime. Here a lot of farms put a unmanned booth next to the road with their produce. Honor system too. But more and more farms are starting bigger farm stores, with more diversity in products. Neighbours all bring what they produce and the store is stocked.
7:26 It's a 2 way street for cars and cyclists, mopeds etc. Cars are allowed to drive on the cycle lanes there. The interrupted line means drivers and cyclists are allowed to cross the line. So when 2 cars come at each other, they just drive partly on the cyclist lane.
An uninterrupted line means you can't cross the line.
Interrupted or uninterrupted lines are part of most of our roads, also in the middle of a road sepperating two way streets.
Interrupted line means you are allowed to over-take, uninterrupted means you are not allowed to over-take.
lol, there are no honesty boxes in the Amsterdam centre. Just as you say , only in small places, otherwise it would simply not work. We have dishonest people aswell, and homeless people for instance. Ofcourse they wouldnt treat an honesty box like it should be treated.
looks like limburg
Limburg is in the south right?
@@ItsCharlieVest You are correct it's in the South of the Netherlands.
this is filmed in the southwest of fryslan, mostly de fryske marren if see the routes.
A thing to remember the direction of lattitude. Lattitude = latteral movement... aka sideways movement (spinning of the globe) the equator is 0 degrees lattitude.
Indiana is around the same latitude as Greece, the Netherlands would be somewhere in Canada between Calgary and Edmonton.
Funny part I have seen this 4 hours ago.
Funny, for me as a Dutch,this is just everyday life. Maybe Americans should take a note or two when building infrastructure .
Yes! I would be very interested to see parts of the place where you live. You watch video's of the Netherlands, but I would like to see Indiana! 🙂
There is a RUclipsr called "AmericanFietser" he lives in Carmel Indiana (they have 140 roundabouts) where you can see how a "smaller" city looks like, sort of.
I'd say Japan is probably the one country where you can say there is no crime, in specific areas.
Hey man, if you would like to have some more footage of dutch country side / farm lands small towns like the place of the wind mills you can contact me and make some for you with a motorcycle ride
yes - in Germany bikes have precedence over cars . Also the effort in big german cities is to eliminate cars- your car has to have a green sticker , meaning that the emissions are low- in order to even drive in the city centers and park somewhere- that’s the plan .
That was so enjoyable! I would love to go on a bicycle tour right now.
Love the video Charlie !!❤👍
Fort Wayne, IN is at 41,08 degrees north
Utrecht, NL is at 52,08 degrees north.
at 40 degrees lattitude the distance per degree is about 53 miles. In all Utrecht is about 760 miles further to the north
The Netherlands is more like the same horizontal level worldwide as Winnipeg Canada, but we have a sea climate. So no real extreme weather (cold/warm), but a bit more wind and rain
Bokma on the van is a Dutch name!
when do you come to the netherlands, be my guest,
With just seeing the title of the video..... I agree!!
The latitude is parallel to the equator, the longitude is perpendicular to the equator. South of the netherlands (N51) is 10 degrees above north indiana (N41), so NL is 6500 km more to the north. (4000 mile)
At 7:25 the road is called an "edge lane"
ok thanks i guess latitude is what i was talking about lol
@@ItsCharlieVest the earth is tilted though
Sorry, it's 1100km 700 miles, no idea where the 6500 km came from 🙂
great video
Thanks
All that open space could be used to build Walmarts and other useful things.
haha
no
@@ItsCharlieVest Just kidding. I love the Netherlands 🇳🇱
Im from Noord Brabant but i never heard about south Brabant but maybe it was before christus haha, in Belgium its Flaanders if you cross the border by the most beautifal city of the Netherlands Breda
There is a province in Belgium called Brabant. The province of Antwerp lies in between. It used to be one big province but during the 80 years war it got split up between the Dutch Republic and the Spanish Netherlands (which much later became Belgium)
The Netherlands is 52 degrees north same as the south point of alaska or New foundland/nova scotia, Edmonten is 53 degrees north.
Indiana is far more south than The Netrelands
Whenever us Dutch see footage of bad quality road we often like to joke that it's probably Belgium, because the contrast between the quality of infrastructure between The Netherlands and Belgium is enormous. Fun fact, even in Belgium there is a huge contrast in quality of infrastructure between the north and south. I once traveled to the southern border and it was shocking to me how bad things are there. Overgrown signs, weeds growing onto the road, entire sections of road missing without any sign or warning about it, ghost-towns. It reminded me of East-Germany in the 90's.
