Getting back from Amsterdam to Calais with 2 bikes

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Herbster64
Posts: 6
Joined: 30 Mar 2023, 10:06am

Getting back from Amsterdam to Calais with 2 bikes

Post by Herbster64 »

Hi,
My daughter and I are cycling from Calais to Amsterdam the first week in June. Does anybody have any idea how we can get back to Calais without having to box up the bikes (or cycling the whole way back). Ideally we need the bikes whole when we get back to Calais to continue our journey to the UK.
Thanks
Nick
Jdsk
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Joined: 5 Mar 2019, 5:42pm

Re: Getting back from Amsterdam to Calais with 2 bikes

Post by Jdsk »

Welcome.

My first choice would be train. Useful trusted sites:
https://www.seat61.com/international-tr ... terdam.htm
https://www.bahn.com/en

... and there are some very helpful people on this forum who will be along RSN to add details.

Doing it by one-way drop-off car hire could work well. But the price sometimes goes up enormously if you drop off in a different country.

Jonathan
skeltrike
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Joined: 3 Jan 2022, 7:20pm

Re: Getting back from Amsterdam to Calais with 2 bikes

Post by skeltrike »

have a nice coastal ride from Amsterdam south to Hook of Holland and ferry to Harwich rather than Calais-Dover?
bohrsatom
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Joined: 20 May 2013, 4:36pm

Re: Getting back from Amsterdam to Calais with 2 bikes

Post by bohrsatom »

I'd also recommend the HvH->Harwich ferry - a pleasant ride, or alternatively it's easy to take an intercity train from Amsterdam to Rotterdam, followed by a short hop on the Rotterdam metro to the ferry terminal.

If you're set on travelling to Calais, one option:

1. Take the Amsterdam -> Brussels Intercity, which has room for bikes: https://www.nsinternational.com/en/trai ... y-brussels
2. Take a local train from Brussels -> Lille Flanders, view journeys on https://bikeontrain.belgiantrain.be/ (most say "bike not recommended" but that doesn't mean you can't!)
3. Take a local train from Lille Flanders to Calais. These show as K71 on the SNCF timetable: https://www.sncf-connect.com/

You could also change at Antwerp rather than Brussels and take a route which avoids Brussels.
simonhill
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Joined: 13 Jan 2007, 11:28am
Location: Essex

Re: Getting back from Amsterdam to Calais with 2 bikes

Post by simonhill »

You may find Dover to Dunkirk sets you down in a better place to start your ride than Calais.

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.
Will
Posts: 484
Joined: 16 Jan 2007, 6:39pm

Re: Getting back from Amsterdam to Calais with 2 bikes

Post by Will »

simonhill wrote: 30 Mar 2023, 1:26pm You may find Dover to Dunkirk sets you down in a better place to start your ride than Calais.

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.
Dunkirk/Dunkerque is easier to get to from Amsterdam compared with Calais. You can get to De Panne (Belgium) using only 2 trains, and then cycle from there to Dunkirk:

1. Take the Brussels service to Antwerpen Centraal.
2. Take the hourly IC service to De Panne
3. Cycle to Dunkerque and get the ferry from there.

Info on travelling on IC Brussels with bikes:

https://support-en.nsinternational.com/ ... -a-bicycle

Will
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mjr
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Location: Norfolk or Somerset, mostly
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Re: Getting back from Amsterdam to Calais with 2 bikes

Post by mjr »

simonhill wrote: 30 Mar 2023, 1:26pm 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".
Will wrote: 30 Mar 2023, 2:52pm 3. Cycle to Dunkerque and get the ferry from there.
De Panne to/from Dunkerque is mostly a simple case of follow the EuroVelo 4 cycle route, although they've built some more direct improvements through the town centres which aren't (yet?) on the route. I'm sure the Puythouck and the Parc du Moulin are lovely, but sometimes you just want to get between port and city so I've gone most of https://cycle.travel/map/journey/133343

I'd definitely go to Dunkerque to/from Belgium again.
MJR, mostly pedalling 3-speed roadsters. KL+West Norfolk BUG incl social easy rides http://www.klwnbug.co.uk
All the above is CC-By-SA and no other implied copyright license to Cycle magazine.
ANTONISH
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Joined: 26 Mar 2009, 9:49am

Re: Getting back from Amsterdam to Calais with 2 bikes

Post by ANTONISH »

From Amsterdam you could go to Bruxelles
Then go from Bruxelles to Mouscron (although in Belgium it is closely tied to the Lille Metropole region) on Belgian railways (bookable bike spaces).
From there there a SNCF ter (local train) to Lille Flanders ( it's a short journey and you could cycle it).
The regional ter has free bike spaces.
At Lille flanders you can get a ter to Calais.

We intend to use this route in June but going to Luxembourg via Bruxelles.
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MrsHJ
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Location: Dartmouth, Devon.

