13te of June
Leaving home, “key under the doormat”, fairly early, blue sky and sunshine, very encouraging. Since so many roads are closed, we are happy to find the right options to get to Belval. Gaston has a new program “my maps”…. testing it during this trip.
Around Audun-le-Tiche, “my maps” lets us down; we end up at the foot of a very steep mountain bike ascent. Impossible for us! Gaston searches for alternative routes (even on main roads…..) until we get to the plains around Etain. Little country roads, fields, many houses with huge ponds at their backyard and luckily less traffic here. Hard wind, e-bikes are a blessing in strong headwinds! Some dirt tracks as well until finally, 83 km, we arrive in Verdun. Ibis Budget Hotel. Dinner “La Pataterie”.
14th of June
Leaving really early, still the same strong headwind. Shooting some pictures in Verdun Centre, and, Surprise! Discovering a nice bike-track along the river “la Meuse”. We enjoy the ride, later following the “voie verte”. This leads us into the countryside, “à la campagne”, not much except farmhouses and fields. Although it is quite lonesome, the landscape is nice: fields of sweet corn, sunflowers starting to grow. It smells of hay and grass. On the hills, at a long distance, we see old, massive churches, buildings that survived WWI. Up and down we ride, some hard ascents (thank you e-bike!), but pleasant on the whole. We are glad we reserved a hotel early morning; this is a popular area for bikers.
Sedan, 107 km. Hotel Kyriad.
We reserve the last room we manage to find in Révin, everything is “complet”. We need to change our plans according to the hotel’s location, but we are glad to have a room for the night.
15th of June
Getting out of Sedan, not easy, but towns are always hard to find the way out. Our trouble is soon over; we hit the “transardennes”, a perfect cycling path from Mouzon to Givet, a “canal” along the river Meuse.
 |
| Charleville-Mézières |
We cycle on, later a little drink on the canal, it is rather hot. We arrive in Révin after 75 km. “Les Marmottes révinoises”. Dinner at “la bonne source”, only place open in this small town. Accommodation and food are hard to find in these lonely areas.
16th of June
Our B&B turned out to be very nice, brand new and spacious. We leave Révin and right from the start it is quite hilly, slopes of granite rock and heaps of foxglove, reminding us of our Luxemburgish “Ösling”. Since it is still quite chilly due to the early hours, we pedal energetically to get warm. After a while, we hit the canal again continuing to Givet.
16th of June
Our B&B turned out to be very nice, brand new and spacious. We leave Révin and right from the start it is quite hilly, slopes of granite rock and heaps of foxglove, reminding us of our Luxemburgish “Ösling”. Since it is still quite chilly due to the early hours, we pedal energetically to get warm. After a while, we hit the canal again continuing to Givet.
 |
| GIVET |
From here the connecting track is fine at the beginning but gets worse and worse: bad quality tarmac (holes and bumps) and in the end over a busy main road. Is this the official cycling path? What a disappointment! We try to hang in until Dinant, busy town and terrible for bikers: no proper track, a mess! We have to cross the canal on very narrow bridges, all in all rather unpleasant. After a while, we get back to a better cycling track but a strong headwind is again rather demanding! Tired, in pain, joints and wrists aching from the bumpy track and a sore bottom! We pull ourselves together, 1-2 little rests and stop at a little town right before Namur, Profondeville.
Here we have reserved B&B “l’escade”, hard to detect since there is no sign at the door. But the room is large, nice bathroom and friendly landlady. 88 km, dinner at the “Bar Centrale”.
17th of June
At our “escale”, we breakfast in the room: fridge, coffee, dishes, all provided in the room itself. We get eggs and fresh bread and enjoy the meal. Leaving, Gaston gets trouble to get “Oruxmaps” going: too bad, we depend on the phone and this program! All maps and information are stocked on that small device! We start the day in rather “moderate” spirits.
We get out of Profondeville. It is sunny and Gaston speeds up: he wants to arrive early, so he can check phone and program. We get without any problem through Namur. Back to the canal, we hit the river “Sambre”. (“La confluence Meuse / Sambre”). The cycling path is uncomfortable, bad again for our bottoms!
