# North Sea Cycle Route: Hook of Holland to Esbjerg



## CopperBrompton (29 Dec 2012)

Well, it's nearly 2013 and it's about time to plan a cycling adventure for the new year.

Having done a bit of the North Sea Cycle Route from the Hook of Holland to Amsterdam and absolutely loved it, I'm thinking of extending a wee bit further north.

The original thought was Hamburg, but the ferries back to Blighty no longer seem to run from there, so continuing on to Esbjerg in Denmark (from whence a ferry can be caught back to Harwich) would seem the logical next step. The route includes the 20-mile Afsluitdijk causeway, which looks rather lovely on a sunny day though I imagine somewhat bleak on a wet & windy one! I shall book good weather.

My precision distance measuring system (setting the googlemap scale so that one thumb-width is 50 miles) suggests that it's around 6-700 miles in total. I'm thinking of doing it over 10 days, assuming the rest of it is as flat as the Dutch bit I've done?

Anyone done this? All input welcome.

And if you're interested in joining me, that would be cool too.

Ben


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## Tigerbiten (29 Dec 2012)

I'm thinking of going that route but then keep going north for the ferry to Iceland.
But I'll only be doing around 40 miles per day due to the damage in my knees.
So starting mid April, one month to cycle to the Iceland ferry, a couple of months to cycle around Iceland, one to cycle home.
An easy 4k mile tour ............. :P

Also I think you are a bit short on the distance as I make it very roughly 850 miles on Bikehike.


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## psmiffy (29 Dec 2012)

It is dead easy but a trifle boring -but if you like flat and make sure you visit a few towns along the way for a bit of variety it is tolerable if you have not been before - definitely the right way to go the right way to go - my best ever average flat speed was down the Afsluitdijk - with a huge tailwind - keeping going for the Icelandic ferry sounds a good idea - personally April sounds a bit early - (I think with the prevailing winds you will find yourself doing a bit more than 40/day although the wind gets a bit fickle north of Hamburg) - (also only about 600miles - keeping approximately to the NSCR)


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## CopperBrompton (29 Dec 2012)

Hmm ... continuing north to Iceland does sound rather tempting! What's the total mileage (one way)? Time and financial constraints would apply, so I'd need to investigate a return trip to the UK by ferries.


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## CopperBrompton (29 Dec 2012)

Psmiffy, do you have a record of the mileage from Hook of Holland to Esbjerg?


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## snorri (29 Dec 2012)

The Afsluitdijk fascinating in a weird sort of way, you can help pass the time by checking the calibration of your cycle computer against the road side distance markers. Aim to stop at the cafe half way over to see pictures of the history and construction of the dike. Take a book to read or listen to music as you cycle.
My mileage Rotterdam to Esbjerg was 714 via the ferry Wischhafen-Gluckstadt, I took 14 days with one rest day. There are certainly no hills to slow you down!
I enjoyed this route partly due to my interest in the varied marine activities to be seen along the way.


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## snorri (29 Dec 2012)

Trikeman said:


> Hmm ... continuing north to Iceland does sound rather tempting! What's the total mileage (one way)? Time and financial constraints would apply, so I'd need to investigate a return trip to the UK by ferries.


 Trips to Iceland by ferry are not so convenient now since Smyril Line stopped calling at Lerwick.


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## CopperBrompton (29 Dec 2012)

Thanks, Snorri - from memory, Rotterdam to Hook of Holland is only about 20 miles, so that suggests pretty much 700 for Hook of Holland to Esbjerg. Did you follow the North Sea Cycle Route the whole way? I don't suppose you (or anyone else) have GPS routes/tracks?


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## psmiffy (29 Dec 2012)

Trikeman said:


> Psmiffy, do you have a record of the mileage from Hook of Holland to Esbjerg?


 
I have never actually cycled directly to Esbjerg - but over 3 or 4 tours ive done most of that as far as Bodo


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## psmiffy (29 Dec 2012)

snorri said:


> The Afsluitdijk fascinating in a weird sort of way, you can help pass the time by checking the calibration of your cycle computer against the road side distance markers.


 
I counted Herons


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## snorri (29 Dec 2012)

Trikeman said:


> Did you follow the North Sea Cycle Route the whole way? I don't suppose you (or anyone else) have GPS routes/tracks?


