Rhine Route by tandem – tales from the journey
Hull from the deck of the Pride of Rotterdam
I lived for 23 consecutive years in Hull – born and bred. But never did I take the ferry to Rotterdam or Zebrugge. Many times I watched them leave. So, on on Friday 17 August 2012 we boarded the ferry to Rotterdam to make good that failure. This is the view of the City from the Ferry (left). And here we are on the deck at departure time (right).
What is to be said about this experience? It is a tad expensive, particularly at peak time. The cabins are excellent – showers and toilet en suite. We did not have window, but come the morning a global announcement is made that breakfast is served and you will soon be required to leave. So get it while you can. Very civilised.
Disembarkation is straightforward and the cycle route towards Rotterdam discrete and well signposted. We were, however, going to join the old Rhine as per Powell route, which necessitated us to head up the coast towards Katwijk. To get onto the coast one has to do about 15km towards Rotterdam and then double back on the right side of the river using the ferry between Rozenberg and Maassluis. Then on to Hoek Van Holland before following the coast up to Scheveningen, which is the coastal town adjacent to The Hague.
It was a very hot day and utterly chaotic. The beaches are excellently sandy, and as a result everyone seemed to be there on their bicycles. At Scheveningen, fortunately, we were intercepted by a woman who offered us room in her garden in The Hague to pitch the tent. In fact, the garden was a shared affair within the confines of a large school house that had become a cooperative. It was a fantastic space, with much of the interior preserved – with members living in classrooms. It was big an echoey. We were shown around The Hague that evening by a friend of our host, and then in the morning we were taken by another member to the start of Route LF4a, one of the Netherlands’ long distance cycle routes. We are grateful to the members of Grote Pyr for their hospitality and kindness. http://www.grotepyr.nl/grotepyr/Home2/Home2.html
Be informed 
[…] familiar names. It was a long way from home and I never travelled a long way from home. Like the ferries from Hull that also eluded me, now was the time to go to this art decor temple of sound and vision […]