Route from DFDS Terminal at Dunkirk to Ostende

General cycling advice ( NOT technical ! )
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mjr
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Re: Route from DFDS Terminal at Dunkirk to Ostende

Post by mjr »

Another update in case anyone's considering this: the station area in Dunkirk (secteur gare de Dunkerque) has been remodelled with several one-way streets changing directions since last October and new cycleways on the outsides of Square Guynemer since a few months ago, plus there's more building work going on in the centre - most annoyingly blocking Quai des Fleurs, which looked like a useful easy-to-follow route through town.

All this seems to mean that when leaving the Quai de Mardyck cycleway, it looks like it's now easiest to take the ramp up to bridge level then turn left over a crossing to a cycleway, straight over three(?) roads then turn right to follow the Quai des Hollandais before using an advance stop box by a tower to cross the road and join cycle lanes along the D79 (there's some work being done either side of Pont Carnot but it's described as renovation rather than remodelling) to regain the old route in Leffrinckoucke - or keep following the quays to a right cycle-only turn between two blocks of flats to join cycleways past the Operation Dynamo museum (good cycling name that) and head for the seafront cycle track.

Anyone been this way recently?
MJR, mostly pedalling 3-speed roadsters. KL+West Norfolk BUG incl social easy rides http://www.klwnbug.co.uk
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iandriver
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Re: Route from DFDS Terminal at Dunkirk to Ostende

Post by iandriver »

I'm pretty sure the D601 had an off road cycle track right along it. I would not describe what I saw as dangerous by any stretch.

Image
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Clipper_2018
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Re: Route from DFDS Terminal at Dunkirk to Ostende

Post by Clipper_2018 »

If you were going further east, I could help you with the Zeebrugge-Antwerp stretch.
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mjr
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Re: Route from DFDS Terminal at Dunkirk to Ostende

Post by mjr »

iandriver wrote:I'm pretty sure the D601 had an off road cycle track right along it. I would not describe what I saw as dangerous by any stretch.

Image

The bit of the D601 that one wants to use has that, yes, between Loon Plage and Grand Synthe. The dangerous bit is the road south from the port, which also takes all the lorries to the autoroute. It's much better to head east when leaving the port.
MJR, mostly pedalling 3-speed roadsters. KL+West Norfolk BUG incl social easy rides http://www.klwnbug.co.uk
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iandriver
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Re: Route from DFDS Terminal at Dunkirk to Ostende

Post by iandriver »

mjr wrote:
iandriver wrote:I'm pretty sure the D601 had an off road cycle track right along it. I would not describe what I saw as dangerous by any stretch.

Image

The bit of the D601 that one wants to use has that, yes, between Loon Plage and Grand Synthe. The dangerous bit is the road south from the port, which also takes all the lorries to the autoroute. It's much better to head east when leaving the port.

Kind of see where you're coming from, but I did the wait until the motor vehicles have gone thing, leaving me cycling up a very wide and completely empty road. It's not my daily commute and have only done it a couple of times. Those couple of times I've never felt even remotely threatened.
Supporter of the A10 corridor cycling campaign serving Royston to Cambridge http://a10corridorcycle.com. Never knew gardening secateurs were an essential part of the on bike tool kit until I took up campaigning.....
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mjr
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Re: Route from DFDS Terminal at Dunkirk to Ostende

Post by mjr »

Yeah, well, thanks to the train company restrictions on bikes through Cambridge, we don't get to Dunkirk until about 5pm local so we really want to get moving to reach our accommodation before check in closes rather than spend time bowing to motorists in the hope that there's not traffic from the other port sites after that. Heading east adds very little distance and it's probably made up by not going through Loon Plage and slowing for its junctions.
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ANTONISH
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Re: Route from DFDS Terminal at Dunkirk to Ostende

Post by ANTONISH »

+1 for going straight ahead at the roundabout.
You will need to get into the left hand lane well before it.
I usually turn right at the T junction ( I've not tried the left hand turn so can't speak of it) and when I get to the main road cross it to Craywick - it's a traffic light controlled junction. If you are intent on going through Dunkerque you can turn left and take the parallel cycle path.
Personally I would avoid Dunkerque and from Craywick head to Brouckerque and Bergues - there are plenty of small quiet roads roughly parallel to the coast - I would suggest joining the coast road at De Panne.
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Re: Route from DFDS Terminal at Dunkirk to Ostende

Post by mjr »

iandriver wrote:
mjr wrote:The dangerous bit is the road south from the port, which also takes all the lorries to the autoroute. It's much better to head east when leaving the port.

