A week in the Netherlands

[Banjo Ryan]

Hello Everyone.

Just wondering if anyone has any thoughts or advice on touring in the Netherlands?

I'm going over in the first week of October. I'll be getting the ferry from Hull to Zeebrugge and returning from Rotterdam. I'll probably cycle between 50km and 80km a day and will mainly camp. It seems there are a lot of campsites still open in October, especially with the 'nature sites' that seem to be geared at hikers and cyclists. Does anyone know of a good website listing them all?

Any general thoughts would be appreciated. I'll certainly be visiting Locus Publicus in Rotterdam!

Thanks,

Ryan

 

[Amanda P]

Try here. Also ask other cyclists - almost everyone speaks English in NL, and will be happy to show their English off to you. Also ask in cafes and bars.

You could also consider joining WarmShowers - we've stayed with a few WarmShowers hosts in NL and DE (and L and B and Norway...), and it's great when the nights start getting cold or for some company and local information.

One small point: we made the mistake of assuming that the ferry between Hull and Rotterdam docks at Hook of Holland - it doesn't. It docks at Europoort, on the other side of a large river, and it's a long way round!

We've been that way a few times now - you can see some blurb and photos here and here.

Oh yes, the ANWB cycling maps are highly recommended. The Knooppunt system along cycle routes is confusing at first, but soon becomes clear, especially if you have some of these maps for long-range route planning. You can get them from Stamfords or wherever, or just try the first good bookshop or tourist office (VVV in the Netherlands - there's one near most big railway stations) you come too, where they're cheaper.

 

[Banjo Ryan]

Thanks for the information and links Phil. I'll have a good read of your blogs later on. I just picked up a good book from Cotswalds 'The best campsites in the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg' (Alan Rogers). Pretty much exactly what I was after and I just decided to pop in on the off chance!

 

[Haitch]

This website claims to list all the campsites in the country, with contact details, etc.. It's in Dutch but should be self-explanatory.

 

[Haitch]

And this site will plot routes for you.

 

[BalkanExpress]

Let me be the first to suggest a small diversion via Bruges: 18 km straight down the canal from Zeebruggeand then out the other side via Damme to Sluis on the Dutch border. October is outside peak tourist season so it will be fairly quiet.

 

[User169]

Let me be the first to suggest a small diversion via Bruges: 18 km straight down the canal from Zeebruggeand then out the other side via Damme to Sluis on the Dutch border. October is outside peak tourist season so it will be fairly quiet.

And when you get to Sluis, don't forget to eat at Oud Sluis!

 

[Banjo Ryan]

Thanks everyone, I've got a useful set of links (and the book I bought) for an idea of campsites now. I did wonder about dipping in to Belgium rather than completely bypassing it, I'll give that plan a go and perhaps try a beer or two!

 

[Banjo Ryan]

Just another question. Will I be ok taking my petrol stove with me on the ferry with my bike?

Thanks,

Ryan

 

[Brains]

Just another question. Will I be ok taking my petrol stove with me on the ferry with my bike?

Thanks,

Ryan

Yes.
They take cargo's a lot more volatile than your stove (for a start they have several hundred tonnes of petrol and diesel on board in the tanks of the vehicles)

 

[Banjo Ryan]

Yea, true. Thanks Brains. Just wasn't sure if it would be classed as an offensive item.

 

[Haitch]

And when you get to Sluis, don't forget to eat at Oud Sluis!

 

[snorri]

Yes.
They take cargo's a lot more volatile than your stove (for a start they have several hundred tonnes of petrol and diesel on board in the tanks of the vehicles)

That didn't stop Superfast from draining camping stoves.
Just as well Superfast are now relegated to history in UK waters.

 

[Brains]

That didn't stop Superfast from draining camping stoves.
Just as well Superfast are now relegated to history in UK waters.

It would be interesting to see how they would have entered each occurrence of that in their Oily Wastes Discharge book that every ship has to have.
And I wonder who would pay to then discharge said oily waste ?

 

[snorri]

It would be interesting to see how they would have entered each occurrence of that in their Oily Wastes Discharge book that every ship has to have.
And I wonder who would pay to then discharge said oily waste ?

I was separated from my baggage before boarding, the fuel might have been taken before I even boarded the ship. When I asked to have the fuel returned at the end of the trip I was told I should not have attempted to travel with stove fuel. When I queried how the motor vehicles would be taken ashore with empty fuel tanks the deck officer claimed to be unable to speak English. When I wrote to the company pointing out, among other things, the safety issues of employing deck officers who could not communicate in English on a passenger vessel sailing in UK waters, they failed to answer.
Superfast were simply cowboy operators and did not remain on the route for much longer.