Sorry no GPS tracks, but if it's any help, here are my overnight stops Brielle, Gouda, Hilversum, Hoorn, Witmarsum, Groningen, Nieuweschans, Neuenburg, Bremerhaven, Itzehoe, Husum, Tondern, Ribe and Esbjerg.
The route is very simple to follow in NL, with very good signposting, the German section not quite so straightforward, in fact one guy I asked for directions became a friend and we are still in touch 12 years later.
I can't remember if I followed the NSCR religiously, I have a fairly casual approach to route planning.


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## CopperBrompton (29 Dec 2012)

That's really helpful, thanks. I like to have a fully-planned route, but don't mind deviating from it when circumstances dictate.


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## Tigerbiten (29 Dec 2012)

I only plan to around the third week.
After that I find that I'm so much fitter that it's hard to plan daily mileages from the start.
So I'll start at around 30-40 miles a day and by week 10 it'll be up to 50-60 miles per day, which is about my upper daily mileage limit.

If I go, it's going to be the first time I've cycled on the continent, so I'm going to have to find out how hard it is to cycle on the right with my disability.
Left turns are going to be more interesting as my left hand is locked onto the handlebar and I'm also going to have to find out how well I can use my left mirror to see behind.

My plan will be to stick as close to the coast as possible and wind my way up it.


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## SatNavSaysStraightOn (29 Dec 2012)

you will find quite a bit of useful information here - http://www.northsea-cycle.com/

I have done some of it in parts and quit on other parts. Done the bit through DK, SW, EN... got bored with the 3 sides of a rectangle to avoid a certain junction routine and have yet to meet anyone who did not agree that some of the weird diversions were a pain in the ass to say the least. Have done some sections through Germany as well.
When we tried to do the Dutch section the winds were too severe to attempt either of the 2 longer dykes and we had no option but to divert around them. Not being able to hold 8kph before getting to the big dyke made me bale and cycle around & down to the ferry.

You should not need to worry about cycling with your disability - I too have a bad left hand and have only some use of it and less feeling (except for pain). In the Netherlands you will find little need for using the roads and when you do, the cars stop for you. In germany if we stopped anywhere near a junction people were trying to check we were OK or if we needed directions and in Denmark they would rather case chaos on a roundabout to get you across rather than drive past without 'helping' you. It is not like cycling in the UK at all, and can take a little getting used to actually having priority....

Out first tour covered the Danish section and out second tour, the Dutch & some of the German section as well as parts of the Swedish section before we headed off inland not long before the NSCR headed off to Norway. http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/my/?o=8S will give you a link to both journals.


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## CopperBrompton (29 Dec 2012)

SatNavSaysStraightOn said:


> you will find quite a bit of useful information here - http://www.northsea-cycle.com/


 
I spent some time there yesterday trying unsuccessfully to persuade it to show me the route from Hook of Holland to Esbjerg. It seems to not be able to cope with a starting-point in one country and a finishing point in another, which is rather a bizarre failing for that particular site!



> It is not like cycling in the UK at all, and can take a little getting used to actually having priority....


 
And more importantly, getting rapidly unused to it on your return to the UK ...


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## SatNavSaysStraightOn (29 Dec 2012)

Trikeman said:


> I spent some time there yesterday trying unsuccessfully to persuade it to show me the route from Hook of Holland to Esbjerg. It seems to not be able to cope with a starting-point in one country and a finishing point in another, which is rather a bizarre failing for that particular site!
> And more importantly, getting rapidly unused to it on your return to the UK ...


 
Agreed on both points. 
What we found in reality was provided you know what it was marked as in each country (for instance, The Netherlands it is LF1 (a or b for following it north or south)) then you don't really need the maps/books. We picked up an older copy of the German section (in German) which gave you the maps for each and every turn, but it was that well signed that they were not necessary. For Denmark we used the Danish cycling map which covered the entire country (a green cover) and relied on just heading the right way - it was mostly very well signposted but I would suggest that unless you like cycling along beaches (nudist or otherwise) you divert around the 15km section of beach in Denmark. Sweden we found we needed no maps other than the free 'petrol station' map, but we did not follow it to the letter having done that previously and gotten very bored with it. Are you camping? and if you are, are you aware of the free (or exceptionally cheap) tent sites in Denmark? you need the "overnatning" book.


