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The Netherlands (Holland) and Belgium

Bruges to Amsterdam

Bike and Barge holiday

Grade

1
2
3
4
5

Duration

8 days

Prices from

£1,045 P.P.
The Netherlands (Holland) and Belgium

Bruges to Amsterdam

Bike and Barge holiday

Grade

1
2
3
4
5

Duration

8 days

Prices from

£1,045 P.P.
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2
During this tour we will be exploring some of the world's most beautiful cities including Bruges, Ghent, Antwerp, Utrecht and Amsterdam, where you can experience a wealth of historical charm. The daily bike tours will take us through a variety of flat landscapes, along the River Schelde, through perfectly preserved historic villages and along winding dike roads.
Along the way we will cycle through the beautiful Dutch landscape of Zeeland, we'll visit a real Dutch cheese farm and also have the chance to explore the 19 Dutch windmills in Kinderdijk. The province of Zeeland is essentially one big river delta of the Rhine, Meuse and Scheldt Rivers and is famous for its fantastic beaches, whilst the Flanders region of Belgium boasts a number of world-famous medieval towns and has a well-deserved reputation for superb food and drink. There really is something for everybody on this holiday! 
Your accommodation for the week is on a specially designed barge. Please see the accommodation section below for more information relating to the barges. During the day, a local leader will be leading the way, however route descriptions are provided if you'd prefer to cycle independently from the group.
This tour is run in conjunction with a local partner and you will join their guests on the tour. You will spend your evenings sharing experiences of the day with an international group of cyclists over authentic regional cuisine, cooked and served on board the barge. Please get in touch if you'd like to know the make up of the group booked onto your chosen departure.

 

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Holiday Highlights

  • Staying on board a charming Dutch Barge
  • Cycling through beautiful Flemish cities
  • Enjoying a leisurely evening meal, with a friendly mix of nationalities
  • Viewing the impressive 17th century windmills at Kinderdijk
  • Spending the night in the lively, diverse city of Ghent
  • Experiencing the UNESCO World Heritage town of Bruges

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Would absolutely recommend Skedaddle – service and product were excellent. I loved this holiday. I saw areas of the countries that the average traveler would never see. The bike and barge was a prefect mix – cycle all day and relax on a nice river cruise ship at night.

Lisa, Canada

Itinerary

Day 1
Arrival into Bruges
6 Miles / 11 Kms Approx.
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  • Meals: Dinner

Today you will arrive into Bruges and make your way to your barge for 13.00 to board (boarding between 13:00 and 14:00). After a welcome meeting with the crew at 14:00, there’ll be time for a bike fitting and a short test ride through the countryside surrounding Bruges. After dinner your guide will take you for a short walk through the centre of Bruges.

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Day 2
Bruges to Ghent
36 Miles / 57 Kms Approx.
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  • Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner

We’ll start our day today on the water as the barge leaves Bruges early in the morning. Just outside the city, our first bike tour through the flat lands of West-Flanders, to Ghent, begins. Our destination today is the historical centre of Ghent, which you can explore during an afternoon stroll; the town centre features lovely illuminated streets which are simply unmissable!

The barge is docked in Merelbeke (a small suburb); just a 30 minute cycle from Ghent city centre.

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Day 3
Ghent to Dendermonde
24 Miles / 40 Kms Approx.
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  • Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner

After breakfast in Ghent, we’ll ride downstream through a diverse landscape, discovering some of the most beautiful parts of the River Schelde. The route will take us to Dendermonde; a charming town on the confluence of the River Dender and Schelde, with a beautiful town hall located on a cozy square; the perfect place to sit with a coffee and watch the world go by.

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Day 4
Dendermonde to Antwerp
21 or 39 Miles / 48 or 63 Kms Approx.
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  • Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner

Today we will follow the River Schelde further downstream over Baasrode and Temse to Antwerp. There is a beautiful cycling track along the river and the scenery is magnificent!

Antwerp is well known as a major sea port and the city where the famous painter Rubens was born. If you‘re an art lover, you should take some time to visit the cathedral where you can admire his paintings. Antwerp is also famous for handling up to 80% of the world’s rough diamonds.

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Day 5
Antwerp to Dordrecht
13 or 23 Miles / 20 or 36 Kms Approx.
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  • Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner

This morning, the ship will sail along the Schelde-Rhine Canal to the huge Kreekrak lock system. Here your bicycle tour starts through the beautiful “Wouwse Plantage” forest to Tholen.

