Suggestions for family cycling holiday away from water's edge

[qwerty24]

Hi,

I'm looking for suggestions for a family cycling holiday destination. Children aged 7 and 10. Youngest is a good cyclist and keeps up with the older child. Youngest also has some additional sensory needs and fear of water which makes choosing unknown routes tricky. We could manage a cycling path separated from the edge of a river/lake by a fence or a patch of grass or rocks, but we could not manage a canal path running directly alongside the water's edge, for example. Disused railway lines are great options but cycling alongside traffic would not be suitable.

We cycle pretty regularly on the cycle routes that fit the brief in the area around where we live and we're looking for ideas for a holiday away in Europe. Online searches suggest the Loire valley as a starting point, but I'm not sure about cycling alongside the river. I've cycled the Danube route from Passau during my uni days but it was so long ago and with adults that I really can't remember how close to the water we were.
Thank you for any ideas!

[Tangled Metal]

I think you could do a route from Ijmeuden that used to be reached by a ferry from Newcastle. From there head north up the coastal route 1 using the numbered nodes navigation system. Although the cycle route 1 is pretty much away from roads the whole way once you are away from the port town accross the river by car ferry and on a bit more. Some segregated by road paths but mostly from memory it is away from roads in the dunes. Not flat but not very hilly. We did it in a straight north and south with one nip inside trip on segregated cycle paths or very minor roads with little traffic. Those inner roads had ditches though at times. The main route 1 is not near water IIRC.

Just an idea. Our son was 4yo when we did it. up to 50 miles a day plus on one day as the seagull ate our dinner so we had to cycle to the nearest town for a supermarket!! you should easily get up to den Helder which is home to the Dutch navy. There is a good naval museum there including a sub to go into and some other vessels too. Plus on the way there are a few decent sized campsites with pools that have water slides and other water features. IIRC free to campers. You probably need to keep them entertained off the bike too.

[roubaixtuesday]

Sounds like you're looking for a moving on tour? You don't give any idea of daily distances or total distance.

I've only done a very small portion, but the Ciclabile Dolomiti though Cortina D'Ampezzo struck me as a wonderful cycle route.

Brixen to Treviso would be 252km according to Cycle.Travel. you could easily do longer or shorter to preference


It's a long way from the channel though.

https://www.ciclabiledolomiti.com/

Have also done a portion of the Valsugana cycleway south east of Trento. Similarly excellent, though not quite so sepctacular and there is a lakeside portion.

[qwerty24]

Thank you- both are brilliant suggestions and just the kind of thing we're looking for... enough ideas for more than one holiday here