Firstly, the consensus from those I’ve spoken to is that the decision to avoid Dunkirk is sensible. Secondly, travelling out from and returning to Harwich is the preferred alternative. I have therefore prepared an outline route and can confirm the following details.
Thursday 12th SeptFerry - Harwich to Hook of Holland - 23:00 - 8:00
- Economy price - £44.50
- Mandatory cabin - £42 (single) or £55 (double)
- Breakfast buffet - £11 (recommended, otherwise plan to eat something you have carried from England as we won’t plan to stop for at least 2 hours into the ride)
Friday 13th SeptRiding - largely following the LF Maasroute from Hook of Holland, a scenic long distance route (for more details, see
https://www.lfmaasroute.nl/en). There are many cyclist friendly places to stop along the way, and we’ll aim to ride 150km. Assuming 20kph average and 3 hours of stops, from an 8:30am start we should be at the hotel in Nijmegen around 7pm.
Hotel - Hotel Courage, Waalkade
- Twin room - £101 (including breakfast) … with early payment I got the twin room for £96.
- Single room - £90 (including breakfast)
This hotel has been flagged by a previous visitor as having secure bicycle facilities. I will check this directly with the hotel. If you book using Booking.com or similar, you get free cancellation if the secure bicycle facilities are not in existence. Walking through the park there are many restaurants within about 200m. There are also a number of other hotel options in that area, some cheaper, some more expensive, if you want to stay somewhere else. As long as we’re relatively close together, can all reach a suitable restaurant, and agree a start time for the Saturday, that wouldn’t be an issue.
Saturday 14th SeptRiding - continue along the LF Massroute for a while, and then loop back to Tilburg. Approx 120 - 130km, but we can have options to shorten that. The direct route to Tilburg is only 70km, but that’s far too short for even a leisurely cycle tour!
Hotel -
- I’m trying to find somewhere suitable that is reasonably cheap (preferably cheaper than the previous night), has a restaurant or is close to somewhere to eat, and provides a breakfast. Might need to consider other nearby towns.
Sunday 15th SeptRiding - if we do stay in Tilburg, the direct route back to Hook of Holland is 108km. So plenty of scope either to deviate a little with the route, or have a relaxed final day.
Ferry - Hook of Holland to Harwich - 22:00 - 6:30
- Economy price - £44.50
- Mandatory cabin - £35 (single) or £46 (double)
- Breakfast buffet - £11 (optional, depending on your plans once back in England)
Next stepsPlease do book the return ferry and either the Hotel Courage or a suitable alternative close by in Nijmegen.
Can you let me know when you have booked so that I know who is confirmed on the trip?
I will confirm the bicycle storage at Hotel Courage once I hear back, and also the hotel arrangements for the Saturday night.