Friesland’s Eleven Cities Tour, Leeuwarden, Holland, is an amazing skating touring over several cities, across frozen lakes, canals, through beautiful scenic small towns. It’s perfect journey along a vast, flat, unique landscape .
To the north of the Netherlands, a journey of about 200 kilometers awaits you, a trip through 11 villages full of history and linked by canals, rivers, and lakes, waters that completely freeze when the cold season arrives, and become solid enough to allow long lines of people to skate through one after another. It is a tradition that thousands of locals enjoy, and tourists from all over the world travel miles and miles to arrive at the city of Leeuwarden, in the northern province of Friesland, where this race begins and ends.
Test your resistance as a skater, along with your best skates and comfortable lycra. As the sun sets, it is common to see the spectators shouting “Hop! Hop! Volhouden!” (“Go! Go! Carry on!”) when the skaters are already exhausted and slowing down from having been skating since the break of dawn until the grand finale in the Friesian capital of Leeuwarden.
This famous ice crossing has existed for centuries, but since 1909 it has become an official event, and it has been held about 15 times since then. The Elfstedentocht (Eleven Cities’ Tour) is administered by an association formed between all the participating cities, and also ensures that the ice is strong enough to avoid any accidents, at least 15 centimeters thick to carry out the event.
This event is so important traditionally that the entire country takes vacations once the season comes, and those locals who are not participating on this tour are found glued to their sofas in front of the television, watching the progress of the event.
There is a limit of 16,000 skaters participating, for security reasons regarding the strength of the ice. However, once the cold season ends and the ice melts, anyone can follow the route with a kayak, on foot through the trails, by bike or even with inline skates.
You will never be bored on this journey through the Netherlands, you can go with friends or family and talk along the way, constantly cheering with the spectators, admiring the beautiful and relaxing landscapes of the meadows and villages along the way… There is no doubt that it is a different activity and an experience like no other. Do not miss the opportunity to skate!
When to Go
For the ice race, stick close to the Netherlands from December through February. If you plan to follow the route by Other means, the best months are July and August. Dutch summers are mild.
How Long
You could easily cycle the route in a day (there’s an Elfstedentocht bike race in May), but most organized tours allow a week or longer.
Planning
Local tour operators can help you choose the best way to navigate the race route in summer.
For the ice tour, contact the Vereniging for details on how you can qualify to take part.
Inside Information
If you dare to strap on your inline skates and join the participants, keep in mind that most Dutch people have been ice-skating and inline-skating, since they were infants, so they are fast and strong. Be ready!
Websites
- www.Nísítfrystan.com
- www.cycletours.com
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