Author Topic: Anyone want to ride to SPEZI? (Read 7684 times)

Auntie Helen · « **on:** 11 November, 2014, 12:04:07 pm »

I'm just starting to formulate a plan to do a cycle tour to SPEZI next year (to arrive on 24 April). From my home here in Kempen, Nordrhein-Westfalen, of course.

There are a couple of friends here who think they might come but we thought about gathering a small group of 6 or so people to ride down the Rhein to Germersheim from here (about 340km). Relatively leisurely as the Rhein Radweg is not the fastest route (but scenic), so I guess five days or so. Then the day at SPEZI (preferably the Saturday) and then get the train back (probably on Sunday, i.e. stay somewhere near Germersheim on the Saturday night).

I won't be doing some massive organisational thing but will of course check out the route and possible hotels and things like that.

I can offer accommodation (of a fairly basic kind) here for a night before we go and when we get back - airbed on the floor of my lounge kind of thing. I live in Kempen which is between Venlo and Düsseldorf and it's dead easy to get here by train from the Harwich-Hook of Holland ferry.

If anyone here is interested then let me know.

PaulM · « **Reply #1 on:** 15 November, 2014, 09:26:01 am »

I've been contemplating doing this. If I recall correctly, the rail-sail package from Harwich will take me to any Dutch station so I should be able to get to Maastrict or Venlo and cycle from there. How acccurate is your estimate of the distance? Google says Venlo to Germersheim is 340km by road, might the river path cycle route be a lot more?

If you're coming back by train then I'm assuming you won't be riding the Versatile?

Auntie Helen · « **Reply #2 on:** 15 November, 2014, 09:37:23 am »

The Rail-Sail package to Venlo would be the obvious choice although unfortunately they no longer allow this to be combined with bikes. So I think you have to buy the rail ticket at Hoek van Holland station instead (as well as the bike ticket) so it's 25€ish in total. Which is a real shame.

Venlo to me is 20km.

I'm not 100% sure of the distance to Germersheim and I've lent my Rhein Radweg book to a chum but I can check it soon.

And I would be taking my trike - don't fancy the Versatile for this kind of touring really. Although a friend who owns a Mango is thinking of coming along, although he would also have to ride back (no velomobiles on trains).

Wowbagger · « **Reply #3 on:** 15 November, 2014, 10:11:25 am »

That's very tempting but, for me, problematic as it falls outside the schools' Easter hols (30/3/15 - 10/4/15) by quite a bit. I could delay my start date until after 24th April and still fit 10 weeks in, but that would eat into July and I like being off work in July!

I'll discuss with Mrs. Wow and get back, but I'm sure I can arrange something, even if it's choosing only to work 9 weeks in the summer term.

PaulM · « **Reply #4 on:** 15 November, 2014, 11:29:33 am »

You are right, no rail-sail bookings supported with bikes. What a shame. I've done that twice before, last time from Liverpool St to Leeuwarden and it was a real benefit. Now have to budget for rail travel both in UK and in Holland.

I'd probably be wanting to vist Spezi on the Friday so that I could catch the Sat night ferry back to the UK for work on Monday. It may depened on whether a friend of mine wishes to do it as well or not. It's too far ahead to commit myself at the moment but will bear the possibility of getting together in mind if I decide to go.

Auntie Helen · « **Reply #5 on:** 15 November, 2014, 05:13:08 pm »

Looks like it's 400km each way, and I may ride both ways.

Auntie Helen · « **Reply #6 on:** 17 November, 2014, 09:32:10 am »

Further discussion has taken place with my landlady and it seems now that I will definitely be riding both ways - landlady will look after my dog between 20 and 30 April (I may not need that entire time, of course, but wanted to be sure all options were covered). Distance appears to be about 430km taking the Rhein Radweg from here although it could be shortened a bit if I rode directly to Köln from here cross-country rather than along the Rhein.

One chum from here will not actually ride to Spezi but stop at Mannheim (30km before) where his parents live and spend the day with them.

