EuroVello 15, Rhine Route?

[Farmer Sue Tickles]

Hola & welcome. Being a Newbie is great - it's all out in front of you!


As @Richard Fairhurst suggests, the signage may be difficult to follow but that's not really a problem. In summer there'll be no problems with ferries - and there's always a diversion.


Very sensible and a loop back reduces the stress of catching the ferry by public transport, especially cross border.
Don't forget that in NL it is very easy to hop on a train with a bike in case of emergency.


That's very hard to say without knowing what you like and enjoy. It's NL, not outer Mongolia


I think you're overthinking!


That's the best way.
Honestly, NL is one of the best places for anyone to roll off the ferry, point their bike in any direction and set off to explore. Lots and lots of bike paths and infrastructure, lots of interesting places and lots of campsites, if that's your thing. A huge advantage is the fact that just about everyone speaks English and wants to speak English.
If you can get your head around the idea, arriving with no plan can be extremely liberating!

For example, here's a map of NL with the Rhine route highlighted:
View attachment 722461

Now, here's that same route but on a map with all the bike paths highlighted
View attachment 722460

It's cycling Nirvana!

I don't normally offer suggestions but I threw this together over my coffee based on your specs: https://cycle.travel/map/journey/535491


View attachment 722459

Cycle from Hoek to Rotterdam city centre. An interesting place, especially in the sun, a good exploration can be done in an hour or two on the bike (be careful parking it!)
Water Bus from Rotterdam to Dordrecht to miss some boring countryside, experience top-notch public transport and see a full size replica of Noah's Ark!
On to Den Bosch (charming little city) via a National Park of Sand Dunes. Beautiful! (If the end of July, divert to Tilburg for Europe's largest city Funfair - it's slap bang in the city centre!).
Up to Nijmegen, a beautiful river city, on to Arnhem (and some hills!). This is probably where you head into Germany but honestly, this part can be a little dull, in my opinion.
Follow the Rhine (or at least one version) through Wageningen - unpronounceable but charming.
Utrecht. Charming city with lots of interesting bridges
Then back to Rotterdam and the Hook as you please, maybe catching a bit of the coast.
A bit over 350km with a glimpse of what NL has to offer - historically, culturally, naturally.

Next year, arrive in Hoek as a seasoned adventurer, catch a train to Cologne (fabulous city) and head south for the "real" river experience.

Good luck!


For me, this is one of the great things about bike travel - anywhere. We have the time, the slow speed (or at least I do!) to really experience the subtle, gradual changes in landscape, food, accent, language, people. It's fabulously interesting. Made better by reading about where we're travelling as we do it

Edit: Ooops! just realised I posted the purple map twice. Oh well, the cycling is so good it deserves to be posted at least twice

HobbesOnTour, thank you! An absolutely awesome post and a load of information for me to be going on with. I really like the route you suggested and have sent in to the Mrs for her approval.

On your suggested route, what do the blue dots from 1 to 9 indicate?

 

[Farmer Sue Tickles]

In October I rode from Hook of Holland to Dusseldorf, which is 220mi (or thereabouts) following the EuroVelo route. It's a great route, though don't expect to rely entirely on the signage - the cycle network in the Netherlands is dense, and EuroVelo routes aren't given any particular priority and are absent from many signs.

Accommodation was harder to come by than I expected. In the UK or France I'm happy booking the night's stay at lunchtime that day, but that didn't work in the Netherlands: it needed to be a day in advance.

Everywhere in the Netherlands takes contactless card payment. Everywhere in Germany doesn't. Finding lunch without cash is an interesting challenge.

Scenery got a bit less rewarding approaching Dusseldorf. But the Netherlands were fascinating.

If i sign up to something like cycle.travel would I be able to put routes in my phone and should that help with navigation? I am buying the Cicerone Euro Velo 15 map too. Getting lost is my biggest concern. 350 km is going to be a big undertaking for my wife and i don't want to be riding extra miles through being lost.

 

[HobbesOnTour]

HobbesOnTour, thank you! An absolutely awesome post and a load of information for me to be going on with. I really like the route you suggested and have sent in to the Mrs for her approval.

On your suggested route, what do the blue dots from 1 to 9 indicate?

Happy to help. That's only one quick option mapped out over my coffee, inspired by a bit of nostalgia

The blue dots are viapoints, points I've manually added to make the route go where I want it to go - Dordrecht etc.

If i sign up to something like cycle.travel would I be able to put routes in my phone and should that help with navigation?

I think Richard would approve of you signing up! And apologies for butting in.
CT is, in my opinion, the greatest planner out there for planning routes on quiet, scenic routes. It has many useful features for multiday trips and offers up accommodation options too. One teeny tiny quibble, especially noticeable in NL is that it tends to skim past towns rather than through them (quiet!). A viapoint or two fixes that.
There is an app (Android & IOS) for planning and navigating, although I recommend the website for the planning part.
It's a one-stop-shop for excellent planning and navigation.
Free to use but a small donation is good for the soul and CT's development.

