The Rhine Tours Description

Ride#1: Cologne to Strasbourg 9 nights. 36miles/day 11thSept 2015 £850
Ride#2: Strasbourg to Rotterdam 8 nights 65miles/day 19th Sept 2015 £799

 

The Rhine bank cycleway is reckoned to be the most popular route in all of Europe, and for very good reasons; it goes through the spectacular Rhine Gorge, past beautiful villages, wineries and so many hilltop castles.

There are two options for the Rhine tour; both are staying in a different hotel every night. Both tours are on the flat and very easily paced. They differ in the distance covered each day, their direction of travel (one going South, the other North) and the places at which we stay. Both rides are lead by experienced enthusiasts, but neither is supported by vehicles. You can ride with the group or meander along just with a friend or even on your own. Both rides start out with a flight from London Stansted.

The two rides more specifically are:

 

Ride #1 going South. Cologne to Strasbourg. 36 miles per day average.
11/09/15 to 20/09/15   9 nights in hotels, 8 days pedalling.
£850 per person based on two sharing.

 

We gather on Friday 11th of September at Stansted and hand over our bikes and gear to Rob and his van. We then jump aboard the evening Flight to Cologne from where we are transferred by minibus to our hotel in the heart of the city. In the morning after breakfast we collect our bikes and panniers from the van, saddle up and pedal off.

There follows the most leisurely 8 days cycling along the water’s edge watching the barges and Rhine cruisers. We go under railway bridges, through wooded glades and past castles on hilltops. For the first four days we pedal along right next to the mighty Rhine. Beyond that we sometimes drift away from the flood plain to shortcut the river‘s meanders and to reach our hotels.  With only around 36 miles per day we have lots of time to explore the beautiful villages along the way. There’s plenty of history here; The Baron robbers, The Romans, Napoleon and of course the remnants of the second world war’s bridges,particularly Remagen.

The highlights (other than the silky smooth riverside cycle tracks) are Cologne cathedral, Remagen Bridge, Geyser Andernach, Deuchers Eck (where the Mosel meets the Rhine at Koblenz), Castles Sterenberg and Liebenstein, St Goar, Rhine Gorge, Loreley Rock, Bacharach, the Mouse Tower, Rudesheim, Strasbourg Old Town... The list goes on.

We stay in a different hotel every night, pedalling every day and carrying our own gear, until we reach Strasbourg on Saturday 19th. That evening we hand over our bikes and gear to give the van a heads start on its return trip. The last day is Sunday 20th when we have a lazy morning before catching our (early afternoon) flight out of Baden and home to Stansted. There Rob should be waiting for us to hand back our gear and bikes. This tour ends at Stansted mid Sunday afternoon.
Our overnight stops on this tour are at Cologne, Remagen, Koblenz, Bacharach, Nierstein, Mannheim, Germersheim, Rastatt and Strasbourg.

 

Ride #2 going North. Strasbourg to Rotterdam. 65 miles per day average. 19/09/15 to 27/09/15. 7 nights in hotels, 1 night on board the overnight ferry to Hull or Harwich.  £799 per person based on two sharing.

 

The second, more energetic Rhine Tour starts at Stansted with an evening flight to Strasbourg on Saturday 19th of September. Our bikes have previously been handed over to Rob the “Van-man” at various points on his route down the A1 from Newcastle to Dover (on Thursday) the day before we fly. This allows them a heads start so that they can be in Strasbourg for our arrival. We, meanwhile have a short taxi ride to the city centre hotel where our bikes and gear have been delivered.

For the next 7 days we cover around 65 miles each day heading North carrying our gear with us. Please remember there is no back up vehicle, so you and your bike must be fit and ready for this trip. We shall see everything that those on the Ride#1 trip have seen (see above) and more besides, because on this trip, there is no flight home; when we get to Cologne we veer away from the Rhine and cross Holland. Now, technically this last bit is not a “Rhine Tour”, more an adventure in its own right. It’s still flat and it’s still mainly by the water’s edge. But it’s across Holland and not alongside the Rhine so please don’t be mislead. As compensation the route is however mostly on superb Dutch cycle paths. They take us to Rotterdam; to Europort for those heading to Hull and to Hoek van Holland for those heading to Harwich.

The trip finishes when we arrive in England , so you’ll need to make your own arrangements to get home from the port. Pedal home, or throw the bike into the car, the choice is yours.

So, back to both trips:

 

What’s Included? (for both tours)

 

Flight from Stansted to the airport nearest to your starting point.
Standard economy flight to Cologne for Ride#1 or Strasbourg for Ride#2. Minibus or taxi transfer from airport to the first city centre hotel.

Accommodation is in hotels or guest houses, depending on numbers. Price quoted is per person based on two sharing a twin or double room. Singles are also available but for a slight adjustment in price.
Breakfasts are provided but these are generally “continental” ie; NOT Full English!
Lunches are NOT included but are easily and cheaply gleaned from spar shops or cafes en route.
Evening meals are NOT included in the price. Explore and eat out in the evenings, or shop at the supermarket and economise. (Actually, experience has shown the best way is probably to eat at a cheap cafe a few miles from the hotel – good old British compromise!)

Transfer of your bike and gear to the start point. For Ride#1 this will be picked up at Stansted and taken to the Cologne Hotel. For Ride#2 collection will be from a mutually agreed point down the A1/A2 corridor between Newcastle and Dover, and this happens a day before we fly; these bikes must be at Strasbourg 500 miles away ready for our arrival the next day.

At the end of Ride#1(Strasbourg) our gear will be taken back to Stansted in time for our arrival there. For Ride#2 we ride all of the way home to the UK so there is no provision for returning our bikes or gear.

Tour Leaders. Unfortunately Cynthia Bagwash won’t be appearing in person. She never does. But Don, John and Dave are well seasoned tour leaders and at least two of them will be on each trip. They are there to help find our way, and to dispense indispensible advice, to help fix punctures and make running repairs.

Navigation. GPX files will be offered to anyone who can use them. In fact, if you have a smart phone, you CAN use them. All will be explained if you decide to join us! Don’t worry, it’s easy. Purely for interests sake our team all have Garmin Etrex (handlebar mounted) GPS sets. We don’t issue paper maps anymore.

 

Further details:
 

The pace is easy (we are on holiday after all), and the terrain is flat as we are mostly at river level.  The tracks are mainly freshly ironed tarmac but occasionally we go along cinder tracks too, so:

The best bike for the job is a tourer or Hybrid, ideally with 700c wheels shod with puncture resistant tyres of 28mm section. Mudguards and lights are of benefit.  Cycling helmets aren’t a requirement but if you want to wear yours please feel free to do so. Panniers are necessary as you will need somewhere to store your overnight gear. Please take a bike lock too. There’s no back up truck to transport our gear between hotels or to take our bikes should they go wrong. But the Tour leaders Dave, Don and John will gladly help with punctures, breakages and adjustments.

Feel free to pedal along with the tour leaders group, in your own “break away” group, just with your pals, or even alone if you prefer. This is meant to be a stress free, relaxing holiday. Please don’t allow yourself to be pressed along in a group going quicker than is comfortable for you.

The cost of the trip is payable a minimum of four weeks before we go. But it’s first come first served, and places are limited. Everyone who joins the trip is requested to complete the entry form.

To Book: Please call, email or text Don and have a chat to make sure you are happy before filling in a booking form and sending us money. Places on the trip are of course dependant on availability in the hotels, aeroplanes and ships, so the earlier you contact us, the better is the chance of success.

Email: Cynthiabagwash@gmail.com. Call: 07462 692842 Or text us and we’ll call you back.