I'm thinking of one day at SPEZI (Saturday?) and the next day probably a short ride and a relaxed look around Mannheim which is apparently really nice before heading back to Kempen. Probably 100km per day I suppose.

This would be overnighting in hotels (although others are welcome to do what they choose of course, if camping appeals).

Peter and Jan, it would be great if you can come! Or maybe if that's too much time out of the working schedule then perhaps ride one way, train the other, if that helps.

Regulator · « **Reply #7 on:** 17 November, 2014, 01:19:08 pm »

Quote from: Auntie Helen on 15 November, 2014, 09:37:23 am

The Rail-Sail package to Venlo would be the obvious choice although unfortunately they no longer allow this to be combined with bikes. So I think you have to buy the rail ticket at Hoek van Holland station instead (as well as the bike ticket) so it's 25€ish in total. Which is a real shame...

Bizarrely, it was the Dutch who stopped Stena from doing this. Abellio Greater Anglia were happy for the arrangements to carry on but NS weren't. Apparently, it's because the Dutch are trying to introduce booking for carrying bikes on many of their longer distance trains.

Stena are quite peed off as they've lost lots of business.

loadsabikes · « **Reply #8 on:** 18 November, 2014, 11:37:01 pm »

Helen, Joyce and I may well be up for this.

Kim · « **Reply #9 on:** 18 November, 2014, 11:46:18 pm »

Also interested, though I don't think my budget stretches to hotels, so I think it'd be camping (at least for most nights).

Tigerbiten · « **Reply #10 on:** 19 November, 2014, 01:51:10 am »

Outside possibility I could join in.
I was planning to go down coast from the Hoek before doing the Canal Midi to the Med.
But I could do the loop Rhine - Loire to the coast before heading south.
It will just add a few more miles to my route .........

Auntie Helen · « **Reply #11 on:** 19 November, 2014, 08:39:38 am »

Well it seems like there are a few possibles (obviously lots might change in the intervening months).

I'll come back to this thread in January or February and see who's still game.

I think the camping option ought to work well - JenM seemed to manage OK when she rode this camping and that was during the floods. I will of course be in hotels as I Do Not Camp.

Auntie Helen · « **Reply #12 on:** 05 January, 2015, 10:58:39 am »

The New Year is now here and I am starting to put thoughts together about how this will happen.

I have a list of the following who have expressed an interest and that is plenty - I will not want any more!

Me
Lara Rodday (who I live with)
Klaus (German triking chum here)
Kim
Wowbagger
Mrs Wow
Loadsabikes
Mrs Miggins
Tigerbiten

As I think I may have mentioned above, I will not be 'organising' this as such, but I will put together some GPS tracks and will make suggestions of where I think is a good town to overnight - and where you might find suitable hotels to book (or campsites). I'll book for myself and Lara. There is of course the possibility of just winging it and trying to find a hotel when we arrive (for the ride down the Rhein - I would want something definite for the SPEZI days as there will be so many other bookings) but I think I would prefer to know I have something in the bag, although that does mean we do have to ride the full distances every day.

My plan for actually staying in the Germersheim area is to stay in Speyer (which is quite simply a lovely town) which is 23km away. I have stayed there previously and found a lovely hotel which I will attempt to book for myself again.

I am assuming some of you might arrive here (Kempen) a day or two beforehand? I can organise hotels for you then (or people can camp in the garden here if they are camping).

Could everyone send me a PM with their email addresses (if I don't have them) as I would find it easier to continue the plans via email as Klaus and Lara aren't on YACF.

Wowbagger · « **Reply #13 on:** 22 January, 2015, 10:46:15 pm »

Mrs. Wow and I have decided to pull out of this. Sorry.

Neither of us is anywhere near touring-fit, especially for rides up to 100k per day. Jan won't camp unless it's a tent she can stand up in and it seems daft for us to commit a lot of money to B 7 Bs when we are'n sure of our fitness levels.

Have a great tour, all!

loadsabikes · « **Reply #14 on:** 23 January, 2015, 08:48:17 am »

That's a shame Wow

Auntie Helen · « **Reply #15 on:** 23 January, 2015, 09:24:44 am »

It is a shame. We still have a group of 5-6 at least so I think that will be a good number for such a tour.

