Denise and I make a summer holiday touring some places across the channel that we suspect will be really good for cycling. We stayed at three sites, crossed the channel by P&O ferry and also rented a small car for a few days in Alsace. Denise took her e-bike and I took my hybrid, guessing that some off road would be on the menu. Well, not really off road – in fact I should have taken a road bike especially for Alsace where we met up with the Tour de France stage 5. Holland (Delft) was just so easy to cycle in and around town and in the surrounding countryside, Germany was mostly about following the cycle path along the river Rhine and in Alsace of course the wine route! We had really good weather again, it was so hot when we arrived in Delft(38C) and then again in Rudesheim (38C) and in Turckheim (32C). We didn’t take the awning and fortunately we really didn’t need it.
Delft, Netherlands June 25 – 30 We cut the stay short by 1 day because we couldn’t stand the noise from the play area behind Bertie – kids were kicking footballs against a wall until gone 11pm 🙁 Otherwise, the site was OK, situated very well that we could cycle and even walk into Delft (Delftse Hout) or catch a bus from outside the gate!
Sent Russ a picture of the Big Friendly Giant in front of us on the ferry! We met the two guys in the van, it was their father’s van and they were borrowing it for a stag do in Austria!Denise and I went on a long casual ride around the bike paths of Delft and the countryside. Most of the way it was like this picture – beautiful traffic-free paths and no-one around.That is actually a bridge and crossroads on an intersection of cycle paths!Just perfect for cycling, we managed about 30 miles today, to Maasluis and back.This is actually a restaurantWe stopped at the windmill restaurantOn some of the paths, you must cross the canals with a ‘do it yourself’ chain ferry! That’s me pulling us across.On the Sunday, we decided to take the train from Delft to Scheveningen beach, this is the station at Scheveningen beach.Because it was really hot and it was Sunday, it got crowded.Back in lovely Delft, many canals and streets look like this.The main square, oh and another G&T and a local beer 🙂We left our bikes here somewhere!A brilliant vinyl record shop in DelftThe very same hotel that we stayed at years ago with Evan and Denise – hasn’t changed too much.Outside Halfords in Delft!
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Rudesheim, Germany 30 June – July 3 We arrive 1 day early and stay for 3 nights. What an absolutely cracking site by the river, beautiful facilities and once again located close enough to town that we can easily cycle or walk there. Supermarkets are also close by (including an Aldi), so we could load up with fresh supplies. On the Sunday that we arrived (last Sunday in June), they close the roads on both sides of the Rhine to allow cycles, skaters, walkers total access from Rudesheim all the way to Koblenz and back. I just had a taste of it after we arrived and set up Bertie.
The road is closed to car traffic and just bikes are allowed for many miles!I got as far as this and turned back, unbelievable!That’s Bertie all hooked up on the site in the shade of the trees.Several bike trekkers use this site, they are touring the route of the Rhine river.It’s hot enough that we cook and eat outside.We take the bike path from Rudesheim to Koblenz on the left bank, so we must catch the Bingen car ferry and take our bikes across.The view back to the vineyards of Rudesheim from the ferry.Once across to the left bank, the cycle path is well made and goes for many miles uninterrupted just like this.A pair of cyclists with panniers, must be touring the Rhine also – maybe from source (SWZ) to exit (Hook of Holland). It inspires me to get panniers for my bike when I get home!The site shower block – spotless.Bertie again.Shower block and cafe/shop.Drosselgasse in Rudesheim, we take lunch at one of the many restaurants.And of course, in Germany I chose to have Schweinehaxe 🙂 You have to be very hungry to finish it, I did!I managed to persuade Denise on to the cable car above Rudesheim, she has a fear of heights and hung on tight!Hanging on tightView across the river to Bingen from the cable car.Posting Freddie and Allegra’s card in Rudesheim
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Turckheim, Alsace, France July 3-11
Our last stop on the short summer tour, aptly we will watch the Tour de France stage 5 before we leave for home, it comes through the village on the way to the finish sprint in Colmar. This site is also really well equipped and perfectly located for the village shops and bars/restaurants, once again the site has bikepackers and they must be touring the wine route. We even partake in a local wine tasting in the village town hall on one evening. Many wine producers are located here and the surrounding villages, they are all picture postcard type villages and we are glad that we rented a car for a few days to visit some of them. The village is famous for the many storks that nest in the high positions above the buildings, including the floodlights adjoining the campsite!
The view from our pitch, across a small river.Our neighbours come for a drink, there are fish in the river and I suspect they are dinner some evenings.Denise and I cycle to about 1km up the final ascent of the TdF stage 5 to watch the professionals close up. It is pretty steep at this point but these two are having an idle chat!!!!I took many photos of the riders We had a great spot to watch from.Here is the peloton and Alaphilippe (yellow jersey) and Peter Sagan (green jersey) – G and the Ineos team are right behind them. Sagan was the stage winner with a sprint finish.Don’t forget the caravan and all of the freebies they chuck out of the vans, there must have been about 50 different sponsors.TurckheimTurckheim station platformA weary cyclist!In Colmar station, they get in the spirit of the tour!Colmar, Little VeniceColmar, the indoor market placeKaysersbergposing for me back at the siteview from our pitch.view of Bertie from the bridge near the shower blockview from our pitch in the evening, a stork comes by – oh and another couple of beers and bikes 🙂one of the restaurants in Turckheimjust around the corner from the campsite, through the vineyards for about 1km to the next village and the cycle routes.on the cycle route to/from Munster, almost all of it dedicated bike path like this.
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