England to Sweden

[honesty]

My brother is cycling from England to Sweden through Belgium, the Netherlands and Denmark. Knowing my brother he has not bothered to investigate this, so, are there any specific laws in these 3 countries he needs to be aware of?

[CBreeze]

I'm doing the same thing in June but I'm a bit like your brother so I can't help too much. I plan to go onto Norway and I am aware there are some tunnels there I won't be able to use. Throughout the trip I will try stick to cycle routes as can be found on www.opencyclemap.org. As for camping I think you can legally wild camp in Sweden and Norway as long as you follow certain rules, the others I will stick to campsites. Not sure about any other relevant laws... I don't think you have to wear a helmet as an adult in any of these countries but I will be wearing one anyway so haven't really looked into this. Hope this helps!

[Ron]

My brother is cycling from England to Sweden through Belgium, the Netherlands and Denmark. Knowing my brother he has not bothered to investigate this, so, are there any specific laws in these 3 countries he needs to be aware of?

You worry too much, he's a big boy now remember. Tell him to cycle on the right when he gets off the ferry, change his underwear regularly and always have a clean hanky. He'll be OK, the adventure will do him good.

[Vorpal]

Other than the side of the road, the most significant difference in traffic law is that at uncontrolled junctions (not roundabouts), priority is to the right. Uncontrolled junctions are quite common on cycle routes in towns and cities in Scandinavia. Car drivers will often cede priority to cyclists, but in theory, at least, priority remains with traffic coming from the right. I think this applies in most European countries, but uncontrolled junctions are not very common in other places I have been.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Priority_to_the_right

It is not legal to cycle on the pavement in Denmark. It is in Norway and Sweden. However, legal priority is given to pedestrians.

Norwegian HC in English http://www.vegvesen.no/en/Traffic/Norwe ... ffic+rules

Traffic rules for Sweden http://www.swedishroadsafety.se/general ... rules.html

[Vorpal]

I'm doing the same thing in June but I'm a bit like your brother so I can't help too much. I plan to go onto Norway and I am aware there are some tunnels there I won't be able to use. Throughout the trip I will try stick to cycle routes as can be found on http://www.opencyclemap.org. As for camping I think you can legally wild camp in Sweden and Norway as long as you follow certain rules, the others I will stick to campsites. Not sure about any other relevant laws... I don't think you have to wear a helmet as an adult in any of these countries but I will be wearing one anyway so haven't really looked into this. Hope this helps!

viewtopic.php?f=16&t=93564&hilit=norway+tunnel&start=15 has information about finding out about tunnels in Norway. In the southe east part of Norway, it's not usually too bad, as it's probably only a few km out of your way if you come across an area where cycling is banned. If you go into the mountains, or towards the west coast, however, you could end up with a days worth of travel, just going back the way you came. Or waiting for one of two buses per day to go through the tunnel. If that sort of thing frustrates you, research your routes a couple of days in advance.

[andrew549]

Here is a direct link to the map showing which tunnels you can or can't ride through.

https://www.vegvesen.no/vegkart/vegkart/#!/kartlag:geodata/sok:%7B%22lokasjon%22%3A%7B%22bbox%22%3A%2222120%2C6763974%2C89854%2C6796782%22%7D%2C%22objektTyper%22%3A%5B%7B%22id%22%3A581%2C%22antall%22%3A%2215000%22%2C%22filter%22%3A%5B%7B%22type%22%3A%22Sykkelforbud%22%2C%22operator%22%3A%22%3D%22%2C%22verdi%22%3Anull%7D%5D%7D%2C%7B%22id%22%3A67%2C%22antall%22%3A%221000%22%2C%22filter%22%3A%5B%5D%7D%2C%7B%22id%22%3A581%2C%22antall%22%3A%2215000%22%2C%22filter%22%3A%5B%7B%22type%22%3A%22Sykkelforbud%22%2C%22operator%22%3A%22%3D%22%2C%22verdi%22%3A%5B%22Ja%22%5D%7D%5D%7D%2C%7B%22id%22%3A581%2C%22antall%22%3A%2215000%22%2C%22filter%22%3A%5B%7B%22type%22%3A%22Sykkelforbud%22%2C%22operator%22%3A%22%3D%22%2C%22verdi%22%3A%5B%22Nei%22%5D%7D%5D%7D%5D%7D

