Frankfurt to Norwich 10th OCT

[dnrc]

Hi all, just looking for some quick advice and tips

I have some time off work left this year and am considering flying into frankfurt and cycling to the hook of holland to catch the ferry back. I live in norwich so flying out from stansted and coming back to harwich is fairly convenient. I'd just have to get a bike box for the way out and that's it.

Thing is it's a little late in the year. Trouble is most of my holiday next year is accounted for already and i want to do a cycling tour.

-Is it just going to be properly miserable?
-Will campsites be open this time of year?

Does anyone have any tips/advice/experience?


Or any other convenient suggestions?

Cheers all.

[foxyrider]

i'd do B+B's - there will be some sites open but a lot of the site facilities can be closed. OTOH you'll be following the Rhein for most of the time where accomodation is quite easy to come by. You can ride easily straight from the Frankfurt terminal, its shorter getting away to the west if you go east first as you have to just about circle the airport if you go the other way! (did this myself a few weeks back) Without camping you'd most likely get away with hand luggage too which saves a bit of dosh - remember that you won't be able to take pegs / mallets / cutlery / locks etc in hand luggage.

[Galloper]

I suspect most campsites will now be closed. Two inexpensive alternatives are the German YHA, http://www.jugendherberge.de/en/ and Bett&Bike, http://www.bettundbike.de/en

As for weather, can be a bit variable, just like here really. I'd also recommend http://www.germany.travel/en/leisure-an ... cling.html A valuable source of information. There are also several Dutch sites which will help on routes in the Netherlands.

[dnrc]

Zombie thread alert!

Thanks for the useful posts. Sorry I didn't reply sooner, some life happened and I never got away last year.

I have however booked this trip for this year. Unfortunately I can only manage to do it in October again.

I fly to frankfurt on the 10th, think i will stay there the first night in a hotel and have a look round then cycle to the hook for an overnight ferry on the 16th and then cycle home to norwich.

6 days @ 50 miles per day, then one of 72 miles.

I'm going to try camping, i was planning some wild camping anyway, hopefully some proper campsites will still be open too.

[foxyrider]

Bear in mind that Frankfurt city is several miles east of the airport ie the wrong direction! I would consider looking at Mainz area for that first night. There isn't a huge number of camp sites on the Rhein itself, wild camping might be more possible north of Duisburg.

Can't tell you if they will be open but there are camp sites at Boppard, Koblenz, Remagen and north of Düsseldorf at Kaisersworth fahr. Depending on stops fifty miles should be easily managed - you are heading downhill afterall!

[iviehoff]

I was planning some wild camping

Wild camping is illegal in Germany, and Germans are less likely to overlook it than many others. But there is plenty of opportunity, you just have to be a bit stealthier about it than you might be some other places.

Land is very intensively used in the Netherlands, so finding an informal gap to camp is hard and probably illegal. But there are some permitted free-camps http://travellingtwo.com/5233 and this is a network of smaller nicer campsites http://www.natuurkampeerterreinen.nl/en/ You would do well to get the cycle track maps as you can then use the numbered system to find your way. There are a lot of campsites, and since the Dutch like campervans a lot, I think some will be open. But the smaller campsites are not shown on all maps at the 1:100 000 scale, though if you invest in 1:50 000 maps a lot are shown. 72 miles in a day would be quite hard work in Dutch cycling conditions, you'll probably have a head wind, and quite a lot of route finding, maybe try to get a bit ahead of yourself.

[dnrc]

Bear in mind that Frankfurt city is several miles east of the airport ie the wrong direction! I would consider looking at Mainz area for that first night. There isn't a huge number of camp sites on the Rhein itself, wild camping might be more possible north of Duisburg.

Can't tell you if they will be open but there are camp sites at Boppard, Koblenz, Remagen and north of Düsseldorf at Kaisersworth fahr. Depending on stops fifty miles should be easily managed - you are heading downhill afterall!

I'm flying into frankfurt though so might as well go see the city. Staying there one night where i will pick up supplies and maps etc. The camp sites i've looked up all seem to be open until the end of october so should be fine if i need them.

I was planning some wild camping

Wild camping is illegal in Germany, and Germans are less likely to overlook it than many others. But there is plenty of opportunity, you just have to be a bit stealthier about it than you might be some other places.

Land is very intensively used in the Netherlands, so finding an informal gap to camp is hard and probably illegal. But there are some permitted free-camps http://travellingtwo.com/5233 and this is a network of smaller nicer campsites http://www.natuurkampeerterreinen.nl/en/ You would do well to get the cycle track maps as you can then use the numbered system to find your way. There are a lot of campsites, and since the Dutch like campervans a lot, I think some will be open. But the smaller campsites are not shown on all maps at the 1:100 000 scale, though if you invest in 1:50 000 maps a lot are shown. 72 miles in a day would be quite hard work in Dutch cycling conditions, you'll probably have a head wind, and quite a lot of route finding, maybe try to get a bit ahead of yourself.

Wild camping, like many other things is only illegal if you get caught I've done it before in Germany with 4 people, 3 tents, a campfire and a car so me on my own shouldn't be a problem.

I've got hotels booked for couple of nights (including my probable only overnight in holland) and will wing it on the camping the others. Need to leave some stuff to random.

Over on the continent i'll only be doing average 50-60 miles a day, that 72 is harwich to home. (If need be I can bail on that and get picked up!)

I'm just hoping i get fairly decent weather.

[dnrc]

went and did this ride, had a cold snap that week! every other week around then was good temps, that week it barely made 5 each day.

the first 2 days were cold but bright and were quite nice. camping in minus temperatures isn't my thing though.

after that it pretty much rained the entire time and each day ended up being a straightforward direct slog to the next stopoff via the most direct route, i barely saw the river the last 3 days.

I have learned that after a couple of hours riding in the rain you hardly notice it any more though.

I took a chance on the weather and it didn't work out for me, i'll be doing similar again but in warmer months.

Next time though I might do more of the river main, what i saw of that was nicer than the rhine.

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/2325630/GermanyTour/20151012_092136.jpg