Amsterdam

There were periods of sunshine interspersed with threats of rain. There was a brief thunderstorm and we had to put our rain coats on, for the second time in the holiday, but it quickly passed over and in half an hour it was clear again. The towns on that part of the coast, from Renesse up to Zandvoort (near Haarlem) are brash and commercial holiday resorts with cheaply constructed modern buildings. We missed the cobbled market squares and old buildings that we had become accustomed to.

By contrast, the North Sea path in between the towns is pleasant and unspoiled, winding through the dunes and forests with no signs of the built up areas.

We arrived in Haarlem about 5.30 pm. We didn't feel like cycling the last few kilometers through the suburbs so we had a couple of beers in the square by the cathedral and jumped onto the train to Amsterdam. The next day it rained heavily for most of the day.