Cycling & Sailing tour in the Frisian Sea - WAPEN FAN FRYSLÂN
„Open Water, a beautiful landscape and picturesque harbors“
Wind and salt on your skin and a feeling of freedom! Sailing trips are something special. It’s a little like being a seafaring pioneer discovering the waters… Aboard on the Wapen fan Fryslȃn, a comfortable sailing ship, you will experience pure nature while enjoying water, sun and a stiff breeze on the big inland lake IJsselmeer and the so-called “Wadden Sea”. The “Wad” (Dutch for “mud flat”), a nature reserve that is unique in the entire world, stretches across the coast of the North Sea.
Highlights of the tour are the North Sea islands of Texel and Terschelling and their beautiful natural areas, small villages and long sandy beaches that you can explore by bicycle. Highlights of the coasts of the mainland in the provinces of North-Holland and Friesland are a combination of rural areas, small villages and picturesque harbour towns: a true “El Dorado” for cyclists. If you like, on board, you may – instructed by the experienced crew – lend a hand during navigating and raising the sails. Sailing experience is not necessary. But of course you are also very welcome to just relax and enjoy the sailing and scenery. What are you waiting for? Let’s cast off!
A Sail & Bike tour is like a little bit of adventure: the only thing which is really fixed on this cruise is the departure and arrival harbour Enkhuizen. The sailing routes to be taken depend largely on wind and weather forecast. The skipper will determine from day to day the exact sailing schedule. The skipper and his crew will do everything they can to offer you the program as planned so you can enjoy a fascinating week with a variety of activities, nature and culture, but it is possible that the departure and sailing times and/or the order of the program has to be changed. Enjoy and relax: the elements will lead you! Various parts of the tour will be sailed. The ship of course has a motor as well, so if the winds are unfavorable or even absent, it can still reach the next destination.
Day
Route
1
Arrival and embarkation in Enkhuizen
Individual arrival and embarkation from 2 pm near the beautiful centre of Enkhuizen and close to the railway station. The skipper will join you for an aperitif and explain many things worth knowing about the journey, the ship and also about safety measures to be taken onboard. In the evening you can stroll through the historical centre of Enkhuizen and spend the night onboard in Enkhuizen.
Today the ship sails from Enkhuizen to Den Oever with its fishing harbour. You can stay on board and sail over the IJsselmeer or you can grab a bike and start your first cycling tour along the IJsselmeer coast through the beautiful polder-landscape to Medemblik. After the bike tour the ship will sail further to Den Oever. Depending on the weather in the evening the ship will sail across the Wadden Sea to the Island of Texel.
3
Texel – round tour from Oudeschild (ca. 40 km/ 24 mi)
The island of Texel has varied scenery and picturesque villages. Explore the largest of the Dutch North Sea islands on a roundtrip cycling tour. Our tip: Use the well signposted Thijsse-route (about 40 km/24 mi) and visit some villages and the seal sanctuary station EcoMare.
4
Island of Texel – Island of Terschelling, sailing day (5 – 6 hrs)
Today the ship will sail, when the tide and the weather is good, to the island of Terschelling. You will manoeuvre through the sandbanks of the Wadden Sea and when you are lucky you will see seals lying to rest on a sandbar. In the afternoon the ship will arrive on the island. While sailing you will enjoy an extensive lunch on board. No dinner will be served tonight, to enable you to explore the island, but you can make yourself a picnic meal or why not try one of the nice restaurants at Terschelling (not inclusive)?
5
Terschelling – Harlingen: explore the island by bike (1– 40 km/1 – 25 mi)
Terschelling offers a lot: nature and culture, 70 km cycling tracks and 4 beautiful villages. West-Terschelling is the largest village on the island with nice shops and pubs. The landmark of the island can already be seen well from a distance: the 400 year old lighthouse “Brandaris”. Also worth seeing is the heath land “Boschplaat”. It captivates with its mud, beaches and dunes. You might even spot a number of ducks, black-winged stilts and large colonies of spoonbills and great black-backed gulls. In the late afternoon the ship will cross the Wadden Sea and sail to Harlingen, the most important harbour city of the province of Friesland.
6
Island of Harlingen – Franeker – Makkum (48 – 58 km/ 29 – 26 mi)
Via Franeker with its popular planetarium from Eise Eisinga, you will cycle through the beautiful and roomy Frisian landscape with its tiny villages to Makkum. If you´re in to take the long trip, you will also visit Bolsward, one of the eleven Frisian towns.
Today you take your bike and ride from Makkum to Stavoren. The short tour passes the old trading town Hindeloopen where the famous painting comes from. Also, there is the first Frisian ice-skate museum. The long tour crosses many Frisian lakes and shows a different scenery. In Stavoren, you take your ship and sail to Enkhuizen.
8
End of the tour in Enkhuizen
Disembarkation by 09:30 am. A beautiful journey full of new experiences has come to an end.
Tour character
Nearly all cycle tours can be classified as being easy.
