# Rotterdam to Basel



## becka (21 Jan 2015)

Hello, really pleased to of found this site....

I'm planning a cycling trip with my son this summer and wonder peoples opinions about cycling Rotterdam to Basel along the Rhine towing a trailer with a 4 year old and tent....is it a very challenging route even without a trailer or would you recommend it?

Also, if you have any other suggestions for routes through Europe i'd be really pleased to hear them

I hope to spend some time cycling and camping before getting a train to Croatia.

Many thanks!


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## jay clock (21 Jan 2015)

What a great idea. Much of that sounds flat as anything and theoretically easy, but assuming you are going alone (i.e. no other adult) the weight of your son and baggage will be substantial. My biggest worry would be that any obstacles/gates/chicanes would quickly get extremely tiresome. 

But I am guessing, so a Germany specialist would be better!


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## jay clock (21 Jan 2015)

Great site here http://www.rhinecycleroute.eu


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## becka (22 Jan 2015)

Hi jay, thanks so much for your reply and that link is really helpful it is a great site.
Glad to hear it's mostly flat! I am going alone and agree it's going to be challenging manhandling the trailer but i figure that will be the case most places, i'll be in no hurry though so there'll be plenty of room for hissy fits  
Plus it's along a river so it'll be easy to cool off!!
Thanks again


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## jay clock (22 Jan 2015)

when I say mostly flat, that is a guess. There may well be sections where the river does not have a path and you have to divert over a hill. But rivers by their nature tend to run on a shallow gradient

Have a look at Crazy Guy on a Bike - superb site for touring


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## Mr Carr (22 Jan 2015)

Go for it.

Last year I cycled from Zeebrugge to Zurich. This was my crazy guy blog

http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/?o=1&doc_id=14341&v=49

Some tips

1) South of Strasbourg if you follow the Rhine you rarely see the river because of embankments. Its better to follow the canal du Rhone au Rhine which is West of the Rhine. (Good surface / flat/ no cars)

2) On the way back I cycled from Mainz in Germany to the Dutch border for about 160 miles all along the Rhine. Again good surface and no traffic for most of the way,.

3) There is nothing wrong with getter the train for part of the journey. Trains are cheaper than the UK and take bikes.

4) This series of books are excellent, However there are expensive and quite heavy for touring. PS There are in written in German

http://www.stanfords.co.uk/ProductDetail.aspx?p=9783850004497

Good Luck


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## Saskia (22 Jan 2015)

I cycled from Kehl (on the German side, across the river from Strasbourg) to Basel in 1994 and from Karlsruhe to Mainz in the spring of 2013. It is mostly flat although in places it can get very steep as soon as you go east of the river. I don't remember barriers and the like - I think you're okay on that score. Agree with Mr Carr that you see little of the Rhine south of Strasbourg due to the flood control system. I would be concerned that it might be boring for the child in the trailer. How many hours do you plan on cycling each day? How many days do you plan to take? Another concern is that it may be quite industrial around Cologne, Düsseldorf and Dortmund. And I'm not sure you can just cool off in the river. Granted, I wasn't traveling at times of the year when I would have wanted to, but I think you may have to pedal a few miles to find a beach. Conclusion: I'm not sure I'd do it with a child.


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## becka (22 Jan 2015)

Thanks for your messages.
Sounds like finding some alternate cycle routes along the way will be a good idea. 
I'm not going to be in any hurry or massively intent on anything more than giving it a go and enjoying what we find along the way. Planning to stop for a few days in some places and envisage only a few hours broken cycling a day.
Will definitely look into avoiding those industrial areas saskia. 

Thank you all for sharing your knowledge and experience.


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## bikeman66 (22 Jan 2015)

becka said:


> Hi jay, thanks so much for your reply and that link is really helpful it is a great site.
> Glad to hear it's mostly flat! I am going alone and agree it's going to be challenging manhandling the trailer but i figure that will be the case most places, i'll be in no hurry though so there'll be plenty of room for hissy fits
> Plus it's along a river so it'll be easy to cool off!!
> Thanks again


Fantastic idea for an extended tour Becka, I hope it all goes well. You certainly won't want to be trying to cool off in the Rhine though..............it's a very fast running river! Be good if you could post updates of your planning over the coming weeks.


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## becka (22 Jan 2015)

bikeman66 said:


> Fantastic idea for an extended tour Becka, I hope it all goes well. You certainly won't want to be trying to cool off in the Rhine though..............it's a very fast running river! Be good if you could post updates of your planning over the coming weeks.



Hi, I guess it depends on the level of frustration ...a big fast flowing river might seem ideal! 
I will post again as I build up a route.
Thanks


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## bikeman66 (22 Jan 2015)

becka said:


> Thanks for your messages.
> Sounds like finding some alternate cycle routes along the way will be a good idea.
> I'm not going to be in any hurry or massively intent on anything more than giving it a go and enjoying what we find along the way. Planning to stop for a few days in some places and envisage only a few hours broken cycling a day.
> Will definitely look into avoiding those industrial areas saskia.
> ...


I admire your apparent "can do" attitude, and it seems like this is almost a make it up as you go tour, which should turn out to be a fantastic experience. Well done!


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## Smurfy (22 Jan 2015)

I've walked along some of this route a long time ago. Most of what I've seen is fairly flat, apart from the Rhine falls.


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## J1780 (23 Jan 2015)

Well done excellent idea!!!
What type bike will you be taking? and what trailer for your son? I've got a 3 and 4 year old and something like this really appeals to my wife and I. I would be very interested in any links etc you could post on this type of trip. I've done a bit of touring in Ireland with my two terrors but never long distance by bike only!!! Avoiding big main roads is the challenge for me and others with very young kids I suppose.