Re: Getting back from Amsterdam to Calais with 2 bikes

Post by MrsHJ »

ANTONISH wrote: 31 Mar 2023, 11:07am From Amsterdam you could go to Bruxelles
Then go from Bruxelles to Mouscron (although in Belgium it is closely tied to the Lille Metropole region) on Belgian railways (bookable bike spaces).
From there there a SNCF ter (local train) to Lille Flanders ( it's a short journey and you could cycle it).
The regional ter has free bike spaces.
At Lille flanders you can get a ter to Calais.

We intend to use this route in June but going to Luxembourg via Bruxelles.
Small tip if you are cycling from Luxembourg to the Moselle. You need to take a lift down to the lower city from the haut city. I went round in circles for a while. You’ll be cycling through a green gorge that runs through the centre of Luxembourg City to open countryside - I found it very unexpected!
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Herbster64
Posts: 6
Joined: 30 Mar 2023, 10:06am

Re: Getting back from Amsterdam to Calais with 2 bikes

Post by Herbster64 »

Hope all of my replies get to see this.

Thank you all so much for your responses. I am so grateful. Although I have done the HOH -Harwich route before, my daughter really doesn't do ferries well, so the train lines guidance really is a saviour.
Anymore advice still very gratefully received.

Regards
Nick
scragend
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Joined: 13 Oct 2020, 7:16pm

Re: Getting back from Amsterdam to Calais with 2 bikes

Post by scragend »

MrsHJ wrote: 31 Mar 2023, 1:40pm Small tip if you are cycling from Luxembourg to the Moselle. You need to take a lift down to the lower city from the haut city. I went round in circles for a while. You’ll be cycling through a green gorge that runs through the centre of Luxembourg City to open countryside - I found it very unexpected!
That photo was really messing with my head... till I turned it the right way up :D
ANTONISH
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Joined: 26 Mar 2009, 9:49am

Re: Getting back from Amsterdam to Calais with 2 bikes

Post by ANTONISH »

MrsHJ wrote: 31 Mar 2023, 1:40pm
ANTONISH wrote: 31 Mar 2023, 11:07am From Amsterdam you could go to Bruxelles
Then go from Bruxelles to Mouscron (although in Belgium it is closely tied to the Lille Metropole region) on Belgian railways (bookable bike spaces).
From there there a SNCF ter (local train) to Lille Flanders ( it's a short journey and you could cycle it).
The regional ter has free bike spaces.
At Lille flanders you can get a ter to Calais.

We intend to use this route in June but going to Luxembourg via Bruxelles.
Small tip if you are cycling from Luxembourg to the Moselle. You need to take a lift down to the lower city from the haut city. I went round in circles for a while. You’ll be cycling through a green gorge that runs through the centre of Luxembourg City to open countryside - I found it very unexpected!
Thank you for the advice - we are intending to get the train from Luxembourg to Remiremont - then ride to the source and then the route to Trier
We only intend riding to Trier ( maybe further if we feel like it ) and then getting the train back to Luxembourg.

Actually I remember cycling Dunkerque to Luxembourg in 1990 - I camped somewhere near the city and got the train back - I don't recall a lift (but then there are many things I don't recall).
Will
Posts: 484
Joined: 16 Jan 2007, 6:39pm

Re: Getting back from Amsterdam to Calais with 2 bikes

Post by Will »

Herbster64 wrote: 31 Mar 2023, 2:03pm Hope all of my replies get to see this.

Thank you all so much for your responses. I am so grateful. Although I have done the HOH -Harwich route before, my daughter really doesn't do ferries well, so the train lines guidance really is a saviour.
Anymore advice still very gratefully received.

Regards
Nick
If you do decide to go via Brussels, you should note the following (from NS International): "Within Belgium it is not allowed to take a bicycle to Brussels Central, Brussels Congres, Brussels Kapellekerk and between Libramont and Bastogne."

You should head to Brussels Midi (aka Brussels Zuid) - there are good connections from there.

You will also find that some direct routes within Belgium require a change of trains at the weekend (such as the Antwerpen to De Panne service that requires a change of trains at Gent).

You will need to purchase an International Bike Ticket for the journey from Amsterdam. You may be able to purchase this ticket to your final destination, otherwise you will need to purchase a standard bike ticket (€4) for the rest of the journey in Belgium. You don't need a bike ticket for the TER trains in France.

Will
Jdsk
Posts: 24634
Joined: 5 Mar 2019, 5:42pm

Re: Getting back from Amsterdam to Calais with 2 bikes

Post by Jdsk »

Herbster64 wrote: 31 Mar 2023, 2:03pm ...
Thank you all so much for your responses. I am so grateful. Although I have done the HOH -Harwich route before, my daughter really doesn't do ferries well, so the train lines guidance really is a saviour.
Anymore advice still very gratefully received.
Are you now interested in other routes, or staying with Amsterdam to Calais?

Thanks

Jonathan
simonhill
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Joined: 13 Jan 2007, 11:28am
Location: Essex

Re: Getting back from Amsterdam to Calais with 2 bikes

Post by simonhill »

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

Is this a final day thing or a couple days with ferry thrown in?
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