Netherlands

The Netherlands is the most accessible European destination for motorhome travellers from Yorkshire, and for good reason. The P&O overnight ferry from Hull to Rotterdam delivers you directly to the heart of the country after a comfortable night's sleep, meaning you can be exploring Dutch towns and countryside by mid-morning without a single motorway mile driven on the wrong side of the road. For first-time continental motorhomers, or for anyone wanting a shorter trip abroad, the Netherlands is the perfect introduction to European touring. Our Pontefract depot is less than an hour from the Hull ferry terminal, making the whole process remarkably straightforward.

The Hull to Rotterdam ferry sails every evening, arriving the following morning at Europoort, just west of Rotterdam. The crossing takes approximately eleven hours, and cabins range from basic to luxury. The ferries have restaurants, bars, shops, and entertainment, making the crossing itself part of the holiday. Your motorhome travels in the vehicle deck, and you drive off at Europoort ready to explore. The reverse crossing operates on the same schedule, making a long weekend entirely feasible — though a week gives you time to see much more.

Amsterdam is, inevitably, the first destination many visitors head for, and it does not disappoint. The canal-ringed city centre, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is one of the most beautiful urban landscapes in Europe. The Rijksmuseum houses Rembrandt's Night Watch and Vermeer's Milkmaid among thousands of other masterworks. The Van Gogh Museum holds the world's largest collection of the artist's paintings and drawings. The Anne Frank House, on the Prinsengracht canal, is a profoundly moving memorial. Motorhome parking within central Amsterdam is limited and expensive, but campsites on the outskirts — such as Gaasper Camping near the Gaasperplas lake — offer good public transport connections into the centre.

Beyond Amsterdam, the Netherlands rewards exploration in every direction. Haarlem, just fifteen minutes west of the capital, has a grand market square, the Frans Hals Museum, and a relaxed atmosphere that makes it a favourite among visitors who find Amsterdam overwhelming. Leiden, further south, is a university city of canals and bridges with an outstanding natural history museum and the Hortus Botanicus — one of the oldest botanical gardens in the world. Delft, famous for its blue and white pottery, is a perfectly preserved Golden Age town with cobbled streets, tree-lined canals, and the tomb of William of Orange in the Nieuwe Kerk.

The Dutch coastline stretches for miles along the North Sea, with wide sandy beaches backed by dunes that form one of Europe's most important natural habitats. Scheveningen, the seaside resort attached to The Hague, has a grand pier, an excellent sea life centre, and a long promenade. The island of Texel, reached by ferry from Den Helder, is a birdwatcher's paradise with sandy beaches, sheep-grazed salt marshes, and a network of cycling paths that encapsulate the Dutch approach to landscape and leisure.

The Keukenhof gardens, open annually from mid-March to mid-May, display over seven million tulips, daffodils, and hyacinths in a stunning sixty-acre park near Lisse. The tulip fields of the Bollenstreek — the bulb district between Leiden and Haarlem — are at their most spectacular in April, when stripes of red, yellow, pink, and purple stretch to the horizon. Timing a motorhome trip to coincide with the tulip season is one of the great European travel experiences.

The eastern and northern provinces offer a quieter, greener Netherlands. Giethoorn, in Overijssel, is a village of thatched farmhouses connected by canals rather than roads — known as the Venice of the Netherlands, it is explored by whisper boat or on foot along the canal-side paths. The Hoge Veluwe National Park, near Arnhem, combines heathland, sand dunes, and forest with the Kroller-Muller Museum, which holds the second-largest Van Gogh collection in the world and an exceptional sculpture garden. Arnhem itself is associated with Operation Market Garden in 1944, and the Airborne Museum at Hartenstein tells the story of the battle with tremendous sensitivity.

The Dutch motorhome infrastructure is excellent. Campercontact, the Dutch motorhome parking network, lists thousands of stellplaatze (motorhome pitches) across the country, many offering electric hook-ups, water, and waste facilities at modest prices. Dutch campsites are generally immaculate, with modern facilities, friendly management, and a cycling culture that means you can leave your motorhome on site and explore by bicycle. Bike hire is available almost everywhere, and the flat terrain and dedicated cycle paths make cycling the ideal complement to motorhome touring.

Dutch food culture extends well beyond the stereotypes of cheese and stroopwafels — though both are excellent. Indonesian rijsttafel, a legacy of colonial history, is a feast of dozens of small dishes and is one of the great Dutch dining experiences. Herring, eaten raw from harbour-side stalls, is a must-try. The cheese markets at Alkmaar and Gouda are colourful spectacles that run through the summer months. And the cafe culture — koffie and appeltaart in a brown cafe by a canal — is one of the simple pleasures that makes the Netherlands so enjoyable.

Driving in the Netherlands is straightforward. Roads are excellent, well-signposted, and flat. Speed limits are 130 km/h on motorways (100 km/h on some sections), 80 km/h outside built-up areas, and 50 km/h in towns. Fuel is more expensive than in the UK, but distances are short. The country is compact — you can drive from one end to the other in three hours — making it possible to see a great deal even on a short trip. From Hull to Rotterdam and back, a Dutch motorhome holiday is one of the easiest and most rewarding European adventures you can have.