Amsterdam to the Battlefields of France/Belgium
Amsterdam to the Battlefields of France/Belgium
After a successful tour of the Netherlands this year i'm thinking of heading back there in 2015 and debating whether to head North along the coast or take a southerly route and try and have a look around the battlefields of Belgium and France...I will be travelling with my girl friend who isn't a strong cyclist but enjoyed her tour with me this year and is keen for her next adventure..I would think around 40 miles per day is an ideal distance and we have 10 days for the tour..Has anyone done this route and could give any advice..Thanks..
Re: Amsterdam to the Battlefields of France/Belgium
We rode through Holland this year, from near to Amsterdam (Leiden) through central and southern Holland then Belgium to Ypres. It is all very flat and you should find 40 miles a day an achievable distance, although there are so many places to stop and visit you might find yourself struggling to do even that on some days. I would say a mixture of coast and inland would be best as in my experience the coast can be quite windy and there are plenty of inland places that are worth detouring to.
In particular I liked the stretch along the coast between Katwijk and The Hague (there is a great bike path - as usual for Holland - and we even saw a police peloton!), Delft (there is a great campsite just outside the city, Dordrecht (a beautiful town on the confluence of 3 rivers).
The route through Holland / Flanders will be flat and well signposted and (as you probably know already) there are plenty of campsites in Holland. The site just outside Ypres is quite cheap and only 5 minutes ride to the centre of the city.
I can't help about riding around Somme but as it is in France you might find you need to plan more as the bike paths and helpful signs stop at the French border!
If you are interested you can read my CGOAB (days 109 to 120 ish, although we took a slightly more convoluted route through Southern Belgium that I don't really recommend) at www.fuelledbycake.co.uk.
Enjoy your trip.
In particular I liked the stretch along the coast between Katwijk and The Hague (there is a great bike path - as usual for Holland - and we even saw a police peloton!), Delft (there is a great campsite just outside the city, Dordrecht (a beautiful town on the confluence of 3 rivers).
The route through Holland / Flanders will be flat and well signposted and (as you probably know already) there are plenty of campsites in Holland. The site just outside Ypres is quite cheap and only 5 minutes ride to the centre of the city.
I can't help about riding around Somme but as it is in France you might find you need to plan more as the bike paths and helpful signs stop at the French border!
If you are interested you can read my CGOAB (days 109 to 120 ish, although we took a slightly more convoluted route through Southern Belgium that I don't really recommend) at www.fuelledbycake.co.uk.
Enjoy your trip.
Re: Amsterdam to the Battlefields of France/Belgium
Thanks for your reply and the link to your tour..I'm enjoying the read..We have now booked the ferry 