Planning a Belgian Ardennes trip - Any advice welcomed

bobtbuilder
bobtbuilder Posts: 1,537
edited March 2008 in Tour & expedition
I am planning a trip this Summer to the Belgian Ardennes, to ride the L-B-L climbs, etc.

I would welcome any suggestions for places to stay, routes to ride, travel tips and anything that you think would improve my trip!

Thanks!

Comments

  • cycladelic
    cycladelic Posts: 641
    My wife and I did some of the L-B-L route a few years ago ( it varies each year). Liege is a bit busy. We had hoped to follow a cycle path all the way out of the city, but lost it somehow. We picked it up at the first town - Tilff - and after reaching Hamoir, headed more directly towards Bastonge. We stayed a night in a village called Erezee - very nice hotel/restuarant, but pricey. LaRoche also made a good stop-over point... I don't know how those guys get to Bastonge and back in a day!

    That part of the country is very nice. Some of the hills are pretty long, but nothing too hard for a fit cyclist.

    One thing that was strange - and I heard another tourist say the same - was that my UK bank card wouldn't work in some cash machines. I have no idea why.

    Also, the train station in Bastonge closed years ago, so we had to ride another 30km to catch one to France.
    It's an uphill climb to the bottom
  • TorugartTim
    TorugartTim Posts: 105
    If you are going to Bastonge, you might want to carry on to Wiltz in Luxembourg. There's a excellent cycle path runs between the two towns along an old railway track. It was one of the prettiest streches of our trip through Europe. Wiltz has a very fancy new Youth Hostel.
    Tours in far away places
    www.adventure-cycling-guide.co.uk
  • huggy
    huggy Posts: 242
    I'm also planning a tour in Belgium but anyway, I've just been there and can say that the cycle paths are immense, so you should have a fairly smooth ride. Around the WW1 battlefields, there are not many major hills, which makes for easy work.
  • Tourist Tony
    Tourist Tony Posts: 8,628
    Whatever you do, stay away from villages like this
    http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0407621/
    If I had a stalker, I would hug it and kiss it and call it George...or Dick
    http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/?o=3 ... =3244&v=5K
  • bobtbuilder
    bobtbuilder Posts: 1,537
    Thanks Guys. Would you need a car for the evenings etc. or can you get by without?
  • Gotte
    Gotte Posts: 494
    I loved the Ardennes when I was there on a non-bike holdiay a couple of years ago. I spent most of my time wishing I was touring there.
    We were quite far north and east in an area known as the Eifel, which is more rugged but less touristy than your quintisential Ardennes. They spoke German, as well, which I can get by in.
    You should have a great time, though.

    I have heard the south of the Ardennes can be a bit industrial and ugly, but we never found that when going into Luxemburg (Luxemburg city, though small, is a gem, though). And I can't actually remember where I read that.

    Liege is a bit of a dump, though, and I hear that Bastogne is a bit run of the mill, as is Aarchen (I'm not sure if that's in the Ardennes, stricktly speaking, but there you go).

    Hope that's of help.

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