A 425km ride from London to Amsterdam, via Dover and Dunkerque, in two and a half days. Starting from Van Gogh Walk, Brixton, SW9 and ending at the Van Gogh Museum near the centre of Amsterdam.
Cycling in the Netherlands – not as flat as expected?
The first day’s ride is in two parts – a hilly 135km to Dover, and then, after a two hour ferry crossing, about 65km from Dunkerque (Dunkirk) in France to Ostend in Belgium for the first overnight stop.
The second day, of about 160km, starts with a quick inland detour to Bruges, before crossing unceremoniously into Holland, via a cycle path next to a sleepy canal, and then rejoining the coast at Breskens. Here a ferry (pedestrians and bikes only) takes you across the first of four big stretches of water interrupting Zeeland and South Holland. The remaining three crossings are by dramatic causeways forming part of the Delta Works, which protect a large area of Dutch land from the north sea. The Delta Works have been declared one of the “Seven Wonders of the Modern World” by civil engineers and are quite an experience for cyclists, too.
Crossing the Brouwersdam, part of the Delta Works
A further ferry crossing, this time over the River Maas just west of Rotterdam, brings you within striking distance of Delft and the second overnight stop.
The final section of the trip is a dash of about 65km from Delft to Amsterdam, much of it beside the pretty Leimuiderdijk waterway. Entry into Amsterdam includes a section through Amsterdam Forest and then back onto the city streets to pass the 1928 Olympic Stadium. The ride finishes at the Van Gogh Museum, about 3km away from Amsterdam Central Station.
Here is a route description, starting from Dunkerque. (For the route to Dover, start at SW9 0RD and find your way to SE10 8XJ, then follow the route on my London to Paris page, picking it up at the exit of Greenwich Park).
LBR London to Amsterdam – Route Description from Dunkerque – v2
Here are four GPX files for London to Amsterdam, as ridden in July 2018 with Julian Sharples.
LBR London to Amsterdam 1 of 4 – London to Dover
LBR London to Amsterdam 2 of 4 – Dunkerque to Ostend – mid section missing
LBR London to Amsterdam 3 of 4 – Ostend to Delft
LBR London to Amsterdam 4 of 4 – Delft to Amsterdam
The Dunkerque to Ostend file has about 20km drop out in the middle (I forgot to unpause Strava, sorry) – for this section follow the written description.
Malcolm Wills, September 2018