In 2019 I made a spring ride for the MGCN (Moto Guzzi Club Netherlands) along bulb fields and Keukenhof, straight through the Bulb region to finally the Kop van Haven in IJmuiden. In the bulb time this is a route through color and splendor. But also a very nice route outside the bulb season.

Just under 100 km in length but more than 3 hours drive on well-paved roads. From the WassenaarseSlag over the Boulevards of Katwijk and Noordwijk. (Note! The Boulevard van Katwijk has traffic from the right and they will let you know). On the Boulevard of Noordwijk you can make a nice stop under the Lighthouse and, if you wish, "score a fish". Then towards bulb fields. When bulb season is over, watch out for Japanese, Chinese and Koreans getting on a bicycle for the first time. They are not yet stable enough to stay on one side of the road.

After the bulb fields and Keukenhof, the route goes towards IJmuiden through a beautiful part of the Randstad. Leafy avenues meander along the Amsterdam Water Supply Dunes, through Vogelenzang, Aerdenhout, Bloemendaal and Santpoort. Not the poorest part of the Randstad. Along the way a few beautiful highlights such as the "Kopje van Bloemendaal" and the Ruine van Brederode.

Then along the North Sea Canal towards "Kop van de Haven" There you will see impressive ships and parked oil rigs. If you look a little further, you will of course see the smoke columns of Tata Steel (the Hoogovens) on the other side of the water.

A beautiful route where the speed never reaches 80 km / h. So quietly tour and enjoy.

Particularities:

Katwijk lighthouse
Katwijk aan Zee's beacon is also called Vierboet. After the Brandaris, it is the oldest preserved lighthouse building in the Netherlands. The tower has a height of 12 meters and is located behind the boulevard at the Vuurbaakplein, on the southwest side of the village. The request to build a beacon was submitted to Stadtholder Prince Maurits in 1605 and permission was given. Following Katwijk, each fishing town on the coast got its own lighthouse or beacon.

Noordwijk lighthouse
In the same place, fires were started as early as 1444 as an orientation for the local fisheries that had to return home after sunset. The light was only lit when there were fishermen at sea. A wooden scaffold was built in the 19th century and replaced by a stone turret in 1854. This light was demolished in 1913. The tower in its current form was built from 1921 to 1922 as a reconnaissance light for shipping.

Keukenhof, the flower garden of Europe
Keukenhof is located on a part of the estate of Keukenhof Castle. Keukenhof Estate was created in 1642 when an angular farmstead 'Keukenhof' was built in the kitchen dune of Teylingen Castle. The kitchen dune took its name from the fact that the proceeds from the dune area such as game, cattle and all kinds of herbs and berries were intended for the household or kitchen of the castle of Teylingen. In 1949, a flower exhibition was set up on the northern part of the estate. The flower exhibition is still held annually and then attracts more than 1.5 million visitors per year!

Cup of Bloemendaal
The Kopje van Bloemendaal is a 43 meter high dune top in Bloemendaal. On top is a viewpoint with a stone tableau on which is engraved 51 meters as a height. Haarlem is clearly visible from the lookout tower and so is the sea, but after 2015 trees almost completely obscure the view of IJmuiden and Amsterdam.

Ruin of Brederode
The ruins of Brederode refer to the remains of Brederode Castle near Santpoort-Zuid. The castle was founded in the second half of the 13th century by William I van Brederode.

Kop van de Haven, the last point of IJmuiden, mouth of the North Sea Canal
The head of the harbor of IJmuiden, with the famous fish restaurant of the same name. Here you can see the largest ships coming in, which creates an impressive spectacle. Ferries to England and Scotland also depart here. Nowadays, oil rigs are also parked here, the colossi of steel, which give you the feeling of nothingness.
You also have a view of the Fort at IJmuiden here. Better known as Fort Island (1881-1888). This is a fort of the Defense Line of Amsterdam.