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## Ridelegalforfun (24 Jan 2015)

It seems a long time since I rode with a friend for a month from Hook of Holland to Copenhagen and back to the UK ferry at Esbjerg in 1994. Our experience of Netherlands, Deutsch and Danske routes and trains were all good and we certainly encountered none of the cycling obstacles British riders are familiar with.

All power to anyone planning to tow their 4 year old over such a long distance; you're better placed than anyone else to judge both of your readiness for the challenge.

Priority for cyclists over motorists stunned us, as did double decker trains with entire carriages of cycle racks, compared to being social pariah on UK railways with our kitted out bikes and the disjointed cycle routes (drain lanes) that persist to this day in most British cities.

Come back and tell us how it went when you're back from (or arrive in) Croatia!


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## redfalo (26 Jan 2015)

It should not be too demanding. I've ridden the first bit - from Hoek van Holland to my partent's place in the Ruhr valley in Germany - several times, and have to say it's absolutely lovely. Here's my last route: http://www.gpsies.com/map.do?fileId=sizhsbwdrrsphjjf East of Rotterdam, it's worth going through Kinderdijk, which its impressive windmills (the linked track takes another route, because I have seen it before, was in a kind of a hurry and wanted to avoid the ferry).

Riding down the Rhine was my first long bike ride in 1990, which was lovely too.

As an alternative to campning, have a look at the Dutch B&B, which can be very nice. Along the route I can recommend these to places:

In Geldermalsen: https://www.bedandbreakfast.nl/bed-and-breakfast/geldermalsen/bottesteyn/7979/

In Nijmegen: https://www.bedandbreakfast.nl/bed-and-breakfast/nijmegen/pluweel/7789/


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## becka (28 Jan 2015)

J1780 said:


> Well done excellent idea!!!
> What type bike will you be taking? and what trailer for your son? I've got a 3 and 4 year old and something like this really appeals to my wife and I. I would be very interested in any links etc you could post on this type of trip. I've done a bit of touring in Ireland with my two terrors but never long distance by bike only!!! Avoiding big main roads is the challenge for me and others with very young kids I suppose.



Hi, thank you. I'm on a budget and so no plans to take an especially notable bike. I'm planning on modifying a trailer with a friends help to make it as light as possible and serve two purposes (to carry child and luggage). It would be amazing to have a trailer with pedals so my son could join in when he feels like it. If you're willing to spend £500 or more this is possible. I've seen all sorts of trailers including double seated ones. 
I did find a blog (can't seem to find it again) from a couple who cycled the rhine with children in a trailer and they recommended it saying it was straightforward and enjoyable.
I'm now looking at the Danube which goes from Germany - Austria - slovakia and beyond....this looks really good! Apparently the Germany section is much quieter than the Austrian. I think the Rhine route is also pretty popular, i've read that last year that splashed out on improving the track including much clearer signage. It appears to all be cycle track, no main roads.


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## becka (28 Jan 2015)

Ridelegalforfun said:


> It seems a long time since I rode with a friend for a month from Hook of Holland to Copenhagen and back to the UK ferry at Esbjerg in 1994. Our experience of Netherlands, Deutsch and Danske routes and trains were all good and we certainly encountered none of the cycling obstacles British riders are familiar with.
> 
> All power to anyone planning to tow their 4 year old over such a long distance; you're better placed than anyone else to judge both of your readiness for the challenge.
> 
> ...



Thank you that's all good to hear. 
I'll be sure to post some pictures


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## becka (28 Jan 2015)

redfalo said:


> It should not be too demanding. I've ridden the first bit - from Hoek van Holland to my partent's place in the Ruhr valley in Germany - several times, and have to say it's absolutely lovely. Here's my last route: http://www.gpsies.com/map.do?fileId=sizhsbwdrrsphjjf East of Rotterdam, it's worth going through Kinderdijk, which its impressive windmills (the linked track takes another route, because I have seen it before, was in a kind of a hurry and wanted to avoid the ferry).
> 
> Riding down the Rhine was my first long bike ride in 1990, which was lovely too.
> 
> ...



Thank you. That route looks more interesting than following the Rhine, i'm defiantly considering it.


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## snorri (28 Jan 2015)

There is a lot of info on the web regarding the cycle route along the Rhine, searching for Rhein Radweg throws up lots of stuff. Rather than lumber yourself with a heavy guide book, bookshops along the way have handy folding pocket maps of the route. I have cycled the section Hook of Holland to Mainz and can't recall any steep or narrow parts. The route is mainly traffic free, but if you are sharing with motor vehicles the traffic will be light.
The area around Duisburg is fairly industrial and heavily populated** so not many campsites around. Perhaps you could plan to pass through rather than stopover there.
It's a tourist route so plenty of eateries along the way. There is a railway fairly close to much of the cycle route so it is easy to get a train if you feel like a change from cycling.
Good Luck, enjoy!
** best to cycle on opposite side of river from Duisburg, but the comment still applies to that area.


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## Puddles (28 Jan 2015)

becka said:


> It would be amazing to have a trailer with pedals so my son could join in when he feels like it. If you're willing to spend £500 or more this is possible. I've seen all sorts of trailers including double seated ones..



Wee hoo with an all weather canopy.... you can pick up a wee hoo 2nd hand for around £200 my all weather canopy attachment cost me £65 new







The double trailer I still use for shopping was less than £100 I like this better than the single trailer as it has a bigger better designed "boot" it is a Skiiddii and they are really cheap too... but excellant!


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