Getting back from Amsterdam to Calais with 2 bikes

[bohrsatom]

I note no journey times given. Roughly how long (hours, days?) for Amsterdam to Dunkirk or Calais by train.

You could do it in a day, it’s probably 7 or 8 hours of travelling but overall time will be longer due to waiting for connections etc

[Grldtnr]

A Left field suggestion, consider the Chunnel, it's a little further on than Calais, and your dumped at Folkstone,
Cyclist are catered for, you need to book, but you are collected at the terminus in a truck/ van, , ride the train, then deposited the other side.
Price when Iast looked £35.
But of course it depends on where you want to be.

[LeBrignall]

I really would consider taking the hook to Harwich ferry. It will save you so much time and hassle. I am not a great sailor but have never suffered any sea sickness on this run. It is a giant boat well able to withstand any rough seas.
The cabins are nice with a window, and you can sleep the whole way.
Much better than the Calais ferry imo

[Will]

I note no journey times given. Roughly how long (hours, days?) for Amsterdam to Dunkirk or Calais by train.

You could do it in a day, it’s probably 7 or 8 hours of travelling but overall time will be longer due to waiting for connections etc

If going to De Panne Sat-Sun:

Amsterdam Centraal 09:28
Bruxelles Midi 12:16

Bruxelles Midi 12:48
De Panne 15:08

OR

Amsterdam Centraal 09:28
Antwerpen Centraal 11:16

Antwerpen Centraal 11:37
Gent St Pieters 12:33

Gent St Pieters 12:53
De Panne 14:08



If going to De Panne Mon-Fri:

Amsterdam Centraal 09:28
Antwerpen Centraal 11:16

Antwerpen Centraal 11:51
De Panne 14:08

[simonhill]

Thanks for timings.

Not sure of your plan (would be useful to know), but be careful of arriving late and getting stuck in Dover, particularly over the weekend. Accommodation availablity is scarce and costs are high. You can expect £100 plus for something not very special.

I rang around and eventually got a small box room for £55 about June 2018.

[mjr]

Allow an hour each for De Panne ( actually Adinkerke) station to Dunkerque town and from town to port. Fast riders may beat that but navigation may not be simple through the rapidly-improving town.

Last train to London is 22:48 but of course London is often not cheaper. Last train to Ashford is 23:48.

[pete75]

I agree about Harwich ferry back. You can get the train from there or Maningtree. Plus you arrive in God's chosen county of Essex. Wots not to like.

Being in Essex. You are greeted at the start of NCN 51 at the ferry port by a high step and a long detour, which is sadly typical of Essex's approach to cycle routes! It's only slightly better than Suffolk, where the guiding principle seems to be sadism or maybe "grind down the idiots who refuse to motor".

I know a lot of people joke about Essex and run the place down but once you're away from the M11 and the
Thames-side corridor, it's really a rather pleasant county. Suffolk is also a pleasant county in which to cycle.

[mjr]

I agree about Harwich ferry back. You can get the train from there or Maningtree. Plus you arrive in God's chosen county of Essex. Wots not to like.

Being in Essex. You are greeted at the start of NCN 51 at the ferry port by a high step and a long detour, which is sadly typical of Essex's approach to cycle routes! It's only slightly better than Suffolk, where the guiding principle seems to be sadism or maybe "grind down the idiots who refuse to motor".

I know a lot of people joke about Essex and run the place down but once you're away from the M11 and the
Thames-side corridor, it's really a rather pleasant county. Suffolk is also a pleasant county in which to cycle.

Suffolk has some nice cycling but ignore the Suffolk Cycle Routes (A/A1/A2/...) which are just bonkers: very indirect with crazy climbs and cobbled fords. The National Cycle Network is its usual variable self there. Maps like CyclOSM really help with route-planning in such places where you get no help from the highway authority's routes.

