4. ARDENNES EXPLORER

Plunge into the famous forest to uncover Wallonia’s vivid heritage

Bastogne to Malmedy Distance 219km Time 4hr

Bastogne starts the day on a sombre note. It was a key location in the Battle of the Bulge, a five-week long campaign that marked the final Nazi assault on the Western Front and Bastogne keeps the memory alive with the War Museum, Barracks and 101 Airborne Museum. Make sure to visit the Mardasson Memorial, a poignant site that commemorates the American forces who fought in the battle, before running north to Bertogne.

Long bends double back over the next section on the way to Lake Nisramont. Its glassy surface and crowded banks beg for a photo but soon you’re back behind the wheel and tacking down the vibrant N834 to reach La Roche-en-ardenne. The perfect spot for an early lunch, nearby Restaurant le Sainte-maxime beckons. Spilling out onto the Place de Marché, this compact eatery focuses on simple meals: almond-coated trout from the neighbouring Ourthe river is a particular delight.

Hotton and Érezée point the way to Durbuy, a tiny city with charming medieval streets, and home of the quirky Tortuga Bar, then the N66 and N616 plunge deep into the forest. A quick break in La Gleize rewards with a King Tiger tank – another ghost of the Bulge – and then it’s a fast run over the N68 to Stavelot. The local abbey houses three museums, featuring a fascinating exhibit on influential 12th century Abbot Wibald, but petrolheads will want to dive straight into the basement. The Spa-francochamps race track Museum crams every kind of exotic racer between the underground arches, exploring the history of Belgium’s most famous circuit with Super Touring saloons, classic Formula One machines and more. Now it’s time to explore the legendary track itself. A quick diversion up the N640 drops your tyres in the tracks of Ickx and Clark, tracing the pre-1979 layout from Stavelot hairpin, through the fast sweeps of La Carrière to Blanchimont before drawing to a close at Turn 16 of the current circuit. Retrace your steps, swap to the N622 and the village of Francorchamps soon appears. The namesake town of Spa is just 10km further north; enjoy the sumptuous Victorian architecture or splash out at Thermes de Spa, where you can participate in the 700year tradition of taking the local waters. Suitably refreshed, drop onto the southbound N640 then the N62C to reach the circuit entrance. Guided tours are available throughout the summer but it’s back to the N62C to enjoy the smooth, constant radius turns that define the next few kilometres. Exiting a final, flattened left-hander, the road picks up the route of the historic circuit once again and spears through Burnenville. The next turn, a seemingly endless right, was a notorious challenge – look out for the famous white house that sits two-thirds of the way through the corner, almost overlapping with the road. One final legacy stands on the following N68. A heavily-cambered left-right chicane, the 170mph Masta Kink once inspired equal parts fear and respect in drivers. Lap complete, ten more minutes brings you to the bijou city of Malmedy.

MUST SEE Roche à la Falize, central Durbuy

You don’t need to be a geologist to appreciate this rock formation. The anticline in Durbuy is a jewel of the Famenne-ardenne geopark, itself one of only 147 such parks with UNESCO status, and its sheer scale deserves the five-minute walk from the city centre. Formed from layer upon layer of limestone, the anticline gained its characteristic tented shape in the Variscan orogeny, when the sheer force of an intercontinental collision folded the rock layers upwards. Today, the 300 million year-old feature marks the highest point in Durbuy and dazzles with its steep, sharply defined layers. Address: Avenue Hubert Philippart, Durbuy More Info: Open anytime Website: durbuyinfo.be

MUST-DRIVE

N616, Lorcé, south west of Spa Cobblestones over the Amblève, funnelling cars into the stunning dense forest – even the first few feet of the N616 are suitably dramatic. Speed away from the river and the road climbs fast, twisting so tightly through the foliage that you can smell the earth before bursting through the treeline in a final triumphant arc.