Destinations
And what we'll do when we get there.
From Brussels south to Arlon, around the Ardennes by bicycle with a short crossing into France, then north again to the old cities of Flanders. Hotels can change, and the ride might run long, so family have the details.
Where it starts
Two days to shake off the flight in a city that takes its beer more seriously than almost anywhere, before the bikes arrive.
Start and finish
The loop begins and ends here, at the country's southeastern edge. A shakedown ride first, then the first stage in the morning.
Stage one
The first of the Trappist abbeys: medieval ruins beside a working monastery, in the quiet forest of the Gaume.
To be confirmedA B&B near the abbey, still being arranged.
Stage two, and over the border
The longest day, along the Semois into France. Bouillon's castle stands at about the halfway point, and the valley does the rest.
Stage three
Back into Belgium past a star-shaped fortress, a Trappist abbey and Chimay itself, finishing with a flat run to a room facing the lake.
Stage four, and a day off the bikes
A town wedged between the Meuse and a cliff. The ride in comes through Maredsous and old railway tunnels, and the rest day is earned.
Les Terrasses de Sax
Stage five
A night up on the Ardennes plateau, where the evenings turn cold quickly, after a stage that runs through Rochefort.
L'AtelierA small gîte in the middle of town, with a stove and a sauna for tired legs.
After the ride
No more panniers. Three nights in a medieval city with canals, serious art and about five hundred beers on one bar's list.
A day trip from Ghent
Twenty-five minutes by train, and worth going early to get ahead of the crowds.
The last night
A small cathedral town with one of the country's oldest breweries, quieter than Ghent and eleven minutes from the airport.