I hatched A Plan

To my shame, my most unsustainable transport is flying between Birmingham and Amsterdam to visit relatives. The budget airline I always used will cease to exist in June, so now is the perfect time to reassess my travel habits.

So I spent an hour or so* weighing / costing all the options (*okay, maybe a little bit more).

• Non budget airline: £170 – approx 4 hours.
• Stenaline Sail & Rail overnight ferry ticket + additional train ticket: £180 – 12 hours
• Coach: £100 + train ticket from Amsterdam – 17 hours
• Eurostar: £400 + train ticket to London – 9-10 hours

So then it crossed my mind that one day, I ought to ride ‘home’. I thought I’d cycle from Wolverhampton, via Birmingham, Coventry, Cambridge (ish) to Harwich; get an overnight ferry and cycle along the north sea coast until I hit my folks house. As always when I have a brainwave, I posted a message on Twitter.

I want to cycle to my parents’ house in NL, probably next year. Who wants to keep me company?

— Renee (@CraftyDutchie) May 17, 2012

I suppose I should have expected a positive response but, it’s been fabulous. It may have to be a tour of England because there are folk in Oxford, Brighton, London and Essex that want to join me for a distance. It’d be amazing!

Some thoughts:

• I’d like to try and use the National Cycle Network as much as possible. Because I can.
• I’d create a fundraising page for Sustrans, who develop and maintain the NCN.
• I want to take my time. No 100km days. And plenty cake.
• I want to meet some of my favourite twitter people on the way

I’m phsyched! Do young people still say that? It will probably be next year. Must start saving up my annual leave. Or do I need a sabbatical?