Belgium, Holland etc. Anyone know of any sources for routes? We can get a ferry from here to Zebrugge and in a fortnight expect to cycle around 600 miles or more. Intending to go in the spring.
The aim is for a gentle and civilised wander - canal side path to pub for lunch sort of touring - camping probably. 60ish miles a day
So - any ideas for where to get route information from? Must visit places within a couple of hundred miles of Zebrugge?
Ta
So, my experience of touring out there is in Belgium, around a year ago.
If you're up for it, arrive for the first week in April - it's Classics Week: on Easter Sunday it's the Tour of Flanders, the following Wednesday it's Gent-Wevelgem and then the Sunday after is Paris-Roubaix. If you want to understand cycling out there in its most fervent, religous form, this is the time to go.
Anyway, onto your question: throughout Belgium, and I'm sure through the Netherlands, there are a series of numbered routes, and there are guides available to tell you where they go etc. The riding is excellent, as (save for the lumps south of Gent) it's flat as a pancake out there. Almost all riding is on the fabled cycle paths (either beside the road, or on separate routes beside the canals).
If you don't fancy riding, the trains accomodate bikes easily - not sure about tandems, though! - but do ensure you dress like a normal human. The Belgians and Dutch ride bikes for transport primarily, so don't get up in gaudy kit.... (and definitely never in a jacket with a t-shirt 🙂 )
From Zeebrugge, Brugge (Bruges for the French speakers - don't try it, you're in Flanders here) is an easy ride away, and Gent is easily achieveable in a day (I've done it). Antwerp is also nice for a visit.
In fact, in Belgium certainly, everywhere is nearby, because the country just isn't that big. I would avoid Brussels - dirty, unkempt place - though Leuven is nice.
Have take the ferry from Rosyth to Zebrugge and toured up to Amsterdam, camping en-route, and generally following the North Sea cycle route. You can go all the way on paved cycle paths or very quiet roads. Nice riding, and some of the cycle paths actually run through the coastal dunes in places. Lots of camp sites, ranging in size from big conventional tent/caravan sites to more basic farm/eco sites, but all clean and bike-friendly. Of course the entire area is cycle-friendly - quite depressing to cycle back home afterwards!
Bruges and Ghent are nice, lots to see in Amsterdam, and the other places we stayed in were just nice wee towns. The coast further north looks interesting - some nice islands just off the coast I would like to visit. Google North Sea cycle route and you should get plenty of stuff. You won't go too far wrong just following your nose, however.
Stops along the North Sea Cycle route can be downloaded from [url= http://www.northsea-cycle.com/default.asp?id=2&mnu=2&lang=1 ]here[/url]
We also had a really good spiral bound book with maps for the Danish section, unforunately I think the Dutch, Belgian and German sections are only released in German.
Ta