never having cycle toured before,(at least not for many years) but with early retirement starting in September (I have cycled in the UK / weekends, but a little rusty) I wanted to celebrate / commemorate this life transition.
Always looked at the N Sea cycle route so thought to cycle from hooke of Holand to Eskberg....taking my time. Then maybe the rest next Spring.
So
1. New bike? recommendations? I have a Saracen hybrid that has served me well. Time for an upgrade?
2. Anyone done this section? tips / places to stay (cheap? hostels?) Probably not camp to save carriage unless you recommend this
and any equipment.
3. maps? Is there one or do I buy 'sections'
4. train London to Holand, but how do I get back from Denmark (assuming I want to come back!)
5. . anything else you can add!
north sea cycle route in stages
Re: north sea cycle route in stages
1 Early retirement, so yes, you deserve a new bike, but probably better to do this tour on your trusted steed.
2 I used a combination of camping/hostel/hotel, but mostly camping. There are ample accommodation options along the route.
3 You will have to decide to follow the "official" route or adjust the route to suit your own interests or timetable. The "official" route follows a rather tortuous route around the coast bypassing some more interesting places(depending on your interests!). Good map advice here for the first leg http://www.cycletourer.co.uk/cycletouring/holland.shtml Once you get going you can buy maps along the way rather than carry them for the whole trip.
4 Train from Liverpool Street London to Harwich port. Some of the rail services require you to change trains at Manningtree, if you have time, consider cycling the Manningtree-Harwich section. Ferry back from Esbjerg to Harwich http://www.dfdsseaways.co.uk/ferry-rout ... o-esbjerg/
Probaly better to cycle Hook to Esbjerg rather than the reverse, this gives a better chance of a following wind.
2 I used a combination of camping/hostel/hotel, but mostly camping. There are ample accommodation options along the route.
3 You will have to decide to follow the "official" route or adjust the route to suit your own interests or timetable. The "official" route follows a rather tortuous route around the coast bypassing some more interesting places(depending on your interests!). Good map advice here for the first leg http://www.cycletourer.co.uk/cycletouring/holland.shtml Once you get going you can buy maps along the way rather than carry them for the whole trip.
4 Train from Liverpool Street London to Harwich port. Some of the rail services require you to change trains at Manningtree, if you have time, consider cycling the Manningtree-Harwich section. Ferry back from Esbjerg to Harwich http://www.dfdsseaways.co.uk/ferry-rout ... o-esbjerg/
Probaly better to cycle Hook to Esbjerg rather than the reverse, this gives a better chance of a following wind.
Re: north sea cycle route in stages
cldg51 plans to do the NSCR to Esbjerg "Then maybe the rest next Spring."
Unfortunately there are no ferries across the North Sea north of Esbjerg (to Harwich) so the route is no longer complete unless you fly from/to Norway.
I tried cycling from Manningtree to Harwich as suggested by Ron. iirc it is a very busy bendy road with several short sharp hills. An alternative, if it suits your train itinerary, is to take the train to Thorpe le Soken. I found the ride more pleasant. Unfortunately, to exit the station you still have to carry luggage and bike up and down stairs.
Unfortunately there are no ferries across the North Sea north of Esbjerg (to Harwich) so the route is no longer complete unless you fly from/to Norway.
I tried cycling from Manningtree to Harwich as suggested by Ron. iirc it is a very busy bendy road with several short sharp hills. An alternative, if it suits your train itinerary, is to take the train to Thorpe le Soken. I found the ride more pleasant. Unfortunately, to exit the station you still have to carry luggage and bike up and down stairs.
Re: north sea cycle route in stages
cldg51 wrote:never having cycle toured before,(at least not for many years) but with early retirement starting in September (I have cycled in the UK / weekends, but a little rusty) I wanted to celebrate / commemorate this life transition.
Always looked at the N Sea cycle route so thought to cycle from hooke of Holand to Eskberg....taking my time. Then maybe the rest next Spring.
So
1. New bike? recommendations? I have a Saracen hybrid that has served me well. Time for an upgrade?
2. Anyone done this section? tips / places to stay (cheap? hostels?) Probably not camp to save carriage unless you recommend this
and any equipment.
3. maps? Is there one or do I buy 'sections'
4. train London to Holand, but how do I get back from Denmark (assuming I want to come back!)
5. . anything else you can add!
