cycling

London to Amsterdam // July 2025

450km, 460m elevation, 5 days

A good go at finding the limits of this kind of trip, Monday to Sunday, extending time on the mainland as much as possible with the public transport from London. Similar to last year but with bigger ~100km days and a rest day for Friday night in Amsterdam. Switched to flats this time to avoid taking a 2nd pair of shoes.

Day 1: London to Bruges [91km]

Fun, fast and chilly descent into St Pancras for the 7am train - the first soundbound train of the day which gets us onto the 10am ferry to Dunkirk. Quick stop at the Dover Greggs for a hash brown that must have been 50% wood pulp. Dover check-in nice and simple, though got a rude reminder of the Gatorskin grip on the painted cycle lane in the wet. Behold our beautiful cycling proficiency certificate flag. Simply too many boring inside jokes to explain to the strangers at the port.

On the ground in France just after 1pm and it was heads down to the border. The cycling experience leaving the Dunkirk port is terrible and most of the others had started off in the wrong direction. Nearer the border we hit the cycle lane through the dunes which was smooth and lush: chased down a rollerblader and had a big hydration session on a bench with a drunk local.

At the Belgian border and Charlie is running low on snus which we discover is now illegal either side of the border. Next stop Veurne where we're hoping for some supplimentary food. Mostly smooth cycling along canals; a little spooky on the hard shoulder on 80kmph roads, but usually given plenty of room. In Veurne and there's no real food open on a Monday so we stick to the Stella...

Back on the road around 4pm, not quite halfway yet, with heavy rain and lightning on the forecast. Lovely paths along the canals all the way to Bruges, familiar from last year; nice to not have to concentrate on navigation in the horrendous weather. All lube washed off my chain quite early on. Took refuge under a bridge during the worst ten minutes with a couple of others. Head down again for an hour and a half til we hit the cobbles in Bruges and park up. Bonking hard and I immediately lose my room key. The restaurant we'd picked is sold out for the day, so we end up dazed eating McDonalds in silence. Lovely stuff.

Day 2: Bruges to Antwerp via Ghent [107km]

Biggest day of the trip with some familiar towns but a fresh route. Charlie has a train to catch from Antwerp to Amsterdam at 4:30pm which should in theory be fine but it's tight. Stocked up more seriously at Aldi/Lidl this time; packed full of Red Bull, yoghurts, nuts. Pretty weather but a storm rolls in as we're having a midday beer at a taproom in the industrial area in Ghent.

Stormed the second half of the day - much more on top of nutrition and hydration already - and it's made easy by the excellent long distance routes that run along the railway. We're taking the Sint-Anna ferry into the centre of town this time as an alternative to the Linkeroever tunnel we used last year and found very unpleasant. No hanging about but about a mile out from the ferry we get lost in a maze of roadworks and spend too long working out how to bypass them. We do end up right on time for the ferry we were intending to catch, but it's either cancelled or running 15 minutes late. On to the east bank with about 10 minutes to get to the central station, whipping through the city, very fun and reckless, but stopped again by roadworks where I get myself caught in a tram line. Lucky not to twist my rim, and probably would've come off if I were clipped in. Get to Antwerp Central two minutes late! In reality it's a huge place and it would take another ten minutes to find your platform and get down the escalators.

Day 3: Antwerp to Rotterdam (solo) [100km]

By myself for the day with exactly 100km to cover. Very keen start at 8:30am. More lovely Belgian cycle highways til the Netherlands border. Rain rolls in around midday minutes after I rolled through a town I could have sheltered in which means soaking wet shoes for the rest of the day. Roads a bit more undulating now. Drive thru ice cream shop saved me just before the very cool Heinenoord bike tunnel: really dramatic descent under the river - freezing cold down there. Area south of Rotterdam is chill and familiar, and I'm over the Erasmusbrug just after 2pm... Reunited with Charlie after I've checked in and had a beer.

Day 4: Rotterdam to Amsterdam [70km]

Ran out of time to plan this route so going by Komoot which insists on threading us through industrial estates and cobbled villages - garbage! Cheered up after a stop in Alphen aan den Rijn where we are treated to a show after someone does a runner from MediaMart and stacks it over a parked bike and police swoop in. Beautiful weather and a quick swim in a bathing area just outside of town. Route gets more chill, flying along and reaching Vondelpark at 4:30pm

Day 5: Amsterdam rest day [10km]

Day 6: Amsterdam to Rotterdam via Lieden [82km]

Coffees, Red Bulls and bagels vs the Dutch headwind. Hard work and lots of flat countryside. Arrive to Rotterdam Carnival which has totally shut down all the areas we're familiar with, but we manage to check in and cook dinner with the Curaçao news team.

Day 7: Rotterdam to London

Nice coffees at ROAST and Ripsnorter; chill metro ride to the port. Getting bored of the supermarkets now. Long ride home with a pitcher of Heineken. Made some friends on the train to Liverpool Street - they'd done the same journey to Rotterdam. Happy days.