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## CopperBrompton (29 Dec 2012)

I found even in the Netherlands, the Falk maps were really useful. Could have done it without them, but it was good to get more of an overview.

No, B&B rather than camping - I like to travel light. I just have two 12.5-litre panniers, one of which is mostly filled with bike stuff leaving the other for a few days' clothes, shoes and essential gadgets. :-) I hope for friendly B&Bs who'll let me use their washer and dryer, otherwise find a laundrette every few days and get a service wash done while we eat lunch.


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## Amanda P (29 Dec 2012)

Take a look at this, and (if you've the patience to read it all) you'll see that Mrs Uncle Phil and I attempted something rather like this.

We took the North Sea route all the way up the west coast of the Netherlands, and it's a lovely route - especially just north of Rotterdam, where small seaside towns alternate with stretches of heathland, dunes and forest. After that, you emerge onto the seadyke and it can be a bit samey. Dutch cyclists' approach seems to be to cycle from bar to bar or cafe to cafe, and you can see why - in places there's not much else to act as a destination.

We also realised we weren't going to get to the northern tip of Jutland in our allotted two weeks, so we took some shortcuts to get into Germany, and, once there, took another shortcut along the Ems-Jade Canal, rather than follow the rather wiggly north German coast. We'd hoped to get a ferry across the Jade Bight, but it was late in the season and only running at commuter times, so we had to make our own way across to the Weser ferry at Sandstedt. We then made a beeline to the Elbe at Gluckstadt. Then we turned north along the North Sea Coast route once again, but once in Denmark, just followed our noses north to Hirtshals. We'd have reached Esbjerg a couple of days sooner, if we'd been heading for that port.

If we went again, we'd probably do the same; the coast route itself becomes rather samey, and there's absolutely no problem with navigation or road-riding away from the cycle route - most roads in that part of the world have excellent cycle routes along side them.

We started off with the Bikeline guides to the coast route. Although they're in German (except for the one describing the Danish part of the route, which is in English), the maps and the indications of where to camp, stay and eat are clear enough. We have almost no German at all, and we managed OK. Once off the coast route, we bought maps locally as we went along.

Our routes plotted on the CrazyGuy pages are accurate, so you could use those if you transferred them. We don't (as yet) do GPSs and gpx files and the like I'm afraid. We have the Bikeline guides sitting idle on our bookshelf, and would be happy to lend them to you if you like; they're not cheap but they're doing no-one any good gathering dust in Yorkshire. PM me if you're interested.

We'd like to do something like this again one day - I'd like to have seem much more of Denmark, including Copenhagen - and we passed through the home of Legoland without the time to spare to stop and visit it! If we went again, we'd probably adopt the same strategy of making a beeline through NL and D to get to DK.

Short answer to your question: if you stick to the North Sea route, I think it'll be a dash to do Hook of Holland to Esbjerg in ten days. But if you're prepared to take some short cuts, it's eminently doable. 

Oh yes, and it may be flat, but when it's windy, you wish there were hills. Then at least there'd be some shelter, and some of the time, you'd be going downhill. There's a good reason that Friesland, Saxony and Denmark are full of wind turbines!


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## CopperBrompton (29 Dec 2012)

Just read (and enjoyed!) it all, thanks. That's a huge help. And yes, that does look like ten days would be a bit relentless, so might look at making it a full fortnight, and if we get there early we can see if we can swap ferry dates on arrival. If not, then head a bit further north and back again, or just laze around the town.


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## steveindenmark (2 Jan 2013)

Ribe is a good stop off point before your final days ride to Esjberg. It is Denmarks oldest town and is very pretty with a little harbour type thing, even though it ia few miles from the sea. There is a camp site in Ribe as well as a Danhostel. There is also a large cycle shop just on the outskirts on the way to Esjberg.

You may be tempted to visit the island of Rømø before you get to Ribe. Just a word of warning. You have to cross a very long causeway and the wind really blows along it so you will have a long headwind run, one way or the other. Rømø has huge beaches, a shopping outlet village, a totally packed campsite that I would not be seen dead on, and that is about it. The beaches are quite stunning and there are usually dozens if kite flyers on it.







