Rotterdam to Hull

After worrying all night about the bike being at the railway station I was up early and swiftly on my way to check if it was still there and OK.  Yes… sigh of relief!  With the bike back at the hotel foyer I packed my panniers and headed out of the city.  Only a short ride of approximately 50km to the village of Brielle (left arrow below).  Reaching it involved detouring off the direct route to the P&O terminal, but I have plenty of time.

Reluctantly I used Google Maps to navigate my way out of Rotterdam.  The directions from Google had me going around a small boat harbour then across a bridge over the river.  Being the Netherlands there was a good cycle path.  Moreover all the motorist are very mindful of cyclists and give way!

The boat harbour was picturesque BUT there was no bridge across the river.

I was in the midst of cursing Google when I noticed in the distance three dismounted cyclist standing in front of a grey door.  The door opened and they disappeared.  It was a lift!  There is no bridge.  It’s a pedestrian and cycle tunnel under the river!

Cycling along the south bank of the river was rather uninteresting.  Numerous cargo terminals and petrochemical plants.

On turning south I passed over a canal to reach a more rural region, eventually reaching my destination, Brielle.  What an attractive little village where cycling is the main form of transport.

I found a small hotel down a side street and before paying for a room ask if they had secure bike storage?  Of course they did… the Netherlands is cycling paradise.

After securing the bike in their locked courtyard, I went for a walk around the village noticing someone’s pride and joy in a suburban street.

A good night of sleep not worrying about the bike. 

The next day I slowly cycled to the P&O Terminal arriving just before boarding commenced, only to find a long queue of vehicles.  Eventually I reached the front of the queue and provided my passport and booking number (on my phone) to the lady in the booth.  What a shock when she informed me I wasn’t booked on the ferry.   Somehow I’d managed to book from Hull to Rotterdam rather than Rotterdam to Hull.  There was even more concern when she then informed me the sailing was fully booked.  Then she took pity on me and suggested I cycle to the main ferry office and ask if they could assist me.

Off I cycled only to find a long queue of elderly foot passengers attempting to board.

Finally I was at the front of the queue and after considerable and pitiful whining, grovelling and abasing they found me a cabin.  I then had to cycle back to the check-in booth before going through immigration and customs to board.  It was actually quite a nice cabin… with a window!

Departure wasn’t until 8pm so I wandered around the ship along with all the other passengers.

The next morning I woke a 5am and decided to have breakfast when the restaurant opened at 6am.

There was no one around!

Then I noticed a clock on the wall.  It was 4am.   A one hour time zone change for the UK.

At 7am I was packing the panniers as the ‘Maid of Rotterdam’ sailed up the Humber for an 8am arrival.

Back in England.  Cold, grey sky and threatening to rain (it did)

  

My 2024 European cycling trip is over.

Reflections

• The Netherlands cycling infrastructure is excellent.
• Namur to Dinant in Belgium was very attractive.
• I probably would have enjoyed the very hilly Ardennes if it hadn’t been raining.
• The path beside the River Saar between Saarbrucken and Luxembourg was scenic.
• Switzerland was very scenic but also very expensive.
• I enjoyed riding the north bank of Lake Constance
• Much of the EV15 (Rhine) route wasn’t what I had been expecting.  Little scenery or industrial.  Only the part between Mainz and Cologne was particularly enjoyable.
• Almost everyone I conversed with spoke English.
• The vast majority of cyclist were riding ebikes. 
• Would I do the trip again?  No!  There are other areas in Europe I’d like to see.

Duisburg to Rotterdam

The route along the Rhine almost took me to Nijmegen but then turned north away from the river as I cross the border into the Netherlands.  Having missed breakfast and again feeling dehydrated, I stopped for a bite and fluids

You wouldn’t realise you had just crossed the border into the Netherlands (former border post on the right) except for the conversion of the road to single lane with very nice red cycle paths on either side.

Towards the end of the day it started to rain and I decided against camping.  It was a small room but sufficient for my needs. 

Dinner was……. ‘Pork Schnitzel!’  What a surprise

The following morning the rain had stopped and I continued west.  The EV15 has moved north of the Rhine and I won’t see it again until Rotterdam.  The terrain is now very flat…. Easy cycling!  However I needed to rest my saddle sores at midday stopping in an attractive Dutch village.

It proved to be so interesting I lost concentration, cycling down the main pedestrian mall before realising I’d missed the turn back at the rest stop. More backtracking.

