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| Capital transfer: a cycling trip from London to Amsterdam | Capital transfer: a cycling trip from London to Amsterdam |
| (3 days later) | |
| It felt like we’d been cycling for hours when we stopped for lunch in Epping Forest, on the north-eastern edge of London. After downing a portion of vegan tagine and some homemade cake, I asked how far we’d come. “About 15 miles,” said Simon, the tour leader, cheerfully. Only 15 miles? Gulp. Suddenly the idea of cycling 160 miles from London to Amsterdam over three days seemed rather daunting. | It felt like we’d been cycling for hours when we stopped for lunch in Epping Forest, on the north-eastern edge of London. After downing a portion of vegan tagine and some homemade cake, I asked how far we’d come. “About 15 miles,” said Simon, the tour leader, cheerfully. Only 15 miles? Gulp. Suddenly the idea of cycling 160 miles from London to Amsterdam over three days seemed rather daunting. |
| Many people cycling from London to Brighton, Paris or, indeed, Amsterdam, are taking part in a charity challenge. Others, travelling to the continent for a cycling holiday, won’t really start riding until they get there. But with newly-launched Beespoke Tours, things are a bit different: the journey is the holiday. So the pace is relatively slow, with plenty of breaks and time to take in the view. There is a support vehicle to carry the bags. And, crucially, the starting point is in central London and the end point is in central Amsterdam. | Many people cycling from London to Brighton, Paris or, indeed, Amsterdam, are taking part in a charity challenge. Others, travelling to the continent for a cycling holiday, won’t really start riding until they get there. But with newly-launched Beespoke Tours, things are a bit different: the journey is the holiday. So the pace is relatively slow, with plenty of breaks and time to take in the view. There is a support vehicle to carry the bags. And, crucially, the starting point is in central London and the end point is in central Amsterdam. |
| We set off from King’s Cross station. Of the three others on this inaugural trip, one was an experienced cyclist, one was a hobbyist who averaged 25 miles at weekends, and one was, like me, a cycle commuter with no long-distance experience. Simon and his partner Clarissa (who drove the van) are eager to show that anyone who is reasonably active can cycle long distances; it’s not just for the Lycra brigade. Simon, a keen cyclist who used to work for an investment bank, noticed that lots of people now own quality bikes thanks to schemes like Cycle2Work, but don’t get much chance to use them. He had the idea of offering trips where participants ride their own bike (road or hybrid recommended) from London to Amsterdam, Paris or Bruges. | We set off from King’s Cross station. Of the three others on this inaugural trip, one was an experienced cyclist, one was a hobbyist who averaged 25 miles at weekends, and one was, like me, a cycle commuter with no long-distance experience. Simon and his partner Clarissa (who drove the van) are eager to show that anyone who is reasonably active can cycle long distances; it’s not just for the Lycra brigade. Simon, a keen cyclist who used to work for an investment bank, noticed that lots of people now own quality bikes thanks to schemes like Cycle2Work, but don’t get much chance to use them. He had the idea of offering trips where participants ride their own bike (road or hybrid recommended) from London to Amsterdam, Paris or Bruges. |
| Related: Top 10 cycling holidays in Europe | Related: Top 10 cycling holidays in Europe |
| Until that first lunch stop, we’d ridden through back streets of Islington and Hackney, and along canal towpaths further east. The going was easy but stop-start, as roads and pedestrians got in our way – which is why it took us so long to cover 15 miles. For the rest of that day and all the next, we were on Essex country lanes, picking up speed over rolling hills, exhilarated to have escaped the city under our own steam. We saw pheasant, grouse and rabbits; cycled past bluebell woods; and rode through idyllic villages with “Warning: ducks crossing” signs – and even saw some ducks actually crossing. | Until that first lunch stop, we’d ridden through back streets of Islington and Hackney, and along canal towpaths further east. The going was easy but stop-start, as roads and pedestrians got in our way – which is why it took us so long to cover 15 miles. For the rest of that day and all the next, we were on Essex country lanes, picking up speed over rolling hills, exhilarated to have escaped the city under our own steam. We saw pheasant, grouse and rabbits; cycled past bluebell woods; and rode through idyllic villages with “Warning: ducks crossing” signs – and even saw some ducks actually crossing. |
| There was some traffic as we skirted Chelmsford, but all was peaceful again when we stopped for dinner at the Jolly Sailor in Heybridge Basin near Maldon, overlooking the Blackwater estuary. I thought we were spending the night here, so it was a bit of a shock to have to climb back on the bike and cycle another couple of miles to Osea Meadows campsite, where we were all sharing a huge lodge tent. I had my own canvas room and a proper bed, and was anticipating a good night’s sleep after cycling about 50 miles, but regretted not having built up the wood-burning stove before going to bed, as it was freezing cold. | There was some traffic as we skirted Chelmsford, but all was peaceful again when we stopped for dinner at the Jolly Sailor in Heybridge Basin near Maldon, overlooking the Blackwater estuary. I thought we were spending the night here, so it was a bit of a shock to have to climb back on the bike and cycle another couple of miles to Osea Meadows campsite, where we were all sharing a huge lodge tent. I had my own canvas room and a proper bed, and was anticipating a good night’s sleep after cycling about 50 miles, but regretted not having built up the wood-burning stove before going to bed, as it was freezing cold. |
