Tour
Total tour distance: 169 miles
Daily tour distance: 28 miles
Difficulty: 30 / 100
Description
This Bike Tour has a special NO-Bike programme every day. Great for couples, friends and families having different preferences!!
Two mighty sea-faring nations separated by the North Sea: Holland and England. Two world-class cities: Amsterdam and London. You will discover the unique stories of both empires. Holland with her flying windmills, dykes and canals, Dutch cheese and flowers. England with her ivy-clad cottages, tea & crumpets, austere colleges and royal traditions. A feast for the senses, a ride through the centuries!
Welcome to Amsterdam, the city of bikes, beer and canal boats! We set off toward Leiden, the oldest university town in Holland where the Pilgrims hunkered down before their epic voyage to the New World. Our trail passes through the shifting dunes along the North Sea coast into the heart of the cheese and flower belt. Onto Delft, the home of Vermeer. Your grandmother likely had a Delft Blue pattern in her china cabinet! We pedal all the way to the great port city Rotterdam over massive dykes and designer bridges, past windmills dotting the Dutch landscape like herds of sheep. We cycle along the massive storm surge barriers in Hoek van Holland where we board a night ferry for Harwich, U.K.
The verdant English landscape sets the stage for pure biking pleasure. You’ll discover why Essex and Suffolk inspired Harry Potter books and films. Imagine the Shire. Winding country roads, stone walls, towering Gothic cathedrals, medieval villages, ancient bridges over lazy rivers…scenes from a master’s paintbrush.
At Oxford, we walk the venerable campus, tour the birthplace of Winston Churchill, and slide down the rabbit hole into the magical world of Alice in Wonderland. We’ll do a bit of Queen-spotting around London and visit the Royal Guards at Windsor Palace, exploring the hot-spots along the Thames River.
Boring food? Not likely! On the Dutch side, prepare to indulge in sweet pancakes, waffle cookies, delicate fried cod, smoked eel, white asparagus and new potatoes. And if you like chocolate sprinkles, you’ll be delighted to know everyone here sprinkles them atop their toast! In Merrie Olde England, we know the best taverns that serve comforting favorites: pork pies, roast beef and Yorkshire pudding, delicate sandwiches, Indian curries, great ales and ciders, cream teas and scones.
And no middle of the road hotels on this adventure! Where would Alice stay? In charming B&Bs, cozy inns, and character hotels of course!