The Rhine Cycle Route. Mike Wells

Чтение книги онлайн.

      Loading a cycle onto a Swiss train

      From northern England, an alternative is to use Stena Line ferries to reach Hoek van Holland from Harwich or P&O to Rotterdam (Europoort) from Hull, then Dutch NS trains to Rotterdam. Here you can connect via Venlo and Düsseldorf with DB (German Railways) services, with cycle provision, that will take you on to Basel. To book German trains go to www.bahn.com. Provision of cycle space on European trains changes frequently and up-to-date advice on travelling by train with a bicycle can be found on a website dedicated to worldwide rail travel ‘The man in seat 61’ (www.seat61.com)

      By air

      Airports at Zürich (two hours 30 minutes by train to Andermatt), Basel (three hours but you need to cycle from the airport to Basel station), Milan Malpensa (four hours 30 minutes) and Geneva (five hours), all served by a variety of international airlines, can be used to reach the start point. Airlines have different requirements regarding how cycles are presented and some, but not all, make a charge – which you should pay when booking as it is usually higher if you pay at the airport. All airlines require tyres to be partially deflated, handlebars turned and pedals removed (loosen pedals beforehand to make them easier to remove at the airport). Most will accept your cycle in a transparent polythene bike-bag, but some insist on use of a cardboard bike-box. Excess Baggage Company counters in all terminals at Heathrow and Gatwick sell bike boxes (www.left-baggage.co.uk). Away from the airports, boxes can be obtained from cycle shops, sometimes for free, although you do have the problem of how to transport the box to the airport.

      By road

      If you are lucky to have someone willing to drop you off at the start, it is between 850km and 950km (depending upon the route taken) from Calais to Oberalppass which is on Swiss Route 19 between Andermatt and Chur. With your own vehicle, the most convenient place to leave it is Basel, from where trains can be used to reach Oberalppass on the outward journey and which can be reached by train from Rotterdam on the return. Basel is between 675km and 850m from the Channel ports.

      European Bike Express operates a coach service from northern England, picking up en-route across England to the Mediterranean. Cycles travel in a dedicated cycle trailer and handlebars need turning, but otherwise cycles remain intact. There are drop-off points in eastern France at Nancy, where you can catch a train to Basel, or Mâcon for trains to Geneva. Details and bookings are available at www.bike-express.co.uk.

      Intermediate access

      There are international airports at Friedrichshafen (Stage 5), Basel/Mulhouse/Freiburg (Stage 9), Strasbourg (Stage 10), Karlsruhe/Baden (Stage 12), Köln/Bonn (Stage 19) and Düsseldorf (Stage 21). Zürich airport is 14km from Teufen (Stage 7) and Frankfurt airport 24km from Mainz (Stage 16) (note: Frankfurt Hahn airport is in the Hunsrück mountains 50km west of Bacharach and is not close to the route). Düsseldorf Weeze is 18km from Kalkar (Stage 23). Amsterdam Schiphol airport can be reached by train from Arnhem or Rhenen.

      Much of the route through Switzerland and Germany is closely followed by railway lines. In France between Basel and Strasbourg the railway is some distance from the route, while in the Netherlands there are no lines following the river and stations are only encountered at Arnhem, Rhenen and between Rotterdam and Hoek van Holland. Stations close to the route are listed in the text.

      Onward travel from Hoek van Holland

      Trains from Hoek van Holland run to Rotterdam, where frequent connections serve Amsterdam Schiphol, a major international airport with flights to worldwide destinations.

      Stena Line runs two ferries daily from Hoek van Holland to Harwich in the UK, in the afternoon and overnight (www.stenaline.co.uk). On overnight sailings, passengers must reserve cabins. From Harwich, trains with cycle provision run to London (Liverpool Street) and to Cambridge, where connections are available to the rest of the UK. P&O ferries sail nightly from Rotterdam (Europoort) to Hull (www.poferries.com). The route to the P&O terminal is described in Stage 27.

Navigation

      Waymarking and signposting