The Netherlands are known for their large fields of flower bulbs. Now that the foreign tourists are absent, it might be an ideal time to check them out. 36 km of road and trail.
As a child, we used to go for regular drives to the coastal areas of Groningen and Friesland in the spring. The blossoming bulb fields and young lambs on the dikes were always a special sight to see. Now, many years later, I live in the west of the country where there are perhaps the most famous bulb fields in the world. Normally it is very busy here, especially the Keukenhof attracts many foreign tourists who are allowed to leave the bus for 5 minutes to have their picture taken with a tulip. And outside the Keukenhof it is full of Dutch walkers and cyclists doing the same for free in the farmers fields. Admittedly: it is truly a sight to behold.
Because I expected it to be very crowded with hikers when most fields are in bloom (second half of April), I decided to have a look a bit earlier. Of course only after I had seen a few pictures of the first purple and yellow fields. A walking route – the bulb region has its own walking network – of about 25 kilometers was quickly found. In connection with my training needs I extended it to 36 km by starting it at the intercity station Heemstede-Aerdenhout.
Everything for export
A large share – 9.5 billion euros in 2020 – of all Dutch agricultural and horticultural exports concerns floriculture. That is more than we export in milk or meat. It is not entirely clear to me why the Netherlands, which climate is not ideal for many flowers and plants, is so important for ornamental plant cultivation. It probably has something to do with the extensive knowledge about breeding and greenhouse construction. The tradition also goes back a long time.
In de 16de eeuw kwam de tulp vanuit Turkije naar Nederland. De bloem waarvan veel verschillende soorten en rassen bestaan met bijzondere tekeningen, was al snel razend populair; er verschenen vele boeken met prenten van de verschillende tulpen, er kwamen speciale tulpenvazen, kortom als je rijk was, moest je een bijzondere tulp tonen. Met de bol zelf – een enkele bol kon meerdere jaarlonen van een arbeider kosten – werd volop gespeculeerd. Deze ’tulpenmanie’ eindigde helaas abrupt in 1637 toen de prijs voor tulpen instortte nadat een speculant met een partij bleef zitten. Uit het Nederlandse landschap is de bloem gelukkig nooit verdwenen. Want mooi zijn de bloemen wel.
Joyously coloured
Once in the train I start to doubt a bit about the date for this trip. Along the way I see some nice fields, but there are not many and I have no idea if my route would lead past them. The nice weather – forecast was rain or snow – could also lead to a large number of walkers and cyclists.
The departure from the station Heemstede-Aerdenhout was a bit awkward. Especially because it had been a long time since I ran such a distance on an asphalted surface. That's why I didn't wear my trusted Superior for long distances, but the Escalante Racer. In order not to clash with the flower bulbs, I chose the brightly colored Boston edition.
The Racers won't have been very grateful to me on this trip. After just a few kilometers I came across parts of the route I was running for the Waypoint Challenge Leyduinen and on the way back I picked up a bit of the Amsterdam Waterleidingduinen. So those beautiful colors dimmed during the run through layers of sand and mud…
On the chain
Not much later I found myself on a long stretch of asphalt again. And hurray! The first flower fields were in sight. But they were still quite far away.
On the other side of the Leidse Trekvaart was a nice little dike that would lead us close to the bulbs during the height of the tulip season. Unfortunately the fields were still almost completely black. The hikers therefore thought remaining on the asphalt was fine, but I still wanted to sniff the path – maybe remember it for a next time – and decided to venture across by ferry.
That sounds easier than it actually was. The ferry was not well prepared for a strong current caused by the icy wind. As the ferry had to be maneuvered exactly between two wooden poles before you could step on it, I had a problem. The little platform was stuck behind one of the poles and it was just too far to step on it. Trying to push the platform aside meant that it floated away. So I had to swing the cables until the ferry came loose and I could real the ferry in to the shore. A task that took me at least 5 minutes. Those steel chains are cold, I can assure you.
Pink strips
I got closer and closer to the dunes and bulbs area (duin- en bollenstreek). There were even signs for the ‘Amsterdam Tulip Experience’. Indeed, in Lisse, province of South Holland, there are signs for a town 25 km away in another province that claims the area. In any case, there is also positive news: I was finally getting close to some pink and purple strips.
Too bad it is forbidden to run into the fields and take pictures. In this area they are used to being flooded by tourists. At some places even the fences and traffic controllers are already waiting. One of those places, about 200 meters off the trail, made me think I should make a little detour, however I decided not to because it was quite busy with hikers and traffic controllers. In retrospect I regret that decision, as it was the nicest field where you could get really close to the bulbs.
Only at short cuts with hyacinths and daffodils a little later on in the route, did I get the chance to get close to the flowers. All tulip fields were completely closed off by fences, dikes and ditches.
Too early
All in all, the route was a bit disappointing. A lot of asphalt and there was only one part where I could really walk close to the flowers – daffodils that is, not tulips. Since I had already seen several photos of tulips, I expected more. But it was also still relatively early in the season. And the landscapes, thanks to the mighty cloudy skies – changeable weather – still gave a beautiful, Dutch look.
I had also increased the amount of soft underground by adding the Amsterdamse Waterleidingduinen. There the deer were waiting for me as always and I could run straight through to the train station. Would I run this route again? I don't think so. Maybe with new parts: a bit more unpaved paths and a bit in the direction of Noordwijk.
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