Summer Ride to the North Sea Beach of Zandvoort

Today marks the last day of summer—at least, in the Netherlands, where we follow the astronomical calendar to define seasonal changes. I recently discovered – much to my surprise – that other cultures observe this differently. Naturally, this also depends on where you are in the world. In the Southern Hemisphere, for example, spring has just arrived, and in Australia, the season changes on 1 September, which is the meteorological definition of seasons. According to some, this approach should be updated altogether. Closer to home, in Ireland, people also recognise 1 September as the start of autumn. Meanwhile, Sweden and Finland apparently define their seasons based on mean daily temperatures, known as thermal seasons.

The shared bicycles of the OV-Fiets system by Dutch Railways. With just a tap on the lock, the bike opens and your rental starts. Lock it again to end your rental.

Regardless of how you mark the end of summer, in the Netherlands, the last full day of summer is today! In 2024, autumn officially begins on 22 September at 14:44 local time.

To celebrate the end of summer, I’d like to share a special ride with you to the North Sea beach at Zandvoort. I cycled there in late August on a beautiful sunny day, starting in Haarlem and riding through the “Kennemer Duinen” National Park. I followed a similar route 11 years ago with two American friends. Back then, I condensed the trip into a two-minute video; this time, I’m sharing the full two-hour ride. Enjoy the journey!

The ride took me straight through Haarlem toward the west. Most car drivers were also heading to the beach.

I took a scenic detour through the sand dunes of Zuid-Kennemerland, which protect the Netherlands from the North Sea. Along the way, I passed a lake often teeming with birds.

I filmed parts of the ride using two cameras. Here’s a glimpse of how I capture the journey.

A typical view of the North Sea near Zandvoort.

A look at Zandvoort’s lively boulevard as I approached the town proper.

The final stretch in Haarlem was on good-quality infrastructure.

My nearly two-hour ride covered almost 35 kilometers.