Belgian Ardennes - advice needed!

bobtbuilder

Hi All,

I'm planning to go to the Belgian Ardennes for a week this Summer, primarily to ride the famous climbs from Liege-Bastogne-Liege and explore the area. I'm happy to ride up to 80 miles per day.

I would welcome any advice on the area, but the questions which spring to mind are:

1) Getting there?
2) Where to stay? (One location or two)
3) Will I need a car when I'm there?

Any other advice?

Cheers,

Rob

Bodhbh

re: getting there. Eurostar is one option, 20quid each way for the bike on top of the regular fare and the ticket is good for any part of Belgium on their rail network. Off the top of me head, I'd also consider taking a ferry to Dunkirk picking up a train somewhere close (Bergues is close and the line runs up to Brussels iirc) although now idea how maths work out time/pricewise.

Gotte

Be warned, Liege is a bit of a dump. I've not cycled there, but been on a family holiday. We stayed about fifteen miles from Liege in a town called Malmerdy. Great countryside, great area, but like I said, Liege - bit of a dump.

fietslogies

Liège combines an interesting historical center with impressive river fronts and a brand new and extremely expensive Calatrava railway station. In the outskirts you could meet less interesting views: http://www.liege.be/tourisme-en
Malmedy and Mons (Bergen in Dutch, not Bergues!) can be spelled better this way.

Gotte

Sorry, actually, I misremembered it. I was thinking of Verviers. I just checked on Google Earth.
It was Few years ago now, so again, apologies for the confusion.

cycladelic

There might be some info amongst this journal that will be of use...
http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/?o=R ... =6739&v=7V

FJS

Liege is improving an still has a certain faded charm in other parts, but much of the outskirts you might need to cycle through if you would take it as a base are still less than pretty industrial greyness.

A good area to base yourself in is around Aywaille - Stoumont - Trois-Ponts: very central for all the well-known LBL climbs. And very pretty. I think there's a train from Liege running through the valley, so you wouldn't need a car (if you would find a place to stay not too far from a station).
Spa town, the original one, still producing the water, is worth a visit, and some good routes south of it.

The more southern Ardennes, like around St Hubert and even towards Dinant are great too, but too far from much of the Liege-Bastogne-Liege action

Garrigou

Spent a week close to Durbuy (35km South West of Liege) two weeks ago. Needed the car to bring the Amstel Gold climbs into range, but it was a perfect (& quite pretty) base for Muur de Huy and all of the main L-B-L climbs (albeit slogging into Liege itself just for Cote de St Nicholas wasn't worth it). Lots of 200-300m high cols about and some great roads to ride on.

fietslogies

If interested in a day with less hills and mountains, some flatter tracks in and around the Ardennes in Wallonia:

Houffalize - Bastogne: http://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/Winseler-Grand-Duchy-of-Luxembourg-Bastogne-old-railway-track

Spa - Francorchamps - Stavelot - Malmedy - Sankt-Vith - Burg-Reuland: http://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/Waimes-Sankt-Vith-old-railway-track

Huy - Havelange - Ciney: http://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/Ramillies-Landen-Hannut-Wanze-old-railway-tracks-147-and-127

Liege - Tilff - Esneux - Comblain-au-Pont - Hamoir - Durbuy (= l'Ourthe): http://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/Liege-Tilff-Esneux-Comblain-au-Pont-Hamoir-Durbuy-l-Ourthe

Trois-Ponts - Stavelot - Malmedy - Waimes: http://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/Trois-Ponts-Stavelot-Malmedy-Waimes-old-railway-track

Comblain-au-Pont - Aywaille - Sougnée-Remouchamps - Stoumont (= l'Amblève): http://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/Comblain-au-Pont-Aywaille-Sougn-e-Remouchamps-Stoumont-l-Ambl-ve

Houyet - Rochefort: http://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/Houyet-Rochefort-old-railway-track

bobtbuilder

Thanks folks, some really great stuff. Keep it coming!