Looking at lattitudes, Indiana is more equivalent to Portugal/Spain/Italy/Greece (ie Mediteranian Europe) The Netherlands would be around Edmonton Canada or some of the more southern Aleutian islands in Alaska.
A great follow up video for this would be you going to the Netherlands and trying their bike paths. But if you can’t go to the Netherlands in the foreseeable future, you may as well try some of their food. My recommendations are the Dutch croquette, frikandel, and stroopwafels. I’m sure you can buy the stroopwafles on line, but I’m not too sure about the Dutch croquettes or the frikandel. I’m originally from the Netherlands, but I live in Canada and the city I live has a few places where they carry all of these and much more. I hope you get a chance to try all of these and more. I know you’ll love them.
the southern most point in the Netherlands, is still far more north than the US/Canadian border (49th parallel), so no Indiana is definately not on the same latitude.
Paris France is very near the 49th parallel, Rotterdam Netherlands is even more north than Calgary, AB Canada
No Holland is much more northern, yet has a similar climate and flora.
Indiana lies on the same lattitude as Spain, where we are on the same lattitude as Edmonton (Canada) or northern Newfoundland.
Maybe look also to the most Dutch town in America Pella ,Iowa.
I know you live in a town that starts with an R. I'm from there too but have been living in Germany for 14 years. Parts of the Netherlands also remind me of back home. I travel there
often for a bit of nostalgia.
In North Carolina you have the tabaco route. Very well maintained with rest areas Vert nice bike route
lemme see that infrastructure in your neighbourhood man!
Fun reaction! Btw, what would you need to visit, you think??
4:00 do you have separated bike-lanes like that in Indiana?
New York City is approximately at the same latitude as Madrid, Spain, so most of the USA is much more south than Europe, especially compared to the Netherlands.
But the earth is tilted
You live in the subtropics...lol
I'm British and we were sat as Group in the Pub discussing where we were Next going. One Lad came up with the Dutch Country side .We are from Derbyshire in England 🇬🇧. All with Mountain Bikes .Top of the Range. Totally off Road .He got shot down quick style .One Lad explained we all have Mountain bikes .why the F..k do we want to bike somewhere Flat .😮.we went to France Chamonix. Beautiful.
mountains were in the option list when we made the Netherlands, but thought it was a bit too flashy
My trike with the electric assist will go up most hills, however cycling in the Netherlands is not really about mountain biking or hills, it's about the infrastructure, respect for cyclists and being out amongst a community of people who use their bike not just for leisure but everything - work, social activities, shopping. One of our favourite moments was in Lemmer watching a group of 10 teenage girls all turn up to McDonalds on their bikes, where would you see that in the UK? Leave your mountain bikes at home, get the Eurostar to the Netherlands, stay at a Van der Valk hotel, hire Dutch bikes (from the hotel) and explore their amazing cities and countryside - be Dutch!, then come back and tell everyone how different the UK could be! A suggestion - try Utrecht and Houten.
In Belgium we have bicycle nodes as well. Also fietssnelweg network in the build up fase. Often based om river tow paths and disussed railroads + tramways. All extending into the Netherlands and northern France. Major bicycle races coming up soon. Amateur racers everywhere. We are on the north south path on the Leie river near the French border. Lots of southbound bicycle tourists frm the Netherlands and daytrippers passing by and switching routes (Kezelbergroute) to Brugges, Ypres or Tournai.
The Belgians invented the whole system.
@@hardyvonwinterstein5445??
we also have boxes with fruit for the officepeople to eat healthy thing while working and those are free ( boss payes that ) i remember that video of that windmill ! you alse eat something Dutch as i remember well. and that windmill was transported to the usa right ?
Yup from North Brabant
@@ItsCharlieVest about brabant.. you said somewhere in your video that north brabant is dutch and south brabant is belgium. Its not. Brabant is the whole province which has indeed a northern part which we indeed call north brabant and the same goes for south. But they are both belonging to the netherlands. Although in south brabant, which does border belgium, there are a few tiny villages which belong to belgium but are surrounded by the netherlands. But the whole province belongs to the netherlands.
We have sidewalks 😂😂😂
that's why American tourists always walk in the bike lanes :)