North Sea Cycle Route

[nickodemia]

Next year we plan on doing some more of the North Sea route, from Cuxhaven, Germany up to Esbjerg, Denmark. Does anyone know roughly how far this is, how good is the signing, what are the surfaces like and how easy it is to find accommodation (not camping)? Any information would be appreciated.

[syklist]

Next year we plan on doing some more of the North Sea route, from Cuxhaven, Germany up to Esbjerg, Denmark. Does anyone know roughly how far this is, how good is the signing, what are the surfaces like and how easy it is to find accommodation (not camping)? Any information would be appreciated.

I've nearly finished a travelogue from the summer of 2009 that covers the German NSCR. We did the Danish NSCR in both 2006 and 2009. The travelogue for the 2006 trip is here. Both travelogues include a stats page with distances and average speed.

If you avoid going all the way down the Elbe to Hamburg and take the ferry to from Wischhafen to Glückstad instead then it is I think between 350 and 400km to the Danish border. It is a further 110km from Tønder to Esbjerg. Going into Hamburg and back out again adds a lot to the total distance.

Signing in Germany was generally excellent. We did encounter some sun damaged signs in 2009 but they did not cause major problems. I'd recommend maps in the BVA Radtourenkarte 1:150.000 series. You would need the map "Nordfriesland Schleswig" which covers from Cuxhaven to the Danish border. I'd also recommend the Bikeline guide books both for the Danish and German NSCR but they are not essential. The Bikeline guide books we bought for the "Nordseeküsten Radweg" were German language only, I don't know if they also do English versions these days.

SIgning in Denmark was reasonable, I think we had more problems the first time we did the route. In 2009 we remembered a few spots where we had got lost in 2006. I'd suggest getting the Bikeline guide and also the South Jutland "Guide to Bike Experiences" from the Dansk Cyclist Forbund. ISBN 87-7897-000-8. This covers from the German-Danish border, Esbjeg and up to RIngkøbing Fjord. This guide has a detailed map and a list of places to stay at the back of the guide book. We always camp so I can't really give any advice about other types of accomodation.

As for surfaces, these are generally good in Germany although there were some quite rough patches of paved roads. Road surfaces in Denmark are much more variable. In 2006 it was ok on bikes with 38mm wide tyres, but it was a lot easier with different bikes in 2009 that had 54 mm wide tyres. I remember there being quite a lot of gravel tracks in Denmark, and the quality varies from as smooth as tarmac to newly laid loose gravel. You can encounter soft sand occasionally in the dune areas. Sections of the route that were newly laid gravel in 2006 were not a problem in 2009 and vice versa. Be prepared for punctures in the dune sections.

[nickodemia]

Thank you Syklist for all the details, will be reading your travelogue carefully.