From Rotterdam to Tilburg
Foggy November ride on TET NL sections 4, 8 and 9
I rolled into Rotterdam on Friday night and crashed at a budget hostel in a room with five other people. Looking back, I’d rather have skipped that part of the trip, but hey, it was only 30 euros instead of 120 for a hotel, so I can’t complain too much. The forecast said Saturday would be sunny, which put me in a good mood, and I wrapped up the night with a beer.
Note to self: Camping outside is way better than staying in a budget hostel!
I woke up hoping for sunshine, but the sky was all cloudy, gray, and rainy. Not sure what happened with the weather report, but I decided to roll with it and headed to the start of the TET section in Rotterdam, at Hook of Holland.
The beginning of the TET is mostly just city streets as you make your way out of Rotterdam. After about thirty minutes, you’ll find yourself in a more rural landscape.
Riding through the Dutch Noord Brabant is a blast. There are plenty of little country roads, some paved, but most are just dirt tracks winding through fields and woods. Almost all of the TET in this area is off-road.
Get ready for a lot of mud -slippery when wet - but I had a great time with it!
The weather update: surprise, surprise, it hasn’t gotten any better. The day stayed all grey and foggy. But honestly, it kind of added to the charm of the place, giving off a magical, dreamy vibe with everything looking white and soft.
I kept riding until around 5 pm, then checked the map for a nearby camping spot. Minicamping Hendrik was just a 20-minute ride away and seemed like the perfect spot.
Naturally, I was the only guest since it was early November. But the owner was super friendly, welcomed me warmly, offered me a fresh farm egg for breakfast, and recommended a nice restaurant in the nearby village of Esbeek. I set up my camp and took a stroll to the village for a beer and some delicious local food.
Minicamping d'n Hendrik
1. It was a chilly night, like really chilly. The temperature dropped to 5 degrees Celsius, and I barely got any sleep.
Once again, the weather forecast promised sunshine for Sunday morning, but Noord Brabant was completely shrouded in fog. Everything was damp—the tent, my clothes, even the bike. But I still managed to whip up a warm cup of tea and cook an egg. It wasn’t much, but it was tasty and just what I needed to warm up before hitting the road again.
Even though it was foggy, riding the TET was a blast. It had the perfect balance of muddy trails and cozy Dutch countryside spots to warm up from the cold.
GPX File (download and open with GPX.Studio)
Total length of the red section : 244 km