Feel free to sign up, make a copy of my route (link above) and adjust to your heart's content. Play with it. Learn how it works. Make it work for you.

350 km is going to be a big undertaking for my wife and i don't want to be riding extra miles through being lost.

I remember my first ever bike adventure, along the Danube, bags carried from hotel to hotel and the sheer panic I felt on the first morning. 50 km to my destination! Me, overweight, unfit, not a semblence of a sense of direction...... Stopped for lunch I was both delighted and disappointed to discover I had reached my day's destination! I promptly set off exploring the other side of the river!

50 km a day at an average speed of 10 kph (quite slow) takes 5 hours. Start at 9 finish at 2. Add in a quick lunch, a couple of coffee breaks and finish at 3 or 3:30. Loads of time over!

Getting lost is my biggest concern.

That used to be mine, too. Feeling lost is not pleasant, especially if in strange places. Also, if we're "in charge" of others. That responsibility can weigh heavily.
I've solved that by not thinking of being "on course" or "lost". I'm "exploring". It has completely changed my perspective and opened up lots and lots of places that I would never have considered before. Being lost is stressful and unpleasant. Exploring? That's adventure and fun!
Adopting the "exploring" approach means that we're not tied to what we planned at home.

I read something a while ago that has stuck in my head. There's a space in our head for new experiences that can be full of fear. As we gain experience, that experience pushes the fear out.
My suggestion is to get out on your bikes, get used to planning and navigating a route, get an idea of what 50km feels like. The concern will shrink and shrink.

Bike touring is great and NL is a fantastic place for it.

Good luck!

 

[Gillstay]

If we were both there, we were never lost. Just stop do a simple head count and if you get to two, then your fine.

You wanted to be abroad, on your bikes and having an interesting time. Go for it.

 

[The Crofted Crest]

You can never get lost on a bike. You're just exploring an impromptu alternative route.

 

[Farmer Sue Tickles]

Happy to help. That's only one quick option mapped out over my coffee, inspired by a bit of nostalgia

The blue dots are viapoints, points I've manually added to make the route go where I want it to go - Dordrecht etc.


I think Richard would approve of you signing up! And apologies for butting in.
CT is, in my opinion, the greatest planner out there for planning routes on quiet, scenic routes. It has many useful features for multiday trips and offers up accommodation options too. One teeny tiny quibble, especially noticeable in NL is that it tends to skim past towns rather than through them (quiet!). A viapoint or two fixes that.
There is an app (Android & IOS) for planning and navigating, although I recommend the website for the planning part.
It's a one-stop-shop for excellent planning and navigation.
Free to use but a small donation is good for the soul and CT's development.

Feel free to sign up, make a copy of my route (link above) and adjust to your heart's content. Play with it. Learn how it works. Make it work for you.


I remember my first ever bike adventure, along the Danube, bags carried from hotel to hotel and the sheer panic I felt on the first morning. 50 km to my destination! Me, overweight, unfit, not a semblence of a sense of direction...... Stopped for lunch I was both delighted and disappointed to discover I had reached my day's destination! I promptly set off exploring the other side of the river!

50 km a day at an average speed of 10 kph (quite slow) takes 5 hours. Start at 9 finish at 2. Add in a quick lunch, a couple of coffee breaks and finish at 3 or 3:30. Loads of time over!


That used to be mine, too. Feeling lost is not pleasant, especially if in strange places. Also, if we're "in charge" of others. That responsibility can weigh heavily.
I've solved that by not thinking of being "on course" or "lost". I'm "exploring". It has completely changed my perspective and opened up lots and lots of places that I would never have considered before. Being lost is stressful and unpleasant. Exploring? That's adventure and fun!
Adopting the "exploring" approach means that we're not tied to what we planned at home.

I read something a while ago that has stuck in my head. There's a space in our head for new experiences that can be full of fear. As we gain experience, that experience pushes the fear out.
My suggestion is to get out on your bikes, get used to planning and navigating a route, get an idea of what 50km feels like. The concern will shrink and shrink.

Bike touring is great and NL is a fantastic place for it.

Good luck!

I will join up and contribute to cycle travel. It looks great.

I used to be very confident as a cyclist and go anywhere in my 20's and 30's but as I have gotten older that confidence has diminished somewhat.

The wife and I have been on some epic journeys before GPS, but as we have gotten older and a few illnesses have popped up we are a lot more conservative.

BTW, this is a great site and very welcoming.

 

[HobbesOnTour]

The wife and I have been on some epic journeys before GPS, but as we have gotten older and a few illnesses have popped up we are a lot more conservative.