Kind of see where you're coming from, but I did the wait until the motor vehicles have gone thing, leaving me cycling up a very wide and completely empty road. It's not my daily commute and have only done it a couple of times. Those couple of times I've never felt even remotely threatened.

https://ahpekbiker.blogspot.com/2017/12 ... ay-to.html reports waiting until the motor vehicles have gone and the port gates having closed before they got there. Not difficult to overcome, but still annoying and largely unnecessary when the cycle lane keeps you apart through the port lands - if only it connected to something outside!

ASTONISH wrote:Personally I would avoid Dunkerque and from Craywick head to Brouckerque and Bergues - there are plenty of small quiet roads roughly parallel to the coast - I would suggest joining the coast road at De Panne.

I think there are now cycleways or at least decent lanes all the way from Loon-Plage to Bray-Dunes, then just ride through the town on its 50kmh main road and turn right at the border to join the Flemish fietsknooppuntennetwerk.
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danielb
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Re: Route from DFDS Terminal at Dunkirk to Ostende

Post by danielb »

I am also heading this way in a couple of weeks time so have read this thread with interest. It looks like the most reliable route into Dunkirk centre is along the cycle route on the D601 (given the issues mentioned above with the coastal/docks route potentially being closed from time-to-time- although the Michelin route-planner still shows it). But any updates welcome.

But I can't see the best way from Dunkirk centre east towards Niewpoort. I thought I read somewhere that there is a cycle path along the canal from Dunkirk to Veurne but is this feasible as I can't find any other mentions and the route-planners don't seem to give it as an option?

Failing this, is there now definitely a cycle path all the way out of Dunkirk along the coast to Bray and beyond, and if so is it easy to pick up in Dunkirk and what roads does it run alongside?

I need to find a route that is reasonably straightforward and safe for a couple of inexperienced cyclists with me.

Thanks
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mjr
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Re: Route from DFDS Terminal at Dunkirk to Ostende

Post by mjr »

danielb wrote:I am also heading this way in a couple of weeks time so have read this thread with interest. It looks like the most reliable route into Dunkirk centre is along the cycle route on the D601 (given the issues mentioned above with the coastal/docks route potentially being closed from time-to-time- although the Michelin route-planner still shows it). But any updates welcome.

My best guess based on riding last year and news reports since would be https://cycle.travel/map/journey/102505

Difficult bits with inexperienced cyclists are likely to be:
1. getting from the docks gates to Loon-Plage, as it involves a left turn on a roundabout as your first move on French roads, then a dual carriageway (but 30mph I think) and a non-obvious gravel turning (100m of gravel linking to tarmac). An alternative to the route linked above would be to wait in the cycle lane just outside the gates (outside because they will close you in if you take too long to get out) until all the lorries have left and then ride along the motorway feeder road, hoping not too many lorries come from the port industrial units.
2. crossing Grande-Synthe. After the fairly good cycleway alongside the first bit of D601, it degrades to 1980s/90s cycle lanes and low-speed-limit roads through Grande-Synthe. There are a couple of junctions where it's easy to take the wrong exit, too.
3. finding the cycleway in Petite-Synthe. The cycleway alongside the next bit of D601 is new and the entrance has changed each time I've ridden it. The route linked above is what's on Street View and in the last news reports from local government I read.
4. crossing Dunkirk centre - it's 20mph and most of the no-entry signs are except cycles (sauf velos) but it's a bit of a missing link.

But I can't see the best way from Dunkirk centre east towards Niewpoort. I thought I read somewhere that there is a cycle path along the canal from Dunkirk to Veurne but is this feasible as I can't find any other mentions and the route-planners don't seem to give it as an option?

There are cycle lanes alongside parts of the D601 and N39 but they're fast roads so I've gone the other way (EV4 / D60 / cycle junction network). I'm 85% sure there isn't a cycle path there.

Failing this, is there now definitely a cycle path all the way out of Dunkirk along the coast to Bray and beyond, and if so is it easy to pick up in Dunkirk and what roads does it run alongside?

Yes (well, to Bray - the Belgian cycle route network starts at the border on the far end of Bray and it's a long straight 30mph limit high street through it), yes (follow the quiet roads on the north side of the canal and turn left onto the cycle path when you reach the freight railway) and see the map link above.

Hope you enjoy it!
MJR, mostly pedalling 3-speed roadsters. KL+West Norfolk BUG incl social easy rides http://www.klwnbug.co.uk
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Re: Route from DFDS Terminal at Dunkirk to Ostende

Post by mjr »

Further to the above August 2020, the Cycleway from Dunkerque/Dunkirk was extended from Bray to the Belgian border. The only remaining difficult bits are from the port gate to Loon-Plage (which apparently is up to the port management company to fix the roads, not the government) and finding the way across Grande-Synthe to the start of the new Voie Verte in the cutting north of Petit Synthe.
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