| The next day, we faced the same distance again, all the way to Harwich. Again, we were on country lanes, with a few main roads around Colchester. My legs felt surprisingly fresh, but the stops were welcome and well-chosen: a country park, the banks of the Colne at Rowhedge, a pretty churchyard. | The next day, we faced the same distance again, all the way to Harwich. Again, we were on country lanes, with a few main roads around Colchester. My legs felt surprisingly fresh, but the stops were welcome and well-chosen: a country park, the banks of the Colne at Rowhedge, a pretty churchyard. |
| We giggled our way through Fingringhoe, and again as we passed a sign for a “secret nuclear bunker”. We drank tea on a village green next to an old red phone box that had been turned into a book swap. But it wasn’t all ye olde England. In Essex, the car is king: we were honked at by more than one impatient driver, and some of the overtaking was too close for comfort. It was a relief to arrive in Harwich, where we ate fresh crab and dover sole at the brilliant Alma Inn. | We giggled our way through Fingringhoe, and again as we passed a sign for a “secret nuclear bunker”. We drank tea on a village green next to an old red phone box that had been turned into a book swap. But it wasn’t all ye olde England. In Essex, the car is king: we were honked at by more than one impatient driver, and some of the overtaking was too close for comfort. It was a relief to arrive in Harwich, where we ate fresh crab and dover sole at the brilliant Alma Inn. |
| It was a completely different story in the Netherlands. After a comfortable night in a cabin on the ferry to Hoek van Holland (cycling on and off with all the lorries is great fun, like going round a Scalextric track), we rode straight on to a cycle path and stayed on it, more or less, all the way to Amsterdam. The first stretch took us along the coast, with unexpectedly beautiful wide sandy beaches and impressive dunes. The Netherlands’ non-motoring infrastructure is incredible: at one point, there was a cycle lane, a footpath and a bridle path side by side – and all three were well-used, by people of all ages. | |
| Simon and Clarissa are committed to green travel, and the whole trip had reflected that ethos. Breakfast, lunch and snacks were vegetarian, and often organic and locally sourced (dinner was a matter of personal choice). | Simon and Clarissa are committed to green travel, and the whole trip had reflected that ethos. Breakfast, lunch and snacks were vegetarian, and often organic and locally sourced (dinner was a matter of personal choice). |
| Of course, there is a carbon cost to the support vehicle and ferry crossing, so some of guests’ money goes to Trees for Life, a charity working to restore 1,000 square miles of Caledonian forest in Scotland. Even the company website is hosted by a wind-powered provider. | Of course, there is a carbon cost to the support vehicle and ferry crossing, so some of guests’ money goes to Trees for Life, a charity working to restore 1,000 square miles of Caledonian forest in Scotland. Even the company website is hosted by a wind-powered provider. |
| Related: How Amsterdam became the bicycle capital of the world | Related: How Amsterdam became the bicycle capital of the world |
| Skirting the Hague, we turned inland, through farming country. Our first tulip field raised a cheer, as did each windmill. The wind was behind us and we flew towards Haarlem, freewheeling for long stretches. Sixty-five miles just flew by and after a beer break in Haarlem we had just 15 miles to go. This was the hardest section, through saddle-soreness, knotted shoulders and just the knowledge that we were nearly there. But finally we were cycling through leafy Rembrandtpark and bike-clogged city streets to our eco hotel, Conscious Hotel Vondelpark. | Skirting the Hague, we turned inland, through farming country. Our first tulip field raised a cheer, as did each windmill. The wind was behind us and we flew towards Haarlem, freewheeling for long stretches. Sixty-five miles just flew by and after a beer break in Haarlem we had just 15 miles to go. This was the hardest section, through saddle-soreness, knotted shoulders and just the knowledge that we were nearly there. But finally we were cycling through leafy Rembrandtpark and bike-clogged city streets to our eco hotel, Conscious Hotel Vondelpark. |
| I had planned to spend a day seeing Amsterdam before taking the train and ferry home (while Clarissa and Simon took the bikes back to London) but as it turned out, I was too exhausted to do more than the Rijksmuseum. | I had planned to spend a day seeing Amsterdam before taking the train and ferry home (while Clarissa and Simon took the bikes back to London) but as it turned out, I was too exhausted to do more than the Rijksmuseum. |
| That first evening, though, we all felt a little giddy at our success in getting from one capital to another by our own efforts (with a little help from a big boat). When we arrived, one member of the group stripped down to his bib shorts for celebratory photographs; another had to be talked out of getting a bee – for Beespoke Tours – tattooed on his bottom. The champagne flowed, and those tough first and last 15 miles were forgotten. In the Netherlands, there are no cyclists – just people who cycle. It felt good to be one of them. | That first evening, though, we all felt a little giddy at our success in getting from one capital to another by our own efforts (with a little help from a big boat). When we arrived, one member of the group stripped down to his bib shorts for celebratory photographs; another had to be talked out of getting a bee – for Beespoke Tours – tattooed on his bottom. The champagne flowed, and those tough first and last 15 miles were forgotten. In the Netherlands, there are no cyclists – just people who cycle. It felt good to be one of them. |
| • The trip was provided by Beespoke Tours (07766 073545, beespoketours.co.uk), whose three-night London-Amsterdam tour costs £650pp, including accommodation, ferry crossing from Harwich (return trip from Amsterdam not included), breakfast, lunch, support vehicle, luggage transit and bike return | • The trip was provided by Beespoke Tours (07766 073545, beespoketours.co.uk), whose three-night London-Amsterdam tour costs £650pp, including accommodation, ferry crossing from Harwich (return trip from Amsterdam not included), breakfast, lunch, support vehicle, luggage transit and bike return |
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