I think we often forget that people were cycling around the world on bikes 100 years ago. There's an attitude that we need this, that and the other before we can contemplate similar.
And sometimes, it's not us needing these things but the others we leave behind. They want to know exactly where we are at any given moment when part of the enjoyment and satisfaction may actually come from not knowing where we are! Their anxiety can affect us.
I know a guy in NL who makes a tidy income selling second hand touring bikes. All high end, well specced Kogas, bought for World Adventures but hardly ridden. Turns out that the first pedal stroke isn't dependent on the bike at all, but on us.

You might get some more inspiration over on CrazyGuyOnABike, a treasure trove of Journals with a great search tool. (Do not venture into the Forum!)
A quick look of the bio section will give an idea of a person's age etc. so we can find people who speak to us. Develop a "Well, if they can do it then so can I" attitude. This is the Dutch section. There is also a map feature that is fabulous! Look up a place in the world and click on a journal of someone who travelled there.

And, once we get out there we meet all kinds of people. People who are doing what we're doing, people who want to do what we're doing. People who are inspirational and those we hope never to meet again! If you have time (it's a long series!) are in need of a "feel-good" buzz and a little inspiration and perspective have a look at this account of two guys cycling across the USA.

You've picked a great place to get back into adventure. It can be as big or as small as you wish, day by day or hour by hour. Fill up on inspiration and give it a go.

On a purely practical level, make sure you understand what you need in terms of medical insurance and what your coverage is. Communicating on the ground will not be a problem - English is widely spoken willingly. Check also your phone/provider for roaming. Finally, many UKers experience problems using credit cards. Better (I think) to have a debit card enabled for use abroad.
Good luck!

P.S. You may like to consider posting in our own Travelogue section and share the experience.

 

[Farmer Sue Tickles]

Has anyone got accommodation that is a decent price they recommend along EV 15?

 

[Andy in Germany]

Has anyone got accommodation that is a decent price they recommend along EV 15?

I'd offer a mattress here, but I'm in a one room apartment and I snore.

 

[Farmer Sue Tickles]

The Cicerone Rhine Cycle Route book arrived today, so over the next few weeks I will be finalising the Route for our Summer tour. 😁

 

[JB052]

I will join up and contribute to cycle travel. It looks great.

I used to be very confident as a cyclist and go anywhere in my 20's and 30's but as I have gotten older that confidence has diminished somewhat.

The wife and I have been on some epic journeys before GPS, but as we have gotten older and a few illnesses have popped up we are a lot more conservative.

BTW, this is a great site and very welcoming.

We are stopping in

Happy to help. That's only one quick option mapped out over my coffee, inspired by a bit of nostalgia

The blue dots are viapoints, points I've manually added to make the route go where I want it to go - Dordrecht etc.

We are stopping in Dordrecht on our way back from the Keukenhof this year, looking for suggestions on what to do in the area. 1940-1945 Resistance Museum is on our list and last year we visited the amazing upside down houses in Rotterdam.
Any suggestions for 'things to do or see' most welcome.

 

[HobbesOnTour]

We are stopping in Dordrecht on our way back from the Keukenhof this year, looking for suggestions on what to do in the area.

Is a life size model of Noah's Ark (complete with plastic giraffe) not enough?
Tourist office: https://indordrecht.nl/en/vvvdordrecht/

 

[simonthread]

You stayed in the Netherlands in your plans, but why not travel along the Swiss section? For us it was one of the most beautiful bicycle routes in Europe. There is not much cycling infrastructure in the first part, but the fantastic thing is the diversity of the Swiss section of the Rhine Route. First, a section through the Swiss Alps, then the wide Rhine valley, then Lake Constance and finally a more classic river valley to Basel. Everything is quite calm, although - afair - the second day has more elevation gain than the first climb from Andermatt

From Basel, which could be probably the first destination of your railway journey, you can easily get to Andermatt by trains and enjoy the views of Switzerland along the way.

S.

 

[Slick]

Well, if nothing else I've certainly proved the old adage that man plans and God laughs, as Mrs Slick and I have booked the train and the boat heading to imjuiden but that's where the original plans end.

Any idea of making the football have well and truly been scrapped, which is fine as I'd rather Mrs Slick with me and it was a bit of a novelty as its been so long since we qualified for anything.

So, middle of May is the grand depart, and I can't wait.

 

[Farmer Sue Tickles]

Well, if nothing else I've certainly proved the old adage that man plans and God laughs, as Mrs Slick and I have booked the train and the boat heading to imjuiden but that's where the original plans end.

Any idea of making the football have well and truly been scrapped, which is fine as I'd rather Mrs Slick with me and it was a bit of a novelty as its been so long since we qualified for anything.

So, middle of May is the grand depart, and I can't wait.

Please update us. You sound about as organised as me! 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