At our “escale”, we breakfast in the room: fridge, coffee, dishes, all provided in the room itself. We get eggs and fresh bread and enjoy the meal. Leaving, Gaston gets trouble to get “Oruxmaps” going: too bad, we depend on the phone and this program! All maps and information are stocked on that small device! We start the day in rather “moderate” spirits.
We get out of Profondeville. It is sunny and Gaston speeds up: he wants to arrive early, so he can check phone and program. We get without any problem through Namur. Back to the canal, we hit the river “Sambre”. (“La confluence Meuse / Sambre”). The cycling path is uncomfortable, bad again for our bottoms!
Quite a way before Charleroi we cross a lot of industrial zones, dirty, ugly many holes in the tarmac. In Charleroi itself a lot of traffic, building and detours! In the end, we get out of town, pass
some really ugly and rotten steel factories, this scenery could be straight out of a Charles Dickens book. A persisting wind makes it all the more difficult, we are happy to fully use the e-bikes!
some really ugly and rotten steel factories, this scenery could be straight out of a Charles Dickens book. A persisting wind makes it all the more difficult, we are happy to fully use the e-bikes!
18th of June
Get up and quickly ready for the road: today’s morning ride should be as fast and far that we can do, since we mean to avoid the afternoon’s blazing sun. Get to the river and on the Eurovelo 3.
In Maubeuge, we buy some water and snacks. Then continue on the “voies vertes” de l'Avesnois. These tracks are a blessing in the merciless sun, being nice and shady, “green” tunnels on old railways changed into cycling tracks. Pictures: 16th/17th century Spanish building with an unusual spire. (Solre). There is a nice castle, too, even “on sale”.
Get up and quickly ready for the road: today’s morning ride should be as fast and far that we can do, since we mean to avoid the afternoon’s blazing sun. Get to the river and on the Eurovelo 3.
In Maubeuge, we buy some water and snacks. Then continue on the “voies vertes” de l'Avesnois. These tracks are a blessing in the merciless sun, being nice and shady, “green” tunnels on old railways changed into cycling tracks. Pictures: 16th/17th century Spanish building with an unusual spire. (Solre). There is a nice castle, too, even “on sale”.
 |
| SOLRE |
After a picnic in the shade, we finish the ride kind of early in Fourmies. 80km. “Chambre d’hôtes des Rouets”. Pizza delivery. Plan the next day, check the phone etc….
19th of June
 |
| Fourmies, chambre d'hôtes des Rouets |
The night has been peculiar: very hot but a terrible storm/wind howling around the house. Breakfast in “the maison des maîtres”, beautiful décors and friendly people. Leaving, we soon decide to take a shortcut, the sky looks really threatening. It starts to rain and the temperatures drop to something like 16 degree. What a weather: get slowly “sizzled” or frozen to death! We follow here “les Axes vertes” a little bit protected from wind and rain.
 |
| Beaurain |
Cycling is easy and we don’t mind the chilly weather. Foto: Beaurain (fortified church). Arriving after 72 km in Mézière-sur-Oise, Hotel Robinson. Shower and washing clothes and off again with the bikes to get dinner in Rébemont (Pizzeria). +/- 10 km = 82 km. The weather is nice again!
20th of June
In the morning the sky is gray again, windy and a bit chilly. We ride along the river “Oise”. In Abbecourt we turn off and search in vain for the “Véloroute 30”. So a lot of riding on different roads instead, luckily smaller roads, not loaded with too much traffic. But no cycling path in sight!
We meet some Swiss bikers and share maps and experiences with them. This encounter is helpful actually; it helps us to get back to various “Axes vertes”. The cycling on gravel turns out to be ok, rewarded by a lot of greenery and nice landscape, wooden bridges and pathways, ducks, swans, cormorans, lakes and ponds.
21st of June
The sky is gray, it is drizzling already and rather cold! With hanging heads we get to the breakfast room. Here the “Patron” is in high spirits: he insists that we should take a glass of his champagne. “for the road”. According to him there is no better medication, and right he is! After the first glass he insists again, and we may as well hang for the sheep as for the lamb, we chat, laugh and drink along, finishing the bottle! For breakfast! We are tipsy but good thing about it: in the meantime the rain stopped. We get ready to leave towards Reims. At Berry-le-Bac we miss the cycling track, take a wrong turn, so no more cycling along the canal but across small villages. We see some nice “domaines”, beautiful mansions of champagne producers. “La route du champagne” says the sign on the road, sounds good to me. Soon we get back to a proper cycling track “la coulée verte”.
 |
We enter Reims after some time: sea the cathedrals, St Rémi and Notre Dame of course, Palais du Tau (Cathedral treasures), Porte de Mars (biggest original Roman Arch). The cathedral is ornated by big statues of Saints and the smiling angel “l’ange souriant”, statues that have a pleasant smile on their faces. (instead of the typical catholic martyrized expression!)
