It's well-known that the Netherlands is a cyclists' paradise but few of us seem to go cycle touring there. Yet a 50 pound return from Norwich or Cambridge to any Dutch station via the fast catamaran from Harwich to Hoek van Holland will take you and your wheels to scenic and delightful cycling country. (Coaches from Ipswich to Harwich coincide with the ferries while the Ipswich tunnel is closed, and the coach did take my bike both ways.) Once in the Netherlands you can follow one or several of the hundreds of well-signed routes or buy the excellent ANWB/VVV tourist maps from a tourist office (look for the VVV sign) and meander through lanes and villages discovering cafés on tree-lined paved streets beside quiet canals. Boats must come a close second to cycles in the Netherlands and your route will certainly lead across bridges that swivel or rise as yachts and Dutch barges glide through.

I started on the North Sea Cycle Route at Haarlem and followed it through Egmond aan Zee and Den Helder before crossing the 30 kilometre-long Afsluitdijk to Harlingen. The coast route led through shady woods of beech and oak, across grassy dunes and finally, from Schoorl to Petten, on a perfect car-less 'road' right by the North Sea. There was plenty of cycling company from elderly local residents to families holidaying with loaded bicycles and trailers. Fortunately the weather was glorious and the only wet day was when I went to the island of Texel and spent most of it cycling into strong winds and driving rain.

You can reach Harlingen via the islands of Texel and Flieland by ferries and a large truck but I opted for the famous Afsluitdijk whose huge sluices control water levels between the Ijsselmeer and the North Sea. The dyke is one of the Netherlands' fantastic engineering feats designed to prevent flooding and to allow the reclaiming of land (polders) from the North Sea. Racing cyclists now joined touring cyclists as we headed down a straight narrow line to the horizon but there is room for all on the two-way cycle path and we exchanged greetings. A few kilometres along, there is an exhibition to look at about the building of the dyke which was finished in 1932, and for respite, climbing the few feet up the embankment gives you a view of the North Sea.

After looking round the historic port of Harlingen I decided to abandon the North Sea route in favour of Friesland and headed east through Franeker to Leeuwarden for a day's rest. Friesland has its own language and road signs are bilingual. It's a province of lakes and interesting small towns known for the Elfstedentocht - the famous skating event taking in eleven towns. This has not happened for many years because the canals have not frozen but you can cycle all 240 km! An annual event is limited to 50,000 cyclists! Leeuwarden, the starting point, is an interesting mix of bright modern buildings and old and quirky ones like the precariously leaning tower of the Oudehove church. I visited a bike shop and had a Dutch lock fitted to my bike and at the VVV office I bought the Friesland map. Cycling guides are in Dutch which may indicate how few English-speakers go cycling there. From the map I chose country lanes and narrow cycle paths through sleepy villages like picturesque Lytsewierum to Sneek where I had reserved a room. Later, phrasebook in hand, Jaap, a fellow lodger, and I enjoyed an excellent meal at the tranquil yacht haven while the evening sky filled with hot-air balloons from the nearby town of Joure.

From Sneek I zigzagged through more villages and towns to Lemmer, a popular yacht resort on the Ijsselmeer. It was busy as had been most of the places I went through to get there but that's only to be expected in late July. I was aiming for the 14.30 ferry from Stavoren to Enkhuizen next day and took the route near the Isselmeer, a delightful ride away from holiday traffic. Sooner or later there is somewhere good for a coffee stop and I found an outdoor café in the attractive village of Oudemirdum where a plant shop had set out its wares under trees.

The ferry to Enkhuizen takes an hour and a half but sailing craft of all sorts and sizes including old wooden boats with large dark sails provided an ever-changing spectacle. Enkhuizen was a historic port of the Ijsselmeer (formerly the Zuider Zee) and had trading links with Great Yarmouth. I liked it immediately and spent the evening wandering over locks and bridges and along quays and canalsides, watching boats and barges coming and going. As in many of the towns I had visited, the absence of cars (compared to here) made it a pleasure to cycle or wander around in the evenings. My room was in a typical terraced house with the usual big windows (and state-of-the-art plumbing!) and looked onto a quiet paved street.

From Enkhuizen I took the dyke road by the Ijsselmeer south via Hoorn and then turned inland towards Alkmaar, the end of my trip. The sky was dark grey but a line of brilliant blue highlighted the horizon above the lighter grey of the water and white sails moved across the panorama like triangular ghosts. It was exhilarating: riding along above the water, wondering if there would be a storm. I arrived in Alkmaar via a canal with four old-style windmills and a wooden bridge. After a final night and a good look at the marvellous cycle centre by the station, I cycled to Castricum via the North Sea route before taking trains back to the Hoek van Holland and the ferry home.

I chose to travel alone to immerse myself in Dutch.This was made easier by joining a excellent organisation called Vrienden op de Fiets, which, for € 8 a year, gives a choice of some 2000 addresses in Netherlands and Belgium to stay at. In this way I met many charming people who welcome only walkers and cyclists to their homes for € 15 bed and breakfast. It is necessary to book ahead and plan to arrive after 5 pm, but in this way you can stay in private houses, or on houseboats and farms and meet not only friendly hosts but also other cyclists. Another pleasure of travelling in the Netherlands is the food; it was unfailingly excellent and very good value though I missed cereal for breakfast, not being a great cheese and egg eater. Particularly cheap are quayside take-aways where you can find a variety of fried fish and other snacks.

It had been a most enjoyable tour in every respect and I shall return. I had cycled 200 miles in eight days - hardly a tour de force - but felt I had really got to know parts of this fascinating country by the beset means available. The Netherlands may be flat, but keeping off the less picturesque polders, chance discoveries of pretty villages and canals, unexpected ferries, locks and bridges, wide skies, and, of course, windmills both old and new, gave a keen sense of anticipation to each trip. Cycle paths are very well-signposted and there is no problem taking bikes on trains and ferries though you must buy a cycle ticket.

Factfile:

Stena Line (08705 707070) for rail and ferry tickets including £7 each way for a bike
Vrienden op de Fiets, www.vriendenopdefiets.nl
North Sea Cycle Route, www.northsea-cycle.com