Cycling route National Park Hollandse Duinen
Cycling through a varied landscape of dunes, beach ridges, peat meadows, country estates and historic manor houses.
The Landscape
National Park Hollandse Duinen stretches along the North Sea coast, where beaches, dunes, dune valleys, coastal forests, and historic beach ridges form a diverse coastal landscape. Around 6,000 years ago, the sea still reached this area. Today, the landscape extends from the dunes to the peat meadows of the inland countryside.
The elevated beach ridges have provided dry ground for settlement for centuries, making them ideal locations for villages, farms, and later country estates. From the 17th century onward, a network of manor houses, landscaped parks, and tree lined avenues developed, and it continues to shape the transition between the coastal landscape and the cultivated countryside today.
What You’ll Discover Along the Way
In Meijendel, you cycle through sheltered dune forests and open dune valleys, where light and wind constantly create a different atmosphere. Along the paths, grassy dunes, sandy stretches and rougher vegetation alternate, keeping this part of the route lively at all times. In summer, the dune vegetation in some areas takes on an almost heath like appearance that contrasts beautifully with the fresh greenery.
Along the inner dune edge of Wassenaar, country estates and manor houses follow one another, with park woodlands, old avenues and stately sightlines. Here, the route almost feels like cycling through one continuous landscape garden, where history remains visible in the structure of the greenery. Names such as De Paauw, Backershagen and De Horsten give this area a distinctive character that fits perfectly with the adjacent dunes.
Via dune paths and beach access routes, you reach the coast at the Wassenaarse Slag, where the North Sea and the broad dune front make an immediate impression. Here, wind, salt and open space take centre stage, with long sightlines that intensify the distinctive light of the Dutch dunes. Along the way, there are plenty of pleasant spots to pause for a moment and take in the rhythm of sea and beach.
In the dunes of Meijendel, infiltration lakes shimmer brightly between the sand and greenery, giving the landscape a water rich character. You regularly enjoy open views across the water, with reed fringes and birds adding movement to the scenery. It is a peaceful part of the route where nature, water management and panoramic views come together naturally.
Virtual Cycling in National Park Hollandse Duinen
Virtual cycling through National Park Hollandse Duinen lets you experience the natural layers of the Dutch coast within a single route, from beaches and high dunes to sheltered dune forests and open dune valleys. The changing light, the wind and the wide panoramic views make every kilometre feel different, keeping the landscape constantly surprising.
Want to learn more about virtual cycling? THIS IS HOW VIRTUAL CYCLING WORKS
Route map and cycling junctions
Start and finish near cycling junction 92 on the Rietpolderweg in Leidschendam. Because this is a circular route, you can also start at one of the other cycling junctions along the route.
Distance: 53 km
Estimated riding time: 3 hours 31 minutes
Elevation gain: 151 m
Paved roads: 96%
Unpaved / semi-paved: 4%
Ideal for: e-bikes and city bikes
Along the way: several options for a coffee break or lunch.