1) The bits of the NSCR you are proposing to cycle are generally flat. You could probably manage the route on a three speed bike without too much trouble. There are some short climbs but headwinds and gravel tracks are the only challenges.
2) Camping is possible on the route in Holland, there are some nice campsites on the German section, and in Denmark there is a network of free tent sites in addition to normal campsites. You can buy a book called "Overnatning i det fri" that lists all these sites from this website http://www.teltpladser.dk/ or sometimes from tourist offices in Denmark.
3) You need to buy a set of maps for each country. We used the Bikeline maps for the German NSCR and Danish NSCR and we had a set of maps showing all the LF routes in Holland, which cover the NSCR as well. I think we bought those at an ANWB shop in Holland. There is also a series of cheap and clear cycle maps for Germany but I forget who the publisher is and am not anywhere near our maps at the moment.
4) There is the DFDS ferry between Esbjerg and Harwich. Or it is possible to take a night train to Amsterdam from Kolding and Padborg. From Holland you have several possibilities to get back to the UK. The night train starts in Copenhagen and finishes in Amsterdam and is a City Nightline service. There is limited space for bikes so you have to book in advance. You can take normal day trains but you have to change a few times. Try the DB website to plan your trip.
5) Travelogues at http://mistymornings.net/travel/ Danish NSCR in 2006 and 2009, German NSCR in 2009 and the Dutch NSCR in 2007.
So long and thanks for all the fish...
Re: north sea cycle route in stages
Just read all your wonderful replies. Inspiring.
Many grateful thanks to all responders with plenty for me to follow up on now.
Here's hoping for a good weather Autumn.
Now for the planning detail.......
Many grateful thanks to all responders with plenty for me to follow up on now.
Here's hoping for a good weather Autumn.
Now for the planning detail.......
Re: north sea cycle route in stages
JJF wrote:cldg51 plans to do the NSCR to Esbjerg "Then maybe the rest next Spring."
Unfortunately there are no ferries across the North Sea north of Esbjerg (to Harwich) so the route is no longer complete unless you fly from/to Norway.
<snip>.
There may not be any ferries but there are freight routes across the North Sea. A couple of people I know have used such a service that runs between Breivik (near Larvik) and Immingham in the UK.
The only slight problem with using this service is that Breivik is about as far away from Bergen (in terms of public transport) as you can get in Southern Norway. Another alternative is to take the ferry from Bergen/Stavanger that runs down to Hirthals in Denmark. From there you can get to Esbjerg (or Kolding see my other post) with a couple of train changes.
If you do get to Bergen and want to fly to Scotland to continue your journey there are two main options. The good news is that it is possible to fly direct to the Shetland islands, and you can take a bike. But I have heard that there is no guarantee that your bike will travel with you on the same flight, or be transported at all if the plane is full of normal luggage. This is even if you have booked in advance. A safer option appears to be to fly from Stavanger to Aberdeen (direct flight, cheaper and more regular service) and then continue your journey from there.
So long and thanks for all the fish...
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Tigerbiten
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Re: north sea cycle route in stages
I'm just back from doing the NSCR-ish from the Hook of Holland to Hirtshals and back, I also went around Iceland.
I camped the whole way and found a site at roughly 50 mile intervals.
But it was fun as I only a Garmin E-trex and maps of Iceland when I set off.
In the Netherlands and Germany there are maps which show the local area on the road side as you enter town and I was able to find the local campsite that way.
In Denmark I picked up a free map that showed all the campsite in Denmark, which was a big help.
Most of the route is well sign posted and I only tended to get lost going through towns/cities.
But I did cut some corners as the route does to meander a bit in places, hence the -ish.
The first part from the Hook of Holland to the start of the Wadden sea tends to be very gently rolling through sand dunes, after that it's flat.
I camped the whole way and found a site at roughly 50 mile intervals.
But it was fun as I only a Garmin E-trex and maps of Iceland when I set off.
In the Netherlands and Germany there are maps which show the local area on the road side as you enter town and I was able to find the local campsite that way.
In Denmark I picked up a free map that showed all the campsite in Denmark, which was a big help.
Most of the route is well sign posted and I only tended to get lost going through towns/cities.
But I did cut some corners as the route does to meander a bit in places, hence the -ish.
The first part from the Hook of Holland to the start of the Wadden sea tends to be very gently rolling through sand dunes, after that it's flat.