This is the land of canals and dykes. 

That evening I decided to treat myself to something other than a pork schnitzel.  Even if it was slightly more expensive.  French onion soup and beef burger

Not knowing what day I will eventually reach the ferry to the UK I’ve held off making a booking.  However today I calculated I can reach it in two days.  That fits in nicely with the end of the UK school holidays and will be a Monday, thus avoiding the weekend traffic.

To my surprise the Monday sailing is fully booked.   I’ll need to keep an eye on availability as I continue west.

This is the land of windmills

I wonder if it really is a house underneath?  This looks more like a windmill to pump water than grind grain.

It was at this point I made a mistake erred in my judgement and decided to book accommodation in Rotterdam rather than spending a night wrestling with the air mattress (sometimes it wins!).  Usually I book using Booking.com but this time I booked directly with the budget hotel located in the centre of Rotterdam.  It proved to be a mistake.

The Netherlands is a nation of cyclists, but to my surprise the hotel had no bike storage facilities.  A FIRST on the trip!  Moreover the staff at reception told me not to leave the bike out the front of the hotel as it was almost certain to be stolen.  They suggested I take it to the Rotterdam Central Railway Station, a 15 minute walk away, where there were numerous bike racks with CCTV coverage. 

There were thousands of bikes at the station.   But how many would be collected by their owners as the evening progressed.  Would my bike be on its own for the night.

A small sample

I carefully selected an anonymous vacant spot on a upper rack, securing the bike with my flimsy combination lock, which would only deter a casual or lazy thief.

All evening I worried about the bike; returning three times to check on it.  Those people loitering around the storage area looked unsavoury and I had a restless night.

  Central Railway Station

Eventually I decided if I was going to get any sleep I’d need to eliminate the worry by moving somewhere into the countryside for my last night in Europe.

Bonn to Duisburg

Cycling to Duisburg would also mean I’d reached the 1100km point on the return journey.

Today I left the hills behind and I’m not going to see them again as it will be flat all the way to Rotterdam.

The approach to Dusseldorf was interesting.  The cycleway southern approach was on a flood meadow and little could be seen of the city as it was obscured by the flood bank.

Over the past week I’ve seen several of the towers similar to the one in the above photo.  They look like airport control towers and my thought is they are river traffic control towers?

My butt was starting to get sore so I stopped and rested it for 30 minutes in a park on the northern edge of the city. Nice cycle path!

Initially I thought both towers in the photo below were part of the same building.  After further investigation I realised one was the cathedral spire and the other on the town hall.

The city Rathaus  (Town Hall)

Obviously the remains of an earlier tower, likely part of the city walls.  My understanding of German wasn’t good enough to read the plaque

Just north of Duisburg I found a quiet camping ground beside the Rhine.  Most of the residents appeared to be permanent, but the lady caretaker indicated they did provide tent sites for passing cyclists.  The cost was 12 euro with a further one euro to gain access to the showers.  These were on a timer (5 minutes). 

After establishing my campsite I went for a refreshing shower before sitting in my folding chair to rest. 

Within 30 minutes five more cyclists had arrived.

That evening I walked to ‘Gretchen’ the local pub/restaurant where I found yet more cyclists (mostly locals) enjoying an evening drink.

I settled on another pork schnitzel with chips and a side salad.  Washed it down with a coke!

Afterwards I watched the sunset over the river as several large barges and a cruise boat went past.

Another early night.  However it was quite noisy because of the river traffic.  The barges sound like approaching and departing jumbo jets.  I should have realised there would be continuous river traffic.

Bingen to Bonn

Yesterday’s map assessment of today’s terrain proved to be correct.  The distant hills crept closer to the Rhine until they formed a low barrier to my front.  The river cuts through them with the roads, railway and cycle path hugging the riverbanks.

With towns and castles on either side this was the scenery I’d been looking forward too since Lake Constance.

It’s also familiar ground as Jan and I had taken our two sons on a day river cruise here in 1991 as part of a 12 day Europe bus tour.  The oldest was 13 and youngest 10.  We wanted them to experience different countries, foods and cultures, which would hopefully whet their appetites for their own travel adventures.  It appears to have worked with the youngest as he has backpacked around the world twice visiting more countries then either of us!

The most well known part of this section of the Rhine is probably Lorelie Rock.  Near here is a castle on a small island in the middle of the river.

Day cruise boats were jostling for a berth on the far side of the river whilst numerous groins on my side prevented erosion.

