I’d have come with you if I didn’t have something on this weekend. Let me know how you get on with respect to motorcycle parking.
So cycle paths are for bicycles and “snoer fiets” which is a 50cc moped that is so heavily restricted that it’ll only do 25kph, the upside is that you don’t need to wear a helmet on one. Regular mopeds are allowed on certain cycle paths (usually out of town) otherwise they have to use the road.
Other things to note:
On equal priority roads with equal drivers, drivers must give way to traffic coming from the right and can take priority from traffic coming from the left. So if you were approaching a T junction and there are no other priority marks you must, “give to the right, take from the left.” The exception to this is the tram which you must give way to if it is coming from the left or right. A yellow diamond on the road you are traveling on means it’s a priority road so you have priority over side roads.
Sharks teeth on the road surface are handy, if they point to you, you must give way. Be careful to look at these on roundabouts to see whether you have to give way to the cyclists or the other way around.
Drive on the right.
There was something else I remember from my theory test about not crossing a military convoy that has flags on the front and rear vehicles but I’ve never encountered one of them, much to my disappointment.
Cheers all for the advice, for now just going via Ieper but if anyone has any specific roads they recommend that’d be good too!
Sounds confusing Joby, I’ll just do what I normally do and go fast enough that I don’t get in anyone’s way Ominous about the parking, we might be hiring bikes from the campsite and cycling around most of the time though.
…and you don’t need to go to Amsterdam to try the truffles Tom
It is pretty much flat country from Calais to Amsterdam so off the main roads the roads are still pretty straight and boring.
I would use the main roads for speed and economy and stop at Ieper and Delft. Ieper for the history, and Delft so you can see what a historic Dutch city looks and feels like before you hit the international metropolis that is Amsterdam.
I took the bike across to Amsterdam/Assen a couple of weekends ago. 90% of the roads I saw we’re as Guliano says, straight and flat. The road surfaces were very good though, and the car drivers were all extremely aware of bikes, which was brilliant.
Bike parking is literally ZERO problem, I was told that as long as you use some common sense, and keep it out of peoples way, you can park up pretty much anywhere. Very refreshing! I’d definitely recommend hiring bicycles, we stayed in the museum quarter, and cycled around the city all over the place, great fun.
Ominous about the parking, we might be hiring bikes from the campsite and cycling around most of the time though.