Advice for organising a charity London to Bruges cycle

[msmith172]

Hi There!
Apologies if I have written on the wrong forum! I am organising a charity bike ride from London to Bruges in Septemeber. There will be 10 of us completing for Brain Tumour research in memory of our friend. I would love any advice for routes, hotels etc, Any advice or signposting for any advice would be amazing.
Thank you

 

[Dogtrousers]

Good luck. How long are you proposing to take - distance per day that sort of thing?
The obvious way would be London-Dover-Calais (Edit: Or Dunkirk) -Bruges but a left field idea would be London-Harwich-Hook of Holland-Bruges.

 

[Emanresu]

Check which ferries will take cyclists. P & O say they take cyclists but can't see how you can book Dover - Calais on their website. They have had restrictions in the past. Also anything over 9 passengers seems to suggest phoning them first.

 

[Dogtrousers]

If you have a friend with a big vehicle you could sneak across the channel in that. We did this once in a friend's camper van. We got five of us and five bikes inside (maybe one on the back) just for the crossing. (Thinking about it maybe we just put the bikes inside and travelled as foot passengers. I forget) But it would need a special vehicle (and a special friend) to get 10 of you across. Either that or hire something - which would eat into your charity return. So maybe that's a stupid idea. Ignore me.

 

[Paulus]

Don't forget about the travel arrangements for the return leg home.

 

[Emanresu]

Also have a look at Cycle.Travel as someone (like this one) is likely to have done it before

https://cycle.travel/map/journey/139690

 

[Specialeyes]

DFDS Dover-Dunkirk would knock an hour off your cycling time in France/Belgium in exchange for an extra half-hour on the ferry, but might be considered cheating! The routes are pan flat across the Pas de Calais though. September ferries are bookable now and seem to start at £25 which seems pretty reasonable

 

[Drago]

Insurance. As nominal "organiser" there is the potential for all sorts of legal sheet to stop at your door if something goes wrong.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Make sure you travel with your bikes, lest you get accused of importing them into the EU.

 

[Ajax Bay]

Another vote for the Dover-Dunkirk ferry route (£50 return, 8 ferries a day, 120 mins sailing, plus lose an hour TZ change). Gives you time for a meal on board, from the ferry terminal you can quickly get onto sensible roads (unlike Calais) and then a short ride (50km) to the De Peervisser youth hostel in Oostduinkerke: JH "De Peerdevisser" Duinparklaan 41 B-8670 Oostduinkerke
I stayed there in March (from the 1800GMT-2100CET ferry) and then the world's your oyster (well Belgium is) and an excellent ride to Brugge the following day (another 50km).
There's a hostel a mile from Brugge's centre too, and another up on the canal (Olympic rowing venue 1920) - use the VJH website (have stayed in both there too). About £33 B&B (£36 Brugge), which means more goes to charity rather than gobbled up in subsistence.
I(we) returned via Dunkirk too and there was a group of riders from Coulsdon on their way back after a short weekend. Seemed bike friendly.
Time available, likely average speed, numbers of hours riding a day, supported by a vehicle, or not, standard of accommodation will drive all this.
Make it London-Brugge-London and you have rides of circa 130km, 110km, and return.

 

[steveindenmark]

Make sure you travel with your bikes, lest you get accused of importing them into the EU.

That is a good point. I always travel with the reciept for my bike when I go abroad. I have not needed it yet. But you never know.

 

[Dogtrousers]

Make sure you travel with your bikes, lest you get accused of importing them into the EU.

Good point. Our great camper-van bike-smuggling escapade was pre-Brexit.

 

[Jameshow]

Insurance. As nominal "organiser" there is the potential for all sorts of legal sheet to stop at your door if something goes wrong.

I did think that when a friend took some friends waking in Majorca....