Tholen was once an island in the middle of the large Zeeland streams, where many of the locals here would spend their days fishing for a living. Nowadays the island is not as isolated as there are many connections to the mainland, however this remains as picturesque village with many relics of an eventful past.

From here you’ll enjoy a lovely afternoon sail on to Dordrecht, one of the oldest cities in the Netherlands and our destination for the day. During the cruise be sure to watch out for the impressive Volkerak lock system. This evening your tour leader will take you for a stroll around Dordrecht town telling you about the history of the Netherlands.

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Day 6
Dordrecht to Vianen (Via Kinderdijk)
36 Miles / 57 Kms Approx.
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  • Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner

Today a fast ferry will bring you to Alblasserdam, from where you cycle to Kinderdijk, the most famous windmills in the Netherlands with 19 UNESCO cultural heritage-listed windmills in a row (don’t forget your camera!).

The windmills were constructed in the 18th century to pump water out of the low Alblasserwaard polder, and here you can visit one of the windmills to get a real insight into times gone by. We’ll then cycle via the Silver City of Schoonhoven to Vianen, a tranquil, fortified town on the River Lek, where we will spend the night.

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Day 7
Vianen to Amsterdam
24 or 29 Miles / 38 or 48 Kms Approx.
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  • Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner

We’ll begin today with a gentle cruise to Breukelen, where we will disembark and start our final day of cycling along the Vecht River. Today we’ll be biking through an area well known for its beautiful mansions, small castles and grand houses with large gardens and parks. We’ll ride through the small villages of Nieuwersluis, Loenen and Vreeland to Nigtevecht, where we can visit a traditional cheese farm.

We continue through Muiden to finally reach our destination; Amsterdam!

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Day 8
Departure from Amsterdam
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  • Meals: Breakfast

It’s time to say goodbye to your floating home, as we disembark the barge and depart after breakfast, by 09:30am.

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The Cycling

Terrain

The route follows mostly flat terrain along quiet roads and cycle paths. Around 50% of the route is shared with traffic, and 50% is on cycle paths where you’ll be separated from motor vehicles. If any of the days are too long, or you would just like to put your feet up for a day, there is the option to stay on board the barge during the day. Due to the leisurely nature of the tour we do recommend a hybrid bike, however as the majority of the route sticks to tarmac the route is suitable for road bikes. (There may however be short sections on cobbles or hard-packed gravel or dirt roads where you may have to take extra care).

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Leisure Cycling Grade

1
2
3
4
5
Grade 2: Gentle

Distances generally between 15-30 miles / 24-48 kms per day

For those looking for an easy-going route

Mainly on the flat

Some undulations and the odd cheeky challenge

Our grading guidelines have been carefully created based on our many years of cycling experience, as well as customer feedback from our trips. Of course, if you're still struggling to figure out where you fit on the scale, do feel free to give us a quick call and we'll be more than happy to help!

For more information about our grading system click here.

Is this suitable for you?

Maybe you have recently got into cycling and would like to do more over consecutive days, or maybe you‘re looking for a more energetic alternative to your usual holiday? If you‘re looking for an opportunity to try some quiet roads, cycle paths or some accessible, cycle friendly routes these holidays might be for you. You’ll come across some gently undulating terrain and the odd cheeky challenge, so we’d generally expect those on a Grade 2 holiday to ride their bikes relatively frequently at home, perhaps commuting to work or heading out for some leisurely rides at the weekend.

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Dates & Prices

Private Departures

Private Departures

Are you keen to only travel with your family or friends? Struggling to find the right date? Well, we can organise a private departure for this tour and tailor aspects to suit your group's specific needs. Contact our friendly team and we'll help you turn your dream into reality.