I'm not joking against Essex as a place or the people, but the highway authority was one of the worst in the country at cycling until recently (Active Travel England seems to think they now have viable plans to change that, though) with only two non-NCN county inter-urban cycle routes in the whole county and a carelessness about their bits of NCN which was bad even for England. The high kerb on/off the cycleway at Harwich International and the 270-degree detour around the peninsula were just typical of it.

[Herbster64]

Maybe a penultimate day trip back before we cross the channel unless we could get it in within a day and still make the eurotunnel bike crossing minibus

[Herbster64]

A Left field suggestion, consider the Chunnel, it's a little further on than Calais, and your dumped at Folkstone,
Cyclist are catered for, you need to book, but you are collected at the terminus in a truck/ van, , ride the train, then deposited the other side.
Price when Iast looked £35.
But of course it depends on where you want to be.

This is what we going to do to get across and our plan to get back. leave the car in Folkstone. It was just the getting back to Calais from Amsterdam that was becoming an issue

[Grldtnr]

Only problem is currently one service each way, and you need to book in advance, you can't just turn up unfortunately
As I understand it ,that is.
Ian thinking of escaping Britain come this forthcomig Coronation ,a republican Country seems a good bet !

[Herbster64]

Only problem is currently one service each way, and you need to book in advance, you can't just turn up unfortunately
As I understand it ,that is.
Ian thinking of escaping Britain come this forthcomig Coronation ,a republican Country seems a good bet !

If you are talking about the channel tunnel part, yes there was only one option getting accross and that was at about 8am but coming back they have been really good with us, whether we were the only bookings that day, but they have agreed to pick us up in Calais at 17.45.

[scragend]

Allow an hour each for De Panne ( actually Adinkerke) station to Dunkerque town and from town to port. Fast riders may beat that but navigation may not be simple through the rapidly-improving town.

Last train to London is 22:48 but of course London is often not cheaper. Last train to Ashford is 23:48.

I've just come back from a few days in Gent, travelling via Dover-Dunkerque. Your two hours in total from Dunkerque to De Panne station sounds about right, although be prepared for headwinds when heading back to the port, which may add a bit of time on! I did it in just less than that with fully loaded panniers, averaging 12.9 mph eastwards and 12.1 westwards.

The EV12 is well signed through Dunkerque now, and cycling signs are good in general. Dedicated cycle paths or shared paths most of the way. I missed a turn in the middle of Dunkerque on the way back but that was my fault; I was distracted and knew straight away that I'd done it. At the next junction I just followed the cycling signs towards Grande Synthe instead where I knew I could pick up the route again for the last bit.

[Herbster64]

Allow an hour each for De Panne ( actually Adinkerke) station to Dunkerque town and from town to port. Fast riders may beat that but navigation may not be simple through the rapidly-improving town.

Last train to London is 22:48 but of course London is often not cheaper. Last train to Ashford is 23:48.

I've just come back from a few days in Gent, travelling via Dover-Dunkerque. Your two hours in total from Dunkerque to De Panne station sounds about right, although be prepared for headwinds when heading back to the port, which may add a bit of time on! I did it in just less than that with fully loaded panniers, averaging 12.9 mph eastwards and 12.1 westwards.

The EV12 is well signed through Dunkerque now, and cycling signs are good in general. Dedicated cycle paths or shared paths most of the way. I missed a turn in the middle of Dunkerque on the way back but that was my fault; I was distracted and knew straight away that I'd done it. At the next junction I just followed the cycling signs towards Grande Synthe instead where I knew I could pick up the route again for the last bit.

How long do you reckon to Calais from Dunkerque then?

[scragend]

How long do you reckon to Calais from Dunkerque then?

I haven't done it, because I always use Dunkerque, but along the EV12 it looks to be just shy of 24 miles from Loon Plage to Calais so I'd say a couple of hours.

Add another 45 mins for Dunkerque town to Loon Plage (you wouldn't go up to the port at Dunkerque if you were continuing on to Calais), so probably 2.5 to 3 hours for the whole thing.

Maybe a bit less if you don't follow the EV12 exactly but cut across from Loon Plage to Gravelines on the D601.