North Sea Cycle Route - help re route guides

blaugrana · Post by **blaugrana** » 8 Mar 2008, 6:33pm

I am thinking about a trip north from the Hook of Holland with my 6-year old on our Hase Pino in May.

We travel very slowly (a lot of weight, not much power) and I would like to travel 100 or so miles over 5 days, camping as near as possible to the cycle path, and then return by train.

I've been on the North Sea Cycle route website and the website for Dutch guides. I can't work out which route guide I need. Can anyone help?

Many thanks in advance,

Jeff

cycletourer · Post by **cycletourer** » 8 Mar 2008, 10:00pm

Hi Jeff.

Probably your best bet for a strip map type guide is the Bikeline guides, unfortunately they are only in German or Dutch. Details on our site here.

The NSCR from the hook going north is the Dutch LF1 which basically hugs the coast most of the way and is easy to follow as the signing in Holland is very good.

If you just want maps of the route then you could use any of the Dutch cycle maps. The Landelijke Fietsroutes 1 :150 000 maps mentioned on our site here shows all the Dutch LF routes along with campsites.

Have a great trip.

Jon

MLJ · Post by **MLJ** » 9 Mar 2008, 3:34pm

Sustrans publish an English guide to route LF1, which is Den Helder to Boulogne. It may be that they also publish other guides. Maps are also available in the Netherlands for all the long distance routes

blaugrana · Post by **blaugrana** » 9 Mar 2008, 5:25pm

Hi Jon, MLJ,

Thanks for your replies.

I can't find any guides to the Dutch section of the route on Sustran's website so maybe they've stopped doing it?

The Landelijke Fietsroutes 1 :150 000 maps look good, Jon. You say on your website one covers south Holland and the other the North. Do I need both??

Do you know how I can get hold of these maps from the UK?

Thanks again, and best wishes,

Jeff

MLJ · Post by **MLJ** » 10 Mar 2008, 10:40am

Sustrans guide is ISBN 046271060-9 my edition published 1996 titled 'LF1 Noordzeeroute' It copies the 1:150 000 Stichting Landelijk Fietsplatform maps. I also have a leaflet, collected near the border, of the Dollard Route which extends to Emden http://www.dollard-route.de.Try also
http://www.cyclingeurope.nl and
http://www.fietskaartinformatiestichting.nl

cycletourer · Post by **cycletourer** » 10 Mar 2008, 1:07pm

Jeff,

If you are going to get the Landelijke Fietsroutes 1 :150 000 maps, you just need the North section maps. They cover the NSCR north of the Hook as far as Nieuweschans on the Dutch German border. I don't think you can buy them in the UK, but you could try the Mapshopor Stanfords or you could buy it on-line here.

I think the Sustrans guide that MLJ mentions may be this one which only goes as far as Den Helder. MLJ might correct me if I'm wrong on that one.

blaugrana · Post by **blaugrana** » 10 Mar 2008, 6:39pm

Jon, MLJ,

Thanks again to you both. I think the North Landelijke Fietsroutes 1 :150 000 map from http://www.jvw.nl sounds just what I'm after.

Best wishes,

Jeff

DavyTee · Post by **DavyTee** » 11 Mar 2008, 12:50pm

Contacted Sutrans about 2 weeks ago for the above guide and they advise cant get it anymore (something to do with the dutch being awkward.

Ron · Post by **Ron** » 11 Mar 2008, 12:58pm

DavyTee wrote:Contacted Sutrans about 2 weeks ago for the above guide and they advise cant get it anymore

The main advantage of this book is the convenient map layout, so if you cannot find an English language copy a foreign language version will still be helpful.

Richard Fairhurst · Post by **Richard Fairhurst** » 11 Mar 2008, 4:32pm

I think there's a copy on the cycling shelves in Blackwells in Oxford. Might be worth giving them a call.

megilleland · Post by **megilleland** » 11 Mar 2008, 10:29pm

This should help you, although it takes a little working out and you may get frustrated!

Takes you to the route planner:
http://planner.holland.com/fietsroutes/ ... l_dyn&hk=1

Enter start point, end point and via. You can click anywhere on the map to bring up locations. Put the cursor in the box before selecting location on map. If you put the wrong location in box click on Herstel to start again.

When you have entered the locations click on Bereken de routes

This brings up 50 routes between these points. Click on Er zijn 50 routes voor u gevoden which takes you to a page which gives you 10 pages of routes. Each page has a map with up to 5 different coloured routes (Rode, Groene, Blauwe, Gele or Bruine) shown on it. Click on the one that interests you.

This brings up a page with information about the route showing a map with detailed sections of the route. Click on sections for detail of route at street level.

Click on routebeschrijving to give you overview of route and detail of distances between towns/villages. Click on Gidsen en kaarten to take you to guides published by Buijten & Schipperheijn which cover the route.

Click on Overzichtskaart LF-routes to see an overview of other LF routes in Holland.

Click on De Omgeving for Restaurants, Museums, Bike hire & VVV offices?

Click on Accommodatie for various types of accomodation - Hotels, Bed & Breakfast's, Bungalowparken, Campings & Jeugdherbergen.

cycletourer · Post by **cycletourer** » 11 Mar 2008, 10:50pm

megilleland

The fietsroute planer link is excellent and very useful for planning. Thank you for that one.

blaugrana · Post by **blaugrana** » 12 Mar 2008, 5:47pm

Thanks Megilleland,

I shall explore at length.

Cheers,

Jeff

Tony · Post by **Tony** » 12 Mar 2008, 10:27pm

There would seem to be a few of us there this year...I have several friends doing it, and I am doing Hoek to Esbjerg in July.

MartinBrice · Post by **MartinBrice** » 15 Mar 2008, 2:18pm

I was hoping to do the bit of the North Sea Cycle route from Kristiansand to Bergen, based on flying from Stansted to Kristiansand, cycling to Bergen and flying back to Stansted. Unfortunately norwegian.No seems to no longer fly Stansted to Kristiansand which has rather put the kibosh on those plans. Does anyone have any idea of how to get a bike and rider to Kristiansand without having to fly in and change at Copenhagen - thus making two flights and doubling the potential for having the bike damaged?