Cycling UK Forum

I am travelling from amsterdam down into Calais. I am looking for the best maps to use or any advice on the best routes to take. I will be camping so a bit of info on campsites will be welcome. I want to stay as near to the coast as possible.

as it happens, there is just the thing you want, here

http://www.northsea-cycle.com/

Glad you had that. I am doing the same thing.

In the Netherlands and Belgium, the LF-route 1 is part of the North Sea Route. It runs from Den Helder in the north all the way along the coast line into Belgium, and then on to Boulogne-sur-mer (France). The complete trail is shielded; in fact it's almost impossible to take a wrong turn, on the Dutch section at least.

All LF routes have been laid out in terrific maps (scale 1:100.000) issued by the Fietsplatform. I'm afraid the guides that go with the maps are all in Dutch. The part of the LF1 I have done a few times is a nice route for a short holiday. For the most part it's traffic free and although it runs though the busiest region of the country, you will notice it only in the cities.

As to camping sites, these are abundant in the Netherlands and Belgium. Apart from the large family terrains, described in the
ANWB Guide, many farmers offer room for tents. Prices vary widely, between 12 and 25 euro for one person and a small tent. Wild camping is not recommended.

Tip: cycling in Amsterdam requires special skills and a lion's courage!

I would agree about Amsterdam. I am too scared to ride there and my bike would be nicked anyway so I'm aiming for Zaltbommel.

Faeton wrote: Wild camping is not recommended.
Tip: cycling in Amsterdam requires special skills and a lion's courage!

I believe wild camping is illegal in the Netherlands. Cycling in Amsterdam is fun , or as a country boy was I just oblivious to the hazards

You're right of course, wild camping is illegal over here. Besides, there's hardly any abandoned stretch of land to be found, so why should you want it? And Ron, if you're oblivious to the perils of cycling through Amsterdam, you're the right kind... Every Dutch city cyclist is! It's a kind of anarchism amongst the cyclists that you'll be getting used to in due course. But mind the tram rails!

Zaltbommel would be better to start indeed. It's a quiet town along the Waal river. And you can do your ride to Calais by taking only two shielded routes: the LF 12 westward to Maassluis, where you'll pick up the LF 1. You can see the routes on this interactive map.

Jeroen, Almere (NL)

I am starting at ijmuiden when i get off the ferry .

Ah, you're from up north! Well, in this case it's even more easy. A tiny stretch to the east is all you need. As soon as you see shields with 'IJmondroute' on it, follow that road, and soon enough you'll come across a LF 1 shield. Make sure you've got the right direction though, you wouldn't want to end up in Den Helder..

Tip: get away from IJmuiden promptly, it's not an environment you'd like to stay in for a sightseeing....

Jeroen

Simon Cole wrote:I would agree about Amsterdam. I am too scared to ride there and my bike would be nicked anyway so I'm aiming for Zaltbommel.

In my experience Amsterdam is a cyclist's paradise. As long as you are content to cycle at much the same speed as everyone else there is not the slightest problem, and much pleasure. You are, for once, in the majority amongst other road users who all appear to have ridden, and understood, bicycles.

Please, please don't put people off. There is lots of muttering on this forum about abandoning cars & using bikes as transport. In Amsterdam you can do this without disadvantaging yourself in any way: one of life's greatest pleasures is cycling home across the city after a good dinner !

Nick

I just thought that it was a bit too intense for my style near the centre and it doesn't help that they cycle on the wrong side. I would do it, but on a cheap bike because Amster has quite high rates of bicycle theft.

On a different note, thank you Faeton for help in the planning

i've done boulogne to delft and delft to gronningen .
Iwould recommend Delft - good campsite beautiful town . Delft to Brielle , campsite at Brielle beautiful town good campsite , Brielle to Middleburg (noce town and fair campsite . Middleburg to Vlissingen then crossed by ferry and cycled into Belgium via Sluis . Ostend campsites to the north at Bredene take the tram into ostend for a beer. Dunkirk -campsite to the north of town .

Easy route , nothing difficult , pleasant and enjoyable . I wish i could relocate to Holland .

That would be a fine itinerary, with a slight alteration though: Delft-Brielle is only 12 mile. Not a really satisfying cycling day in my view

Brielle-Middelburg - both nice little towns indeed, surrounded by flocks of campsites - is a surprising route since you go along (and over) all the major Deltaworks, built after the great flood of 1953. Really impressive in my view.

Delft - Brielle is not far but interesting across the water , i was terminating at Delft so had a short day . Don't worry about short mileage Gaz as when you are camped up you can go and explore without your panniers and you can also take a detour of the direct route . Somedays Gaz , when camping you have a short day or a day off and can get out on the beaten track . Good route .

I'm finding this a very interesting thread. Three of us have a rough plan to cycle from Calais to Bruge and back via Ypres and the WW1 sites etc. over a long weekend next May. After reading this, the possibility of getting the train from Calais to Dunkirk and then extending the ride into Southern Holland seems like a good idea. Any suggestions/comments would be welcome as we've not been to Belgium or Holland before.