Cycling story

Belfast to Rotterdam, 2024

The sequel: a shorter line across Scotland, a stop at the Armstrong clan tower, and a century into a headwind on day one, then home through Hull and Liverpool.

Dates: 31 August–15 September 2024
Distance: 805 km500 mi
Climbing: 5,673 m18,612 ft
Riding days: 52 short transition days excluded2 bonus rides included
Countries: Northern Ireland, Scotland, England, Netherlands

Full route

Privacy-trimmed; some starts and finishes are shortened.

A touring bike parked beside an outdoor cafe terrace in the Netherlands

Loading privacy-trimmed route…

You’d think the sequel would be easier. By my second Belfast to Rotterdam trip I knew how to pack the bike, find food, and book a ferry cabin. Surely that made me an expert?

Not quite. Still a journeyman 😉

This time I chose a much shorter line: ferry to Scotland, two days across to Newcastle, another ferry to the Netherlands, then the familiar way home through Hull, Manchester, and Liverpool. The route was better. The weather still had ideas of its own.

A hundred miles into Scotland

The first lesson arrived almost immediately: Scotland > England. The scenery was epic from the moment I got off the boat.

A wooded Scottish valley beneath a bright sky, with low hills in the distance — Scotland wasting no time after I got off the ferry.

A loch surrounded by low Scottish hills beneath a blue sky — Scotland > England. Sorry, England.

Not a bad start to the trip.

I rode a century on Day 1, because apparently that counts as the shorter route. There was a headwind all day, but blue skies and the scenery made up for it. My picture-taking had improved since the first trip too, although Scotland was doing most of the work.

A broad river winding through green countryside beneath a bright sky — The view from the road on Day 1.

A stone arched bridge crossing a calm river between leafy banks — Hard to take a bad picture here.

At the hotel in Dumfries, an older English guest seemed offended on Scotland’s behalf when he found out they did not serve Guinness Zero. “I guess it hasn’t got up this far north,” he said, as though we had reached the edge of civilisation 😂

An Armstrong detour

The next morning brought an obvious stop: Gilnockie Tower, ancestral home of the Armstrong clan. The gentleman running it was very nice, and the self-guided tour was really well produced, even if a bit homebrew.

A touring bike leaning beside the entrance sign for Gilnockie Tower — An Armstrong arriving at the Armstrong clan tower.

A framed historical drawing of Gilnockie Tower — Gilnockie Tower looking slightly angrier in the old drawing + reflection of lights.

It even had a room just for me. Certainly not for that other famous guy with the same name…

The words The Neil Armstrong Room on a glass door inside Gilnockie Tower — My room, apparently.

The river valley from Gilnockie Tower beside a sign about Neil Armstrong’s visit — The view from the top.

From there I followed a route along Hadrian’s Wall. I cycled beside it and saw parts of it, but the weather made it difficult to tell ancient wall from general wet stone.

The bike weighed about 25 kg, so the 16%+ gradients kicked my arse. Then came a brutal headwind, too many drivers in a hurry, and heavy rain for the final 30 miles. I wondered more than once why I do this hobby. That is type 2 fun for you: miserable in the moment, a great memory afterwards.

The weather beside Hadrian's Wall.

Newcastle provided the answer, or at least a distraction, in the form of a video game bar.

A retro fighting game running in a neon-lit video game bar, with a controller and drinks on the table — A very good reward after that ride.

Ferries start to feel normal

A day off gave me time for good food and a wander around Newcastle. I really like the vibe there. It is a nice place.

A stack of pancakes with sauce and ice cream beside a coffee — Rest-day food in Newcastle, of course had to be pancakes.

The Tyne Bridge crossing the river through central Newcastle — Exploring Newcastle.

Then progress had to resume: a relaxed ride to North Shields and another ferry, this time to IJmuiden.

A compact ferry cabin with a single bed, sofa, and cycling bags — Getting used to ferry cabins by this point.

Leaving Newcastle behind.

The crossing was so relaxing that I started to think I was finally getting used to ferries. Though the approach to the Netherlands did turn a bit into Silent Hill.

A slightly ominous arrival in the Netherlands.

The boat survived and docked though, no scary monsters. Lunch came from a rare place in Holland where people did not speak much English, but by now I had become very good at pointing at things 🙂

The real culture shock came on the cycle path. In the UK, the dangerous road users tend to be driving cars. In the Netherlands, they are sheep.

Sheep lying across a paved Dutch cycle path beside a canal — A different kind of traffic problem.

The most dangerous road users in the Netherlands.

The sheep were a minor price to pay. Good god, the bike lanes… 😍

The bike lanes never get old.

Side quests are part of the route

Some friends joined me in Rotterdam after I had arrived, and we made a quick trip to The Hague. As nice as it is, I still prefer Rotterdam 🙂

Historic buildings beside the Hofvijver in The Hague under a blue sky — A day trip to The Hague.

I could not stay sensible for long, so I planned a solo, one-way side quest to Eindhoven. It was 127 km (79 miles) into another headwind on tired legs, but still really fun.

The route passed through Baarle, where 22 bits of Belgium and eight bits of the Netherlands are tangled together inside the borders of the Netherlands itself. Medieval land deals created the mess, and modern borders somehow kept it. Completely normal I guess. Have a look at it on google maps.

Somewhere on the long side quest to Eindhoven.

More importantly, on returning to Rotterdam by train, I got some kapsalon. Makes it all worth it.

A tray of kapsalon topped with meat, salad, and sauce — Kapsalon fixes tired legs. Probably.

Knowing better helps, sometimes

The return began with the direct route to the Rotterdam ferry terminal. Thunderstorms were forecast, so I abandoned a plan of a longer loop (didn’t want to just repeat last year!). The storms never arrived, but neither did the engine trouble from the previous year’s crossing.

A single bed in a compact ferry cabin — Another ferry, another cabin.

From Hull to Manchester I was back on familiar ground. This time I changed the Peak District route to stay on the road instead of repeating the awkward gravel sections. The weather turned as I began climbing, so that decision saved me from muddy trails. Experience pays!

A long bridge crossing the landscape beneath a bright morning sky — Back on familiar roads from Hull.

Green hills and fields beneath heavy clouds in the Peak District — The Peak District before the weather turned.

My improved route planning lasted until the ride from Manchester to Liverpool, where the towpaths returned.

A narrow grassy towpath beside moored boats, seen over the bike’s handlebars — Back on the towpaths. Of course.

There was gravel, there were metros, and there were even random stairs. It was still a really nice route.

The underside of a large road bridge crossing open ground beside the Mersey — One of the rather bigger bridges on the way to Liverpool.

A wooden staircase descending beside the route towards Liverpool — A perfectly sensible cycle route.

The nice part after the random stairs.

The final ferry stripped away any remaining sense of expertise. On failing to book a cabin again, I tried to sleep in a chair among a group of disappointed Liverpool fans 😂 They were so depressed that I couldn’t help but find it funny. A short ride from the Belfast terminal the next morning completed the trip.

The route was shorter, the decisions were better, and I think I had nailed down the bikepacking thing a good bit. Still a journeyman, but a more experienced one, which was useful because the next adventure certainly needed all the help I could get…

The reference