Dragonride 2017

Following the news that several days worth of Tour de France viewing would be found near to chez Hinton it was rapidly agreed that we would spend a few days in the vicinity of La Clariere to mingle with the elite on their rest day and to see 2 subsequent stages as well as a bit of sight seeing in the Dordogne. Initial thoughts are that we would gather in France on Sunday 9th July and depart for home on the following Saturday 15th.

Holland 2016

Some travel and accommodation details for June

My travel plans are confirmed as 10:58 Eurostar from London on Tuesday 7th June, eventually arriving in Rotterdam about 17:00 local time. From there it is 27km to Den Haag so a nice leg stretcher. I hope to see you all at the hostel.
My return is by the 15:56 Eurostar service from Brussels on Monday 13th (as is Martin, I think) after a night in Rotterdam on Saturday and a ride to Bruges on Sunday with Martin and Shawn. Our accommodation for Saturday is at the Hostel ROOM somewhere in central Rotterdam.

Check google + post now for details of hostel accomodation at bargain prices for our tour

Please check your google + page for details of 3 stayok hostels in Den Haag, Haarlem and Utrecht that I think fit the bill  and are cheap. I am happy to book any of them on mutual agreement. Booking.com is a really easy way of booking accommodation and no need to pay up front!

Outbound Ferry from Harwich to Hook of Holland- Stena

Hi all

For potential ferry users (Clyde, Maldwyn?) there is a ferry from Harwich to Hook of Holland leaving at 11.00pm arriving 8.00am HOH for short journey to Den Haag (20km). Crossing is currently £40.00 for man and bike with a cabin an obligatory extra. The cabins do look very good however and available as a single,double inside or outside(ie with porthole!) for £30-£40, includes show,wc desk nice flat screen tv etc.

 I am thinking of possibly extending my ride after Gouda/Rotterdam to include a trip along the dutch/belgium coast back to 1st Bruge(overnight) then on to Dunkirk for short daytime ferry back to blighty. Just a thought for now.

2016 Dragonride through Holland

At our meeting on 14th January it was unanimously agreed that we would visit Holland this year. A provisional week was agreed as w/c 6th June, this avoiding local school holidays. The actual starting date would be finalised once costs by various modes of transport were quantified - it was considered likely to be cheaper to travel mid-week.

The proposed route is to be found on a website called routeyou.com and is based on a start/finish at or around Den Haag and is estimated to be 5 days riding. The overnight stops will depend on availability and suitability. Martin has discovered that the Hostel at Noordwijk is fully booked for every Wednesday in June.

Shawn has researched ferry costs from various places and will (please!) append them as a comment.
Maldwyn has found a National Express coach service from Derby/Notts to Den Haag as a cost of £30 but users of this will have to take a folding bike for the ride.
The Eurostar leg of a rail journey cannot be confirmed until early to mid-March - 3 months before we return - but current lowest cost seems to be £43.50 from St Pancras to Rotterdam or back. EMT may offer through tickets from Derby or Notts.

I shall definitely use the train option (and using my folder for ease of Eurostar travel) so will be making an accommodation booking for the night before day 1 and probably the night after day 5.

Steam railways in Holland

As a possible attraction to visit, there is a steam railway (stoomtram) from Hoorn to Medemblik (20 km), and this can be combined with a boat trip. The location is on the 'Northern Route' in Eric's book. There are other steam heritage railways (stoomtreinen) and museums, eg Katwijk-Leiden. I think we pass right by there. 
Another attraction is the Heinecken Experience, Amsterdam. You get a free drink at the end - a bit like the Guinness brewery visit that Maldwyn and I did in 2011. I last went to the Heinecken brewery in 1970.