Cycle through a land with added sax appeal
CYCLISTS take note: it pays to wheel your bike through a town centre. Not only do you keep on the good side of locals, but you’ll see more of what’s around you.
Proof of this comes in Namur, the pretty capital of Wallonia – the French-speaking half of Belgium. Along its pedestrianised streets of pretty craft shops and small boutiques, we’re suddenly aware of a multi-coloured sky. We look up to see scores of umbrellas suspended from rooftops, ready to shelter a whole street from the elements.
When we do get back on the bikes, we take a gentle and relaxed ride along the banks of the River Meuse between Namur and Dinant.
We pass stalls selling fresh strawberries, while elderly women on benches watch the world go by. Our riverbank ride forms part of Wallonia’s ‘points-noeuds’ network, a series of linked cycle paths that takes cyclists away from traffic on to winding country roads. Across the Meuse, we see forested islands and steep cliffs, and some seriously nice houses, including one belonging to the King of Spain.
Our 20-mile ride that day ends with an unexpected saxophone blast in Dinant, one of Belgium’s most attractive towns – large instruments line a bridge named after General Charles de Gaulle, who was wounded here in the First World War. They are placed there
in famous honour son, of Adolphe Dinant’s Sax, most who invented the saxophone. He is immortalised throughout the town in shop-window displays and a life-size statue.
Our day in the saddle has made us hungry. That evening we dine on flamiche dinantaise, a delicious quiche-like tart made with eggs, butter and cheese.
The next day we cycle through the countryside around Chimay. We encounter no traffic except the odd tractor, and pass lovely cottages with disused bicycles now bedecked with flowers.
We stop at Lompret, one of Wallonia’s prettiest villages. A great thing about short cycling breaks is that you can eat what you like, safe in the knowledge you’ll soon burn off the calories.
We can taste Chimay beer in many of the semi-hard cheeses – beer is added to the milk during production, following a 200-year-old tradition. Chimay monks oversee the production at the dairy, even though it is outside the abbey.
During our stay we also take in Ath, famous for its processions of giants, and Aubechies, one of the most beautiful villages in Wallonia.
We stop for lunch here, at the Taverne Saint Gery. There are more Trappist beers to try, and slates of delicious dishes. A fascinating, museum-like collection of vintage enamel advertising signs adorn the walls – yet more colourful diversions before we climb back on our bikes.
Voyages-SNCF (voyagessncf.com, 0844 848 5848) offers return tickets to any Belgian railway station from £69. For more information on Wallonia, visit belgiumtheplaceto.be.