Past Tours

A Bridge End Too Far..... Holland, August 2000.

 

    This was the first ever OBEW tour. Finances were tight so a budget North Sea ferry was booked. Here, the happy gang set out from the North Shields ferry landing steps for the crossing.
 

IJMUIDEN

Sea legs quickly swapped for bike legs and off on the cycle routes southwards through the dunes of the National Park to Noordwijk. Then inland towards Leiden and on to the Hotel de Gouden Leeuw at Voorschoten. Darryl has relatives in Leiden and they celebrated their first day's ride with a barbecue. Note the hot dog in the picture below right.

 

  

       
   
 

Five of the team - Miller, Laurie, Lander, Darryl and Alan. Jon took the shot.

   Team strip complete with logos - 'A Bridge End Too Far'. Here, the lads enjoy a well earned can of Heineken at their first stop-over. Darryl, being teetotal, hides his can behind his back.
   

Day Two - Leiden to Amsterdam.

L'equipe followed the canal from Leimuiden to Uithoorn then on to Amstelveen. Fortified by special drinks called "Alan 3 Flushers" they ploughed on towards Amsterdam via the famous Ajax Stadium. At this point, orienteering went pear shaped and great difficulty was had finding their second night stop - the Campanile Hotel at Gaasperplas.
       
       
   
  Cycle tracks, flat terrain, no rain and, unusually, no wind.... perfect riding conditions. Alan - Tete de la Course!   Day two. Quite windy but not enough to turn the windmill sails.
       
   
  Darryl and Alan enjoying the unique cafe culture in Amsterdam.  

Laurie, Lander (pretending to read a Dutch menu) and Miller.

   
  A very nice cafe in Amsterdam.   I'm sure I left it in this row....or maybe the next one.....oh well, this one looks like a bit of all right....
       
   
  Day three. Funds running low so the enterprising troupers try a bit of busking. Notice how the onlookers are standing well back. Amsterdam via Haarlem back to the ferry at Ijmuiden. Tired, bleary eyed... good job it's flat riding.   The outbound ferry had developed a puncture so l'equipe use their busking money to upgrade their return tickets.