[honesty]

Other than the side of the road, the most significant difference in traffic law is that at uncontrolled junctions (not roundabouts), priority is to the right. Uncontrolled junctions are quite common on cycle routes in towns and cities in Scandinavia. Car drivers will often cede priority to cyclists, but in theory, at least, priority remains with traffic coming from the right. I think this applies in most European countries, but uncontrolled junctions are not very common in other places I have been.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Priority_to_the_right

It is not legal to cycle on the pavement in Denmark. It is in Norway and Sweden. However, legal priority is given to pedestrians.

Norwegian HC in English http://www.vegvesen.no/en/Traffic/Norwe ... ffic+rules

Traffic rules for Sweden http://www.swedishroadsafety.se/general ... rules.html

Thanks. Is there something about you having to use cycle lanes in some parts of Belgium as well? Or am I making that up?

[honesty]

My brother is cycling from England to Sweden through Belgium, the Netherlands and Denmark. Knowing my brother he has not bothered to investigate this, so, are there any specific laws in these 3 countries he needs to be aware of?

You worry too much, he's a big boy now remember. Tell him to cycle on the right when he gets off the ferry, change his underwear regularly and always have a clean hanky. He'll be OK, the adventure will do him good.

yes he is and he asked me to find out as he couldn't be bothered...

[Vorpal]

Other than the side of the road, the most significant difference in traffic law is that at uncontrolled junctions (not roundabouts), priority is to the right. Uncontrolled junctions are quite common on cycle routes in towns and cities in Scandinavia. Car drivers will often cede priority to cyclists, but in theory, at least, priority remains with traffic coming from the right. I think this applies in most European countries, but uncontrolled junctions are not very common in other places I have been.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Priority_to_the_right

It is not legal to cycle on the pavement in Denmark. It is in Norway and Sweden. However, legal priority is given to pedestrians.

Norwegian HC in English http://www.vegvesen.no/en/Traffic/Norwe ... ffic+rules

Traffic rules for Sweden http://www.swedishroadsafety.se/general ... rules.html

Thanks. Is there something about you having to use cycle lanes in some parts of Belgium as well? Or am I making that up?

Yes, cyclists have to use facilities (when provided) in Belgium and the Netherlands. They tend to be to a good standard in Belgium, though not as good as in the Netherlands. Right hooks can be a problem on cycle tracks that run parallel to the road. It's best to slow down for junctions and check over one's left shoulder, even if cyclists have priority. Cyclists can ride in pedestrianised areas such as town centres, and it's often quicker to go through towns and cities on a bicycle than it is to go around. http://www.fietsroute.org/Long-Distanceroutes-LF.php has long distance routes in Belgium.

[Ron]

yes he is and he asked me to find out as he couldn't be bothered...

I was perhaps a bit flippant in earlier response, but have done that route to Stockholm myself with no difficulty.
You don't say which ferry will be used from the UK, but much of the route is the North Sea Cycle Route. He could choose to cross the border from Belgium to NL at Sluis then up to Breskens for the ferry to Vlissingen following the coast to Rozenburg for the ferry across the new waterway to Maassluis then to Ijmuiden where you can cross the Noordzee Kanaal by the lock gates or the free ferry to Beverwijk. North then to Den Oever, and over the Asfluitsdijk towards Groningen, crossing from NL to DE at Bad Nieuweschans. Stay south of the Jade Sea avoiding the ferry from Wilhelmshaven which offers only an infrequent service. There are frequent ferries across the rivers Weser(Nordenham to Bremerhaven) and Elbe(Wischhafen to Gluckstadt), also free ferry across the Kiel canal (near Hochdonn). There were several ferry route options for getting from Denmark to Sweden, also a train across the Oresund Link, but best to check for current situation. Regarding cycling on road or cycle path, there is little point in mixing it with the motor traffic when there is a quality cycle path alongside. Foreign cyclists who stray onto the roads when they shouldn't tend to get a gentle pip on the horn from motor vehicles and should just take the hint! IME most Euro countries are more cycle friendly than the UK in particular the ones your bro intends to pass through, drivers there tend to be forgiving when a foreign cyclist errs.
I hope this helps