Loadsa, are you going to be camping for some of this or are you also booking hotels?

Kim · « **Reply #16 on:** 23 January, 2015, 12:49:49 pm »

I too am having doubts about fitness. Well, more specifically, the effects on my knee of doing so many miles so early in the year - I don't think it would be too challenging fitness wise. I suffered in September when I rode across Wales after a year of no distance riding to speak of, and I won't have done much more by April. I *really* don't want to have to do the weeks of enforced rest before building up gently thing at the start of the summer.

Thinking it might be more sensible to do some continental cycle touring in September with (not) The Fridays. $:-\$

Tigerbiten · « **Reply #17 on:** 23 January, 2015, 04:08:17 pm »

At the moment I'm hoping that my knees say good as I'm slowly wearing them out.
So I'm in the process of getting fit again after taking it easy in December.
Just over 300 miles for this month so far .....

I'll definitely be camping.

loadsabikes · « **Reply #18 on:** 23 January, 2015, 04:24:49 pm »

Quote from: Auntie Helen on 23 January, 2015, 09:24:44 am

It is a shame. We still have a group of 5-6 at least so I think that will be a good number for such a tour.

Loadsa, are you going to be camping for some of this or are you also booking hotels?

Bit of both i think Helen.

Auntie Helen · « **Reply #19 on:** 23 January, 2015, 04:30:30 pm »

OK, sounds good.

There aren't many reasonably-priced hotels in Nierstein or Bad Honnef so it might be wise to check out campsites there or book hotels soon (Tigerbiten says that he will stay in Mainz instead of Nierstein, for example, for camping reasons).

I assume you are au fait with finding campsites though as I don't have any experience in this!

loadsabikes · « **Reply #20 on:** 23 January, 2015, 06:00:19 pm »

I am planning to pick Nigel's brain re campsites.
We have just found out that we need to move, so we are a little preoccupied at the moment.

Tigerbiten · « **Reply #21 on:** 23 January, 2015, 10:10:45 pm »

I'll be roughly following the route from last years tour as far as Mainz so I know where some/most of the campsite are.

There are 2x campsites in Stuzelberg. The first had a circus on it so I stopped at Campingplatz Pitt Jupp on the end of the peninsula. It's part of a Hotel and I think it had just opened for the summer when I stopped there.

Cannot remember the one in Bad Breisig but I must have stopped somewhere near there.

The site in St. Goar is very nice but it's all uphill to it from the river.

I stopped in Mainz as I was turning right up the Main, so I'm not to sure after that.
But from Google maps, it doesn't look like there is one in Nierstien so I might stay at the Campingplatz Maaraug in Mainz again and do an extra 20 km to catch up the next morning.

After Sprayer I'll be continuing up the Rhine to continue my tour.

loadsabikes · « **Reply #22 on:** 24 January, 2015, 11:27:01 am »

very useful info Tiger.
Did you prebook any sites or just turn up?
When do you plan to start out from the UK?
Our plan is to ride to Harwich and take an overnight sailing to the Hoek but we have not made a booking yet.

Tigerbiten · « **Reply #23 on:** 24 January, 2015, 05:40:36 pm »

The only time I booked anything on the whole of the 5 month tour was the ferry back to England because it saved me around £20, every other time I just turned up.

The plan is to leave home around the 9th and cycle to Harwich for the night sailing on the 14th.
I'll be stopping in the main C&CC site at St Neots, Cambridge, Polstead Heath x2.
Then it follow the LF12 -> LF11 -> LF13 -> NK.
Going from the miles last year, the distance between campsite was ...............
52 miles to Lage Zwaluwe, very nice site.
38 miles to around Groot Loo.
46 miles to around Neerkant.
Then I recon it's around 44 miles to Helen's for a day off.

loadsabikes · « **Reply #24 on:** 24 January, 2015, 06:10:35 pm »

Great minds, we were thinking of the sailing on the 14th and your onward plan from there looks just right. Sensible daily mileage to enjoy the ride.