The castle on the small island in the middle of the river is Pfalzgrafenstein Castle (better photos in this link).   I believe the castle was built by the local nobles to collect a toll from passing river traffic.  Back in 1991 the local tour guide referred to these nobles as “Robber Barons”.  You can see one of the castles on the skyline in the above photo.

Cycling on I passed through the cities of Cologne and Bonn.  In both cases the EV15 took me along the riverbank thus avoiding city traffic.  However even the riverbank was busy with pedestrians, tourist and local cyclists.

Not sure who he was?  Probably famous!

Another slight detour away from the river which led me to part of some old town walls.  I assume the arch is the original entrance.  Part of the original wall has been torn down to make vehicle access.  For some reason I felt the route when through the arch.  However I later realised the EV15 path went to the right, instead of through the arch.   More backtracking!

Back to the river and yet more castles. 

I found a quiet camping ground north of Bonn and after a shower went looking for something to eat. 

Pork schnitzel with cheese and pineapple topping.  Hey… don’t blame me… I just eat the stuff as fuel!

Another night wrestling with the air mattress as it attempts to escape from underneath me

Germerheim to Bingen

Today’s plan was to cycle beyond the city of Mainz.  About 130km! 

The EV15 had me riding on the western side of the Rhine and in Germany.  I’m now beyond France.  Fifteen kilometres into the ride the route took me away from the river and through the city of Speyer.  It was here that I noticed a low Lufthansa 747 coming into land.

Readers with sharp eyes will immediately see I’m writing “porkies”.  It’s actually a static display in the Technik Museum Speyer.   There is a walkway on the port wing.  The route took me around the perimeter of the museum where I could see several other smaller aircraft and some railway rollingstock before the EV15 took me through an underpass.

This brought me to the next interesting location.   A slightly pink cathedral.   This is the Roman Catholic Cathedral Speyer.  Construction commenced in 1030 and it is now the oldest remaining Romanesque church in Germany.

Several kilometres later I passed the 800km point on the return journey making me more than three quarters of the way through the trip.

There were numerous camping ground along this part of the Rhine but it was too early in the day to consider stopping.  The EV15 route swings to the west of the city of Mahnheim for which I was quite grateful.  Unless there is a good cycle path I don’t like cycling through built up areas.

10km later the path took me along the riverbank through the city of Worms.  Not sure how you pronounce that and I just used the pronunciation I’d use for the wriggly thinks in the earth

There were several more temporary detours caused by earthworks to the flood bank but eventually I reached Mainz.  The route through the city was along the western bank of the Rhine.  It was quite busy with numerous pedestrians and cyclists attempting to avoid each other.  Actually it was so busy I didn’t stop to take any photos.

The river bends to the west after Mainz.  The path followed the river and I cycled another 20km to reach the Campingplatz Hindenburgbrücke where I planned to spend the night.   Initially I was concerned as all I could see were motorhomes.  However on inquiring I was informed they had a small area for tents.

Opposite my campsite were a row of large wine barrels that had been converted to sleeping pods.  Had it been raining I might have considered using one of them

On the opposite riverbank was a large fortress

Looking at the map tomorrow may be more interesting as the Rhine appears to cut through a line of hills.

Strasbourg to Germerheim

Not being totally stupid (it’s an age thing!) I checked the weather forecast after crawling into my sleeping bag last night.  RAIN!  Starting at 8am.   There aren’t many worse things than packing up a campsite in the rain.  It would be an early start!  I was awake at 6am and packed by 6.45.  No sign of the rain but the sky was grey.  As forecast, it started to rain at 8am.  Only lightly and then it stopped around 10am.  The sky cleared and the sun came out.

I headed north along the eastern side of the Rhine.  The first third of the day was spent cycling on the eastern side of the flood embankment.  No view of the Rhine from the base of the embankment.  the scenery to the east was either woodland or farms.

The major disappointment of the day occurred when I reached Karlsruhe.  There is a major inland port here with the EV15 route on the map shown as crossing it at the entrance (red arrow below).

My initial impression was the crossing would be achieved via a lift bridge.  Then my heart sank when I realised the bike had to be taken up and down two flights of steps.  I would be doing the same action as I did at an earlier bridge where I damaged the bike.

On the building side of the steps was a 4” wide shallow steel trough.  Obviously the cyclist is expected to push their bike up and down the steps using the trough,   My problem is the bike is just too heavy for me to push up the gradient.  Moreover the panniers on the bike foul on the side of the building meaning I’d need to both push the bike up the ramp whilst simultaneously holding it at 30 degrees away from the wall.  

