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not resolvedWe are thinking of going for a cycling break to the Netherlands and would appreciate advice.
The broad idea is to get to Newcastle perhaps by car, leave it there and get the ferry over to Amsterdam. We'd then do a place to place tour, hopefully with luggage transferred.
Be good to have tips on where to go, what to see, luggage transfer etc
Did that last year.
We used Park On My Drive to get a place to park for half the cost of the long stay car parks by the ferry terminal.
I carried all the luggage for four of us (apart from light stuff in the kids' panniers) in a huge bag on a Carry Freedom (and I can lend you a waterproof canvas cover for the carry freedom).
Off the ferry and only nine miles of flat cycle path to a campsite (Strava trail back to the boat here). The campsite was great and close to an enormous flat, white and refreshingly breezy beach (it was very hot). Dumped stuff there and cycled and used public transport from there to travel around. Great. You'll see where we went in the previous two weeks back from that Strava entry.
Personally, I think I preferred having a base than touring, which is not to say that touring wouldn't also be great. My view is maybe shaped by hauling all the stuff and that the average speed, between M and the kids, was about 8mph. It would have been long tedious days getting anywhere.
We've done it for 3 years now with kids. Can't recommend it highly enough.
We've taken panniers and that's been fine for us, but we haven't camped, which reduced the load. Stayed in a mixture of hostels, holiday parks, B&Bs, self-catering and hotels.
Where to go highlights:
* Islands in the North.. Texel and particularly Vlieland. The ferry/ Vliehors express trip across the beach between Texel and Vlieland is unique.
*North Sea Cycle route . North or South from Ijmuiden it's a great route through beautiful (and hilly) dunes. The bit South of Den Helder can be done right beside the sea on the dyke support bank for about 8km..Great if the wind is SWerly..
* If going North from Ijmuiden, take the little port ferry across the river. It leaves from beside a cafe just beside the big ferry, although if you are let off the ferry from Newcastle late, you might have to wait a while in the cafe.. Can recommend that as the port is interesting to sit and watch..
* Beach cafes all along the coast were great. Some had really interesting food, and most had great coffee.
* Haarlem and Utrecht are great cities to cycle to and in.
* If you can further, then Hoge Veluwe in the East is gorgeous with a superb museum in the middle of the park. Close to the biggest desert in Western Europe!
* Take ferries where you can.. From tiny bike/pedestrian ones crossing canals to bigger ones across the Waddensee, they are all interesting.
* For industry lovers, cycling and getting one of the fast ferries through the port of Rotterdam to Hoek, close to the mammoth container ships is fascinating.
* If you are going with kids then Efteling theme park is very different and fun.
* Train from Edinburgh to Newcastle always worked for us. Bike route from Newcastle train station to Tynemouth is scenic!
*Taking bikes on trains in Netherlands is fine. Sometimes they get very busy with bikes ,but we always found space on a slower commuter train.
Thanks for the suggestions - I'll discuss with OH.
We were originally keen to avoid carrying luggage on the bikes (freedom!) so some kind of luggage transfer would be good. However the trailer idea is tempting and would sort out some difficulties.
The Hembrow site seems to be down (or at least I can't access it).
Bikes on trains are fine outside of the rush hour, you're not allowed to take them during rush hour (I think before 9 and between 4.30 and 6). You need to buy a ticket, which costs six euros per bike and can be used on multiple journeys within one day.
I'd recommend the Utrechtse Heuvelrug and the Veluwe as great places in central Netherlands to visit, as they're not quite as flat as the parts to the east of Utrecht. The cycle path up the north sea coast between Hoek van Holland and Haarlem is also superb. Follow green LF routes wherever possible, these take you the scenic way. See http://routeplanner.fietsersbond.nl/.
The islands are really fantastic too. The central part of the triangle between Amsterdam, Utrecht and Den Haag can be a little dull, there are some pretty villages but you can spend hours cycling across one windy polder without the scenery changing at all.
Hotels are not particularly cheap, Stayokay hostels are usually family oriented and could be a cheaper option. Camping is good, Dutch people like to plan in advance so bigger campsites will expect reservations.
Finally, bike theft is a really big deal in the Netherlands, so make sure you have a proper lock (or two) for your bikes and ideally lock to something.
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