Schiphol chaos forces British bachelor party to cycle back to UK
Chaos at Schiphol airport turned a bachelor party's trip back to the United Kingdom into much more of an adventure than the groom-to-be and his thirteen friends were anticipating. They had to scramble to buy bicycles so that they could take the ferry from Calais to Dover, the Mirror reports.
The British men were supposed to fly from Schiphol to London Gatwick at 1:25 p.m. on Saturday after two days of partying and enjoying the sights of the Dutch capital. But after spending hours in line at the airport, their easyJet flight got canceled. They found no good options to get all 14 of them back home by air or train, so the ferry from Calais seemed their best option.
But when they called to ask about the crossing, they found out that the ferry does not allow foot passengers, only cyclists, motorists, and other vehicles. They nevertheless took a train towards Calais and spent the stops in Brussels and Lille trying to buy enough bicycles, running into stores and looking on online marketplaces.
Remarkably, they managed to buy 13 bikes for over 1,500 euros. They and their bikes took the train to Calais, where the 14th man in the party convinced a young couple to let him sit in their car for the crossing. They all got home during the early hours of Sunday morning, about 12 hours after their canceled flight.
It is unclear if they considered traveling an hour from Amsterdam to Hoek van Holland, where they could have boarded a ferry to England for about 50 euros per person with only a seat. That price rises to a minimum of about 75 euros per bed, depending on the type of cabin selected.
Groom-to-be Alex (29) told the Mirror that this was an adventure he hopes to tell his grandkids about one day. "At the time, it didn't feel like fun, but I had two of the best days of my life with 13 best friends, and this just topped it off," he said.