Perhaps I could detour around the port.   Looking at the map I quickly realised I’d be cycling for miles.   The other option was to unload the bike and carry everything up the stairs in three trips.  Then push the bike to the top.  The entire process was then repeated on the downward side.  Needless to say I wasn’t pleased!  But it had to be done…. And carefully!

A few kilometres later the route crossed the Rhine and headed inland before skirting around a large industrial area.  Eventually the route took me back to the Rhine.  This time I was on the western side of the flood bank.  Next the route took me up onto the top of the flood bank where there was a sealed path.  However this didn’t last long and I was forced onto yet another detour to the west due to major earthworks.  Either the flood bank was being repaired or raised.

The detour subsequently brought be back to the main EV15 route.  But not to the Rhine.  Good, sealed and flat riding through woodlands.  The route became busier with more day cyclists out enjoying the weather. 

Two kilometres before Germerheim; my destination for the day; the route was on the river bank with views of the river traffic.  It was also very busy with numerous families out cycling. 

According to my posterior I rode 120km today and am now 670km into my return journey.  Only 850km to go!

Basel to Strasbourg

To my two readers.  Yes, there has been a long gap since my last post on the 22nd August!   A brief explanation.   I had a technical problem with the laptop which I was unable to resolve whilst cycling.  On reflection, taking the laptop on a cycling trip is probably unnecessary and is definitely additional weight.

Cycling the 160km from Basel to Strasbourg in a day was always going to be a significant challenge.  The issue wasn’t with my legs or general fitness.  The problem was the bike saddle.  Whilst my temporary repairs allowed me to use it I knew would start to suffer after 50km.  The cycling day ended with me in a nice camping ground approximately 10km short of Strasbourg.

No spectacular scenery during the ride.  Much of it was along sealed and unsealed paths through woodlands.  At the 25km point I started looking for a spot where I could dismount and give my gluteus maximus a rest from the saddle.  Looking at my surroundings whilst eating an apple (breakfast) I noticed something unusually over the fence adjacent to the cycle path.

A deer farm

The two stags were laying quietly in the long grass ignoring the passing cyclists.

It started to get very hot.  Not something that I recognised whilst cycling as there is a continual breeze at 20-25km/h.  I was rehydrating from my camelback and my perspiration was evaporating almost immediately.  Eventually I realised the 1.5 ltrs in my camelback must be getting low and I started looking for a shop.  At 60km I made a short detour from the EV15 route and found an open ice cream parlour.  Actually a number of cyclists had already found it!

My bike with the orange panniers out the front. 

After consuming a small vanilla ice cream and refilling the camelback I continued along the eastern side of the Rhine in Germany.  The opposite bank of the river was France.

The route detoured away from the river and I found myself cycling through a small village with an interesting church.

 

If my memory is accurate the name of the village was Oberhausen.  I took the road to the right in front of the church and it wasn’t until several minutes had passed that I realised I should have turned left. 

After backtracking and finding the EV15 signage I found myself once again riding beside the river.  Unfortunately the trees on the riverbank obscured my view.  To my right was woodland. 

I cycled on and at the 100km point was once again starting to feel thirsty.  This was a rather lonely stretch with no sign of villages or riverside shops.  Eventually I found myself riding beside the river on top of a flood bank.

If it hadn’t been for a stationary bicycle I would have missed the small food van set back from the path.  I wasn’t hungry but did down two bottles of Coke Cola.

Continuing north I reached a significant detour.  The EV15 route goes around an area of wetlands.  However looking at Google Earth there appeared to be a direct crossing.  Should I risk it?  Eventually I decided to trust the EV15 signage and cycled the longer route.

By the time I reached the camping ground I was ready for a rest.  The cost per night for one person  was 12EU.   It had an excellent shower and toilet block along with a restaurant.  The staff allowed me to recharge the bike battery in the camp games room, which was unoccupied.  After pitching my tent I went for a shower and then wandered across to the café where I asked for a beer (still dehydrated!).  The waitress wasn’t German and indicated she spoke no English.  However she did understand the word ‘'”beer” and my hand gestures for ‘large’.

More cyclists appeared as the evening progressed.  Some were quite noisy!  However I was so tired I just removed my hearing aids which allowed me to wrestle with my airbed in silence.