Rømø beach...now you have seen it 

You do not say where you are from in the UK but DFDS also do a freight ferry from Esjberg to Immingham. Places are restricted but you can get on it. I have used this service and I love it. It is almost like being a member of the crew. No frills, no kids. Just ship and sea.

When I had my Ice trike I set my TomTom Gps up so I could navigate and listen to my books. It was pwered by a very small scooter battery in a crossbar bag.


View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=itqoKZUZtXE


If I can be of any help or assistance on the Denmark leg please get in touch.

Steve


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## CopperBrompton (2 Jan 2013)

Thanks, Steve. I'm 50 miles from Harwich, so that couldn't be more convenient for me, so Immingham isn't really a viable alternative in my case. 

GPS-wise, I have a Garmin eTrex Vista HCx powered by AA Eneloops. I carry a small plug charger which gets pressed into service recharging those and the two sets for my Dinotte lights each night.


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## jennywren (4 Jan 2013)

I enjoyed going south from Hook van Holland on the LF1. I remember flying along the sea defense with the wind behind me, hardly needing to peddle. Pretty villages and towns and water on both sides of the track a lot of the time. You know you've entered Belgium when all the signs disappear! (okay on the LF1, but you need a map if you leave the track) Loved Bruges...caught the boat back to UK at Zeebrugge.

I've cycled in Holland a lot using the Landelijke Fietroutes system of signs and maps. It is good and well designed. It is managed and looked after by an army of volunteers. People think tha the Netherlands is boring, but there is a wealth of variety in the landscape...and it is not all flat! I liked Friesland best of all.....


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## CopperBrompton (4 Jan 2013)

I love cycling in the Netherlands. My initial thought was simply to spend 10 days there, but I'm a sucker for a destination and a straight(ish) line ...


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## jennywren (4 Jan 2013)

Trikeman said:


> I love cycling in the Netherlands. My initial thought was simply to spend 10 days there, but I'm a sucker for a destination and a straight(ish) line ...


 
Is the desire for destination (and speed) a man thing I wonder? For me it is all about the scenery, the interesting places and the 'coffee and appel geback' opportunities.


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## CopperBrompton (4 Jan 2013)

Not speed, in my case, and no-one has ever beaten me to the front of a cake queue, but there is something about going from A to B that works for me in a way that a more aimless meander doesn't.


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## snorri (4 Jan 2013)

jennywren said:


> For me it is all about the scenery, the interesting places and the 'coffee and appel geback' opportunities.


I can fully understand your appreciation of appelgebak, but perhaps the "desire for destination and speed" is actually a wish to cross the border and sample the German delight of erdbeerbecher.


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## SatNavSaysStraightOn (5 Jan 2013)

Trikeman said:


> Not speed, in my case, and no-one has ever beaten me to the front of a cake queue, but there is something about going from A to B that works for me in a way that a more aimless meander doesn't.


then you don't want to try following the NSCR! It only wanders aimlessly taking you 3 sides of a rectangle and often avoiding anywhere useful than may contain shops for food...


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## CopperBrompton (5 Jan 2013)

Well, I'm only doing part of one side of the square, so more or less a straight line. Kind of. Almost. 

The bit I've done didn't seem to do too badly on the food front, though we did have to go a ways to find breakfast.


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## CopperBrompton (10 Jan 2013)

I'm still struggling to see how this ends up at 700-800 miles. This is just a very, very rough plot on googlemaps, but comes out at 500 miles:
http://goo.gl/maps/wSzVO

I appreciate small wiggles add up, but 2-300 miles' worth?


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## Tigerbiten (10 Jan 2013)

You have three ferries that are not on the route, but do cut corners.
Your probably saving around 80 miles with the ferry across the Elbe vs going right into Hamburg and back.
The Dollart and Jade Bight ferries add another 70 odd miles saved vs going around them both.
So that coming close to 150 miles saved without adding any wiggle distance.


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## CopperBrompton (10 Jan 2013)

Aha, now it begins to make sense.

I've been to Hamburg more times than I can count, so unless my riding partner(s) are keen, I'd be happy enough to skip that.

If I work on 750 as the average of the two distances suggested, and your estimate of a saving of 150 miles, that suggests somewhere around 600. 

Very helpful - thanks!


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## psmiffy (10 Jan 2013)

psmiffy said:


> only about 600miles - keeping approximately to the NSCR)


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