Start Date
End Date
Duration
Price p.p.
Start Date
23/04/2022 Fluvius
Return Date
30/04/2022
Duration
8 days
Price
£1,095.00
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Start Date
07/05/2022 Fluvius
Return Date
14/05/2022
Duration
8 days
Price
£1,095.00
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Start Date
21/05/2022 Fluvius
Return Date
28/05/2022
Duration
8 days
Price
£1,095.00
Close Select
Start Date
04/06/2022 Fluvius
Return Date
11/06/2022
Duration
8 days
Price
£1,095.00
Close Select
Start Date
18/06/2022 Fluvius
Return Date
25/06/2022
Duration
8 days
Price
£1,095.00
Close Select
Start Date
02/07/2022 Fluvius
Return Date
09/07/2022
Duration
8 days
Price
£1,095.00
Close Select
Start Date
16/07/2022 Fluvius
Return Date
23/07/2022
Duration
8 days
Price
£1,095.00
Close Select
Start Date
30/07/2022 Fluvius
Return Date
06/08/2022
Duration
8 days
Price
£1,095.00
Close Select
Start Date
13/08/2022 Fluvius
Return Date
20/08/2022
Duration
8 days
Price
£1,095.00
Close Select
Start Date
27/08/2022 Fluvius
Return Date
03/09/2022
Duration
8 days
Price
£1,095.00
Close Select

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Whats Included Tick

A) Barge accommodation (shared twin / double en suite cabins)

B) Linen and towels provided

C) Daily cabin cleaning

D) Meals as per the itinerary (B=Breakfast, L= Packed Lunch, D=Dinner)

E) English speaking local leader

F) Fully guided cycling tours and some short walking tours

G) Daily briefings

H) Maps and notes for cycling tours (1 set per cabin) and / or GPX files (on request)

I) Coffee and tea on board the boat (until 16.00)

J) Fees for ferries / waterbus

What's not Included Cross

A) Bike rental (available if required)

B) Flights and charges for travelling with your bike (if applicable)

C) Single cabin (available on request)

D) Travel insurance

E) Personal clothing and equipment

F) Personal expenditure (souvenirs, bar bills, hotel facilities etc)

G) Entrance fees to museums and other attractions en route

H) Travel to barge on arrival day

I) Travel from barge on departure day

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The Essentials

Travel Options

We ask that you make your own way to the mooring point in Bruges and home again from the mooring point in Amsterdam.

There is a direct ferry route from Newcastle in the UK to Amsterdam and good train connections between Amsterdam and Bruges.

The most convenient airport for this trip is into Brussels (BRU) and back from Amsterdam (AMS). Alternatively you can book a return flight to one of these airports and travel by train between the cities.

There are many flights from the UK to Amsterdam and the most convenient option to Brussels is from London Heathrow with British Airways or Brussels Airlines.

Please contact us for more detailed information on the specific flight schedules available for your holiday.

Please check with Skedaddle before making any travel arrangements so we can ensure they fit in with the holiday schedule.

Accommodation

Accommodation on this trip is on a barge.

These departures are on the Fluvius. The MS Fluvius is a traditional Dutch barge providing capacity for up to 44 guests in 22 twin bed, en suite cabins (3 upper deck twins, 4 upper deck doubles and 15 lower deck twins). All cabins have fixed windows and air-conditioning. The upper deck doubles have a panoramic window that can be opened. The salon area is a large communal room which includes a bar/dining area. There’s a large partially-roofed sun deck with a seating area and storage for bikes.

We also run the same itinerary on 3 other barges: Magnifique, Magnifique II, Magnifique III and Magnifique IV; if you’d like to see further information about these departures and barges, please see our tour entitled Amsterdam to Bruges – Premium Bike and Barge Holiday.

Bike Hire

The bikes on board are traditional touring bikes (unisex models, usually with a low, step-through frame) with 7 or 8 gears and hand brakes, with pannier bags provided.

We also have e-bikes available, however only a small number on each departure and so these are always on request.

Your tour leader will have both a puncture repair kit and a pump to help out with any bike issues along the way.

We always recommend bringing along your own helmet, however we can provide these locally if preferred at no additional cost. Please request at the time of booking.

It is not possible on this tour to bring your own pedals, however if you’d like to bring your own saddle please do let us know in advance, and we can double check whether this will be possible on your chosen departure, and whether you’ll need to bring along any specific tools.

You are welcome to bring along your own bikes if preferred, however the barges have limited space for bikes so this does need to be requested well in advance to secure a spot. Please contact us to check whether this will be possible on your preferred date.

If you‘re bringing along your own electric bike, again the spaces on board are limited so this is also on request, and there will be a fee of £20.

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News, Reviews & Stories

12 Hours in... Amsterdam!

Find out more about how to spend your time in Amsterdam!

Customer Story: Bruges to Amsterdam

Customer Story: Snapshots from Holland

Reviews

2

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