Netherlands - research

This spring we are going on a bicycle tour through the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg with our brompton foldable bikes. It's been a long time since we traveled by train so we chose them to transport us from Croatia to the Netherlands. It is not the quickest nor the cheapest way, but there is something special in looking at nature and cities through the train windows.

So, after deciding where (and how) we are going, there was a bit of planning to do. Should we go camping again or maybe try something else? On that choice it depends how we are going to pack - should we carry tent, sleeping bags and other camping gear or we can travel light.

We found out that in the Netherlands there are a lot of camping sites, but even more - there are places where you can camp for free. Those "camps" are not really camps but rather places where it is not forbidden to place your tent (unlike in, for instance, Scotland, where you can pitch a tent almost anywhere, in most other Europe countries it is forbidden to do that). Those free camping places are called paalkampeerterreinen and are marked by a wooden pole with a sign that states it is a free camping place. They are usually very small (up to 3 tent places) and hard to find so it is wise to look for their location on the map (paalkampeerders). Also, usually tent can stay there for up to 72 hours and there is a water pump (with grey water, so it is not for drinking). No toilets or anything else. So it is more of a "free-style" camping.

Next thing we found out was that there is a foundation called "Vrienden op de Fiets" - translated it would be something like "bike friends". Foundation enables bikers and hikers to stay overnight with one of the 6000 people along routes throughout the Netherlands and abroad. All you have to do is register, pay 10€ (8€ if you are from the Netherlands) and in few days you will recieve a membership card, guest address booklet (with all the addresses where you can stay overnight) and a bicycle route map for the Netherlands.
Overnight stay costs €19 per person per night, on condition that you show a valid membership card. Sometimes, a tourist tax may be added to the price (it differs per municipality). Breakfast, towels and some other things are included.

After considering the options, we decided to travel light, without camping gear, and register to "Vrienden op de Fiets".