Tour and accommodation on board of the Wapen fan Fryslan in the booked category
8 days /7 nights (Sat/Sat/) from/to Enkhuizen
Full board (7x breakfast, 5x picnic lunch during bike tours and 1x three course lunch, 6x Coffee and Tea on board till 4 pm , 6 x three course dinner and 1 x packed dinner)
Welcoming drink and -speech on the first evening
Use of bed linen and towels (change of towels on request)
Regular cleaning of the cabin
Board tour guide by the crew with daily briefings of the bike tours
Printed instructions and detailed maps for daily individual bike tours
Not included
Transfers to/from the docking place in Enkhuizen, other transfers, bike rent, entrance fees & excursions, fees for ferries, drinks on board, personal (travel) insurances, gratuities (at your discretion).
Infos
Passenger car parking options in Enkhuizen:
Free parking fee (unguarded parking at the NS-train station in Enkhuizen is free), not far from the harbour (subject to change). No reservation possible.
Important remarks:
• Embarkation: from 2 pm to 6 pm • Disembarkation: after breakfast by 09:30 am •Bicycles on board (Brand/model may change): Gazelle, type Paris, 7-speed gear with hand- and/or pedal brakes and pannier bag (subject to availability). E-Bikes (Gazelle Orange Comfort with 7-gears, 3 support levels, hand brakes only and pannier bag) are on these tours only available after prior request (by booking) and confirmation and a very limited number possible. Please indicate your body height by booking. To bring your own bike: guests are allowed to bring their own bikes on request only. •Language on board: German, English, Dutch • Cycle tours: the bike tours are individual, at your own pace, without a tour guide, but with daily briefings on board and detailed bicycle maps and directions. The cycling routes are depending on the sail program and with that also of weather and weather expectation. Program changes are therefore barring changes.Nearly all cycle tours can be classified as being easy. All named distances are approximate distances. When a guest does not want to cycle one day, she/he can skip the bike tour and relax on board while cruising to the next harbour.• Luggage: we recommend: rainwear, bicycle helmet, sunhat and sneakers. • Routing/Program: basically, we reserve the right to make changes of routing and program as a result of nautical, technical or meteorological reasons. The sailing routes to be taken depend largely on wind and weather forecast. The skipper will determine from day to day the exact sailing schedule. Various parts of the tour will be sailed. The ship of course has a motor as well, so if the winds are unfavorable or even absent, it can still reach the next destination..• Travel documents: EU-citizens (without special situations like dual citizenship, main residence abroad or a limited-validity passport) are required to have a valid passport or ID-card, not expiring within six (6) months of the return of your cruise. We kindly ask non-EU citizens, EU-nationals with multiple citizenship or anybody who has to respect special legal entry requirements for the country to visit, to inform about visa and entry documents at the competent embassy. • This trip is not suitable for guests with reduced mobility. The interior of the ship is a non-smoking zone: smoking is only allowed on the sun deck. As a safety measure, a statutory smoking ban applies in all cabins; this means that all cabins and rooms on board are non-smoking areas
Minimum number of participants: 18 guests (must have been reached within 21 days prior to departure). You may cancel the booking at any time. For cancellation fees, please refer to the booking conditions of SE-Tours. The tour operator’s terms and conditions apply: SE-Tours GmbH, Am Grollhamm 12a, 27574 Bremerhaven. We recommend that you take out a travel health insurance with repatriation coverage as well as baggage, accident and travel cancellation insurances.
Your boat
Two-master schooner WAPEN FAN FRYSLÂN
With its 55 metres of length, the WAPEN FAN FRYSLÂN is the largest two-master schooner on the Dutch waterways. In 1965 the sailing ship was launched as a freight ship and it transported all kinds of freight throughout the Netherlands, Germany and Belgium. In 2003 the ship was completely transformed into a sailing passenger ship.
Beds: 24-36Cabinsize: 8,5 m²Captain: Erik van AkenCrew: 3Length: 55 mWidth: 7,20 mDraught: 1,55 m
Two-master schooner WAPEN FAN FRYSLÂN
With its 55 metres of length, the WAPEN FAN FRYSLÂN is the largest two-master schooner on the Dutch waterways. In 1965 the sailing ship was launched as a freight ship and it transported all kinds of freight throughout the Netherlands, Germany and Belgium. In 2003 the ship was completely transformed into a sailing passenger ship.
On board of this marvellous ship you will immediately notice its warm atmosphere. On deck there is a large pilothouse with a cosy and stylish bar and seating area. The panorama windows offer a perfect all around view of the water. The afterdeck has a bar with draught beer taps and a Jacuzzi and on the middle deck there are various sitting areas. There is room to enjoy a lovely meal outdoors. The large salon, also restaurant, is characterised by its cosy appearance and flexible furnishing.
All 12 cabins (ca. 8.5 m2) have two separate box spring beds (90x200 m) that can easily be transformed into a double bed. Each cabin has its own shower, toilet and washbasin and each cabin has a folding bed as a third bed which can be used if needed and a porthole which can be opened.
Beds: 24-36Cabinsize: 8,5 m²Captain: Erik van AkenCrew: 3Length: 55 mWidth: 7,20 mDraught: 1,55 m