Explore the Ardennes
Ride great roads on this circular route starting in Chimay
Must ride N889, N4 – Nassogne
An intense winder that cuts through dense tree cover in a series of fast curves, near 270° bends and 90° flicks. The countryside here isn’t flat and you feel the elevation change all along its eight-mile stretch. Worth repeating.
The Meuse River Vresse-sur-semois
Break away from the town of Chimay, pass the Trappist Scourmont Abbey and head towards Cul-dessarts, then turn right at the unmanned border post into France. It’s here that the route picks up the grand Meuse River, tracing its curving outline through wooded valleys back towards the border with Belgium. You’re riding the D1, a wide open road perfect for hazy summer afternoons or misty shoulder season mornings. It’s thirsty work riding riverside roads, so stop at Monthermé for a coffee on Café Le Laval Dieu’s sunlit terrace. It looks south over the Semois, visible on the right as you cross Monthermé’s bridge. From here it’s another 30 minutes of riding to Vresse-sur-semois.
‘Roads deliver twnidst after twist on smooth, centrelined tarmac’
Houyet Swing Rochefort – Chimay
Leave Rochefort on the N911 to line up some of the best riding Wallonia has to offer. They’re the N929’s Houyet bends that dodge down steep, wooded hillside towards the small town of Houyet. The surface is thankfully much grippier than that of the similarly twisty N89 on its descent into La Roche-en-ardenne, and there’s little chance of meeting large vehicles mid-run. They’re easily accessible from the E411 motorway, too, so Houyet makes for a great coffee stop on any northsouth journey. Cool your head on the straighter roads that flow to Givet and pause for a meal on the banks of the Meuse. Don’t get here late or the restaurants that line the north side of the river will be in evening shade.v v
Forest and Farmland Habay – Rochefort
Streak north on the N40 to Fauvillers and then on to Saint-hubert, where there’s the option to spend a night at the newly refurbished Hotel Le Val de Poix five miles west of the town. Prices for a double room start at £70. Explore north to find the village of Bure, the site of a tough battle between British and German troops in the Battle of the Bulge. It took a whole three days of close fighting and 16 tank casualties to secure the village, fending off a total of four German counterattacks in the process. The only remaining evidence now is a small memorial that stands in the church gardens.
Ardennes Straights Vresse-sur-semois – Habay
From Vresse to Bouillon, roads deliver twist after twist on smooth, centre-lined tarmac. Viewpoints flash past as you rise and fall between valleys. Stop on the N819 just before Rochehaut and look south for a splendid view of Frahan, a village nestled in a curve of the Semois river. Punching out of the Semois valley on the N884, the route breaks from constant valley-bottom curving. Unwind on the N83 past Florenville before turning onto the N839 and N891 for a calm cruise through unassuming Wallonian farm country. Lucky enough to be passing through Rossignol in August? Search out the Gaume Jazz Festival for good music and local beer.