Leaving the city after our visit leads us towards Prunay. The Hotel “Escale” answers the phone with: Do you come by plane or by car? Ehhh by plane? Are they kidding? We have some trouble to find the place and to get there (over "route nationale"…). In the end we discover it, we actually find an hotel plus bar/restaurant and a small airport for light planes and helicopters attached to it. During dinner (on the terrace) a helicopter lands, people come for food! Amazing! 70 km . Prunay.
22nd of June
Start at a reasonable time, breakfast in the “aviator” bar, very entertaining place with all that aviation décor. Get off and hurry up to leave the traffic behind us, safely back on the “coulée verte”. All is fine but then it starts to rain and we quickly get into our rain gear. The canal is nice, the rain is on and off, we still feel ok. Right before Châlon-sur-Champagne very heavy rain starts to fall.
We get into the town and take shelter right at the doorstep of St Etienne cathedral. Inside the church is restored, with a lovely light. Coffee and cake in Châlon to dry out a bit. We see the bigger cathedral of Châlon as well, unfortunately it looks dirty and neglected. After our break we have some more riding along the canal. When this track stops, we cope as good as we can with traffic main roads. Just before Vitry, less traffic, smaller roads. Vitry-le-François, take pictures of the church , do some shopping (provisions for the other day) and arrive at Hotel Equinox, 87 km, dinner right next door.
 |
| Vitry-le-François |
23rd of June
Equinox Hotel is nice, but leaving from here turns out to be difficult. To avoid “la route nationale” we scramble over the mess just behind a “déchetterie”. There is no proper path but rubble and waste, we climb over it and get through a tunnel, right under the main road, pass some gypsies and their home-mobiles to get finally to the canal.
There is only gravel and it is nearly overgrown by hedges. But it is very early in the morning, a special light and air, a bit mystical. We enjoy the ride although there is no tarmac. Later we will see “Nutrias” at the canal, an animal in the appearance close to the muskrat, but actually hamster-family.
 |
| BAR-LE-DUC |
We cycle through little villages, on “routes départementales”, on various cycling tracks. In the end we are back on the road.
After a hard ride, a lot of up and down we end up in “Issencourt” 81 km , Relais-Hôtel de la voie sacrée.
Dinner very posh and pure delight for our palates, so fine and distinguished!
24th of June
During the night heavy rain and thunderstorms! It cools down noticeably!! We decide to leave very early and to cycle as fast as we can to escape the rain (announced for early afternoon). We use every road, track, path that we find avoiding as much traffic as possible, but still, the roads are the quickest way back home. We run like the wind! After 70 km still no rain, lucky so far. From Piennes on we ride on main roads, very unpleasant, but quickest way to travel. Audun-le-Tiche / then Esch/Alzette. The rain starts. We simply refrain from losing time and changing into our rain gear; we decide to speed on instead. Right decision: in the end we land on our doorstep, safe and proud, with 105 km in our legs.
Just on time since on the spot a very heavy rainshower starts to fall.
Full trip: +/-1.050 km.
During the night heavy rain and thunderstorms! It cools down noticeably!! We decide to leave very early and to cycle as fast as we can to escape the rain (announced for early afternoon). We use every road, track, path that we find avoiding as much traffic as possible, but still, the roads are the quickest way back home. We run like the wind! After 70 km still no rain, lucky so far. From Piennes on we ride on main roads, very unpleasant, but quickest way to travel. Audun-le-Tiche / then Esch/Alzette. The rain starts. We simply refrain from losing time and changing into our rain gear; we decide to speed on instead. Right decision: in the end we land on our doorstep, safe and proud, with 105 km in our legs.
Just on time since on the spot a very heavy rainshower starts to fall.
Full trip: +/-1.050 km.