London to Amsterdam via Calais

[PhilMcD]

This is my first post so apologies if this topic has already been covered but I did a quick search and didn't find anything. There are a few London to Amsterdam articles but they all seem to be using the Harwich route rather than Calais. I am looking to do a few more miles than the Harwich route so was looking fro some advice on the Calais route. I am organising a charity bike ride from London to Amsterdam for August next year and was looking for any advice members might like to share about organising the trip. I have only done one other relatively long ride, a coast to coast ride last year but that was already organised so I just had to show up and follow everyone else. I'm basically looking for tips on the following:

What route to use with nice quiet roads being the aim. I'm told that on the continent the are a lot more dedicated good quality cycle tracks throughout so if anyone knows of any of these tracks we can take advantage of that would be great.
Any app recommendations that would be helpful for the trip.
Any accommodation recommendations - we are planning to stop in Calais, Bruges, Delft and Amsterdam.
There will be about 8 of us cycling with one support vehicle with some first aid supplies and spares etc. If anyone has any tips of things we should bring that might not be obvious.

Any tips or advice will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Phil

 

[Hill Wimp]

I can recommend The Soul Inn Hotel in Delft. I used it last year on tour, small and funky and they do a good breakfast. Book early though because it is small and 8 plus support will probably book it out so you may get a deal.
http://www.soul-inn.nl/en/

I used the Ibis Bruges Centrum in Bruges. Great clean modern rooms that they let you take the bikes into and very reasonably priced for a big central hotel. Perfectly placed for the canal cycle routes and for sightseeing.

 

[snorri]

What route to use with nice quiet roads being the aim. I'm told that on the continent the are a lot more dedicated good quality cycle tracks throughout so if anyone knows of any of these tracks we can take advantage of that would be great.

I would suggest researching the Lf1 section of the North Sea Cycle Route which mainly follows the coast, as the title suggests!
Don't allow yourselves to become discouraged in France, things get better as the journey goes on.
If you find yourself on a busy road, this is usually due to a serious navigational error, so stop and consider.
It will be easy to divert off the route into Delft after landing in Maassluis off the Rosenberg ferry.
The support vehicle is going to be a big drain on the money raised for the charity, do you really need it?
You could add variety by making a round trip and returning to the UK on a ferry from Ijmuiden (near Amsterdam) or Hook of Holland.

 

[srw]

Somewhere on this forum you might find a route that the Fridays did last autumn which took in Amsterdam. It was from Dieppe, but they went pretty close to Calais on the way through.

 

[Ajax Bay]

Found these on RwGPS by searching 'start in Dover' and 300km+
Calais to Amsterdam
"This Bike ride will take you through Calais, Dunkirk and many beautiful french villages and Towns. It will then go through belgium aand on to the Netherlands where it will go round Rotterdam and Finally finish at Amsterdam."
Calais 2 Amsterdam
London - Calais - Bruges - Delft - Amsterdam

 

[PhilMcD]

I would suggest researching the Lf1 section of the North Sea Cycle Route which mainly follows the coast, as the title suggests!
Don't allow yourselves to become discouraged in France, things get better as the journey goes on.
If you find yourself on a busy road, this is usually due to a serious navigational error, so stop and consider.
It will be easy to divert off the route into Delft after landing in Maassluis off the Rosenberg ferry.
The support vehicle is going to be a big drain on the money raised for the charity, do you really need it?
You could add variety by making a round trip and returning to the UK on a ferry from Ijmuiden (near Amsterdam) or Hook of Holland.

Why might we become discouraged in France? Is the terrain bad or are the French drivers a menace.
All the money we raise will go to the charity, that is why I'm doing it on my own not using an organising company which takes a lot of the money raised. All trip expenses including a support vehicle will be out of our own pockets. There is going to be a couple of very novice riders so I'm trying to make the ride as easy as possible. The cost of a van is not a lot anyway when spread between 8 or ten people anyway.

 

[PhilMcD]

Found these on RwGPS by searching 'start in Dover' and 300km+
Calais to Amsterdam
"This Bike ride will take you through Calais, Dunkirk and many beautiful french villages and Towns. It will then go through belgium aand on to the Netherlands where it will go round Rotterdam and Finally finish at Amsterdam."
Calais 2 Amsterdam
London - Calais - Bruges - Delft - Amsterdam

Thanks I'll take a look.

 

[snorri]

Why might we become discouraged in France? Is the terrain bad or are the French drivers a menace..

The signing was poor and there were few if any segregated cycle routes, the drivers will be no worse than in the UK.

 

[PhilMcD]

The signing was poor and there were few if any segregated cycle routes, the drivers will be no worse than in the UK.

Ok cheers so we will need our wits about us at all times and a good map reader.

 

[snorri]

Ok cheers so we will need our wits about us at all times and a good map reader.

Always, and cycle on the right hand side, enjoy.

 

[User169]

Don't know the Calais to Belgium part, but have done the rest.

West Belgium to Delft is just over 200km, so doable in a day.

From Veurne (near Dunkirk), you can follow canals all the way to Bruges. Then to Sluis and up to Breskens where you can get the ferry to Vlissingen.

Vlissingen to Delft over the dams and dykes is easy. Follow the red signs for a direct route or the green LF1 signs for a more coast hugging longer route.

Delft to Amsterdam, you can follow the coast and then approach Amsterdam via Haarlem or ride through Leiden to the ringvaart and into Amsterdam though Vondelpark.

 

[TheDoctor]

Calais to Belgium, you can hug the coast by heading for Oye-Plage, or go a bit inland towards Ardres. Either way, aim next for Borbourg and then Vuerne, then pick up the Belgium info above. I haven't got the map at work or I could give you road numbers, but that should get you around Dunkirk and keep you on little roads.

 

[Broadside]

Strava route planning has recently got very good. It allows you to see which roads other cyclists are using most with a heat map and to plot the route along those. I've just used it for a few routes in France and was very happy with routes it created.

 

[PhilMcD]

Strava route planning has recently got very good. It allows you to see which roads other cyclists are using most with a heat map and to plot the route along those. I've just used it for a few routes in France and was very happy with routes it created.

That sounds great, thanks for the tip.

 

[Morris Johnson]

Hi
I recently did a charity bike ride in May from Calais to Amsterdam - can thoroughly recommend it. Enjoyed it so much went last weekend and did the first bit with my good lady as far as Bruges.
a minor concern - perhaps more when I went most recently was the current situation in Calais - as following the D119 which is the most direct route to Dunkirk goes right past the Jungle.
My suggestion would be aiming to leave Calais and past the camp early in the morning. there were very few people around and even an occasional gendarme.
I say this as when we returned to Calais after a day in Bruges we hit the migrant camp area at about 5.30. It was quite intimidating and I did get spat at - which was not very nice. as for the routes I think these were covered in other posts quite well.