Travel stories

During the 2019 season we invited travel blogger Rachel Heller of travel blog Rachel’s Ruminations to join us on our Hansa Highlights Tour. Afterwards she wrote a wonderfully detailed account of her experience. If you want to get a good idea of life on our tours then Rachel’s account will give you a very clear idea about it. (Note: it’s a long post!) “One of the first people I met on my recent week-long trip with Boat Bike Tours was a retired Canadian man named Peter, who told me right…

Tulips, more sunshine than at any other time of year, and many exciting events: a spring trip to Amsterdam is simply the best. So, it’s no wonder that the canal metropolis gets particularly crowded. But what if you need a breather from the hustle and bustle of the big city? One of our favorite quick escapes is to go cycling through the Waterland nature reserve north of Amsterdam. Let yourself be surprised by the city’s idyllic hinterland; where green meadows, cows and farms are so much closer than you think.…

When Jossie imagines a map of Europe, she doesn’t think in terms of roads, she sees waterways instead. Jossie is a sailor with all her heart and soul. For more than 20 years she navigated Europe’s rivers, large and small, for tour operators. More recently, however, she swapped the steering wheel for the desk chair: Jossie is now responsible for developing our new boat bike tours. From time to time, you can still find her back on the water, as Jossie joins our cycling cruises to learn how guests experience…

The Amsterdam to Bruges boat and bike cycling holiday is a seven night, eight day adventure, jam-packed with historical tales and sights of the unexpected in Holland and Belgium. It’s available either as a guided tour with the leadership of an experienced multilingual guide or self-guided under your own steam. It’s also probably one of the best cycling tours in Europe for a first-time holiday cyclist. Freedom Treks Marketing Manager Tara Rogers road-tested the tour with her husband Sean. Here’s how she got on.   Right on Point If you’ve…

What would be more pleasant than to cruise and cycle through the province of Noord Holland? That is exactly what a semi-retired couple from Butlerstown recently did. BIKE and boat holidays area unique way of discovering another country; cycling during the day and relaxing and dining with new friends on board the ‘floating hotel’ at night. The vessel, the Angela Esmee, accommodates 80 guests. There were seven flags flying on the two masts which represented the nationalities on board, which were Holland, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Canada, the United Kingdom and Ireland. In the dining room we were seated with the other two English speaking couples, Gwen…

The German Rhine valley has been considered the embodiment of romanticism for centuries and it has kept its alluring charm to this day. The panoramic scenery, the luxuriant display of colour, the picturesque villages and towns and the wealth of historic buildings, in the form of castles, fortresses and churches are an absolute delight to the eye. To discover all of this last September, on a Bike and Boat Tour was an unforgettable experience. The Bike & Boat tour we decided to join was a beautiful and unique cycling and…