My first bike trip : a Tour of the Ardennes

[A-lexandre]

Hello everybody!

So, a change of plan. Instead of going to the Netherlands this summer, I'm going to make a one-week tour in the Ardennes. The main reason is my budget. I can't afford a bigger tour this summer, and I don't want to have to feel any anxiety about whether I will have enough money to make it all the way or not. Besides, I've never been camping that much, neither did I have been bike touring ever. So, to stay on the safe side, but still getting some good time on my bicycle, there I go.

I've dropped the idea on getting back that old moutain bike of my brother, because it needs to much heavy work. Instead, I've bought an used city bike, in perfect state (170 €), which will be fine for a week-long journey, and for commuting during the next school year. I've tried it on a 60 km daytrip, and it was absolutely fine.
I've found two big luggage bags second-handed for 5€ (!) from the ancient national post company, a little stove for 8€ with some gas, a tent for 15€, and one of the sellers offered me a mattress :-)
My sleeping bag is at the drycleaner shop (15 €), I've found an old air pillow in the basement as well as a Belgian route map book, and I still have to buy a lightweight cooking set (I've found one for 8€), a torch, and I think I'll have pretty much everything covered for 43 €. Not so bad, huh ? :-)

And despite my wish of going without any kind of preparation, since the camping sites are invaded with people at this time of year, I've planned my route and my stops. I've made a map for the ones interested in my project.
My neighbourhood has two big cycling lanes. One following an old train line, which goes to Aachen, and another which follows the river Ourthe. I'll start from one and will come back through the other :-)
Day One : Chênée/Liège - Botrange - Robertville (60 km)
Day Two : Robertville - Hautbellain (LUX) - Bastogne (68 km)
Day Three : Bastogne - Chiny - Mortehan (67 km)
Day Four : Mortehan - Bouillon - Revin (72 km)
Day Five : Revin (FR) - Givet (FR) - Rochefort (67 km)
Day Six : Rochefort - Aywaille - Chênée (91 km)*
* I wonder if I can make that distance in one day. Interesting challenge !
Oh... and my city bike has only one chainwheel. That's another interesting challenge.
But I think this is at the same time realistic and challenging, given my physical abilities etc.

I've managed to find cheap camping sites, so I'll spend 40€ in total for sleeping (I'm not comfortable enough to do wild camping for the moment). That leaves the food, and I'm kind of hoping to find old farms on the way to buy affordable eggs and veggies to go with the pastas

I'll make a packing test this week-end, I'll show you the bike if you want. The whole picture is obviously cheap, but in a nice way. I like to recycle stuffs that people don't want anymore.

I leave Monday the 14th in the morning. If you have suggestions etc, they are nothing but welcomed :-)

 

[Brandane]

Hello everybody!

So, a change of plan. Instead of going to the Netherlands this summer, I'm going to make a one-week tour in the Ardennes. The main reason is my budget. I can't afford a bigger tour this summer, and I don't want to have to feel any anxiety about whether I will have enough money to make it all the way or not. Besides, I've never been camping that much, neither did I have been bike touring ever. So, to stay on the safe side, but still getting some good time on my bicycle, there I go.

I've dropped the idea on getting back that old moutain bike of my brother, because it needs to much heavy work. Instead, I've bought an used city bike, in perfect state (170 €), which will be fine for a week-long journey, and for commuting during the next school year. I've tried it on a 60 km daytrip, and it was absolutely fine.
I've found two big luggage bags second-handed for 5€ (!) from the ancient national post company, a little stove for 8€ with some gas, a tent for 15€, and one of the sellers offered me a mattress :-)
My sleeping bag is at the drycleaner shop (15 €), I've found an old air pillow in the basement as well as a Belgian route map book, and I still have to buy a lightweight cooking set (I've found one for 8€), a torch, and I think I'll have pretty much everything covered for 43 €. Not so bad, huh ? :-)

And despite my wish of going without any kind of preparation, since the camping sites are invaded with people at this time of year, I've planned my route and my stops. I've made a map for the ones interested in my project.
My neighbourhood has two big cycling lanes. One following an old train line, which goes to Aachen, and another which follows the river Ourthe. I'll start from one and will come back through the other :-)
Day One : Chênée/Liège - Botrange - Robertville (60 km)
Day Two : Robertville - Hautbellain (LUX) - Bastogne (68 km)
Day Three : Bastogne - Chiny - Mortehan (67 km)
Day Four : Mortehan - Bouillon - Revin (72 km)
Day Five : Revin (FR) - Givet (FR) - Rochefort (67 km)
Day Six : Rochefort - Aywaille - Chênée (91 km)*
* I wonder if I can make that distance in one day. Interesting challenge !
Oh... and my city bike has only one chainwheel. That's another interesting challenge.
But I think this is at the same time realistic and challenging, given my physical abilities etc.

I've managed to find cheap camping sites, so I'll spend 40€ in total for sleeping (I'm not comfortable enough to do wild camping for the moment). That leaves the food, and I'm kind of hoping to find old farms on the way to buy affordable eggs and veggies to go with the pastas

I'll make a packing test this week-end, I'll show you the bike if you want. The whole picture is obviously cheap, but in a nice way. I like to recycle stuffs that people don't want anymore.

I leave Monday the 14th in the morning. If you have suggestions etc, they are nothing but welcomed :-)

Sounds great! I looked at the map but not surprisingly I'm not familiar with the route. I must have crossed through it a few years ago on my motorbike, heading south from Brugge, Brussels, Namur, and Luxembourg, to Nancy (then eventually onwards to Annecy, the Alps, and down to Nice, and Monte Carlo).
Enjoy your tour.

 

[Profpointy]

word of warning - beware of "Trapiste" beer, sometimes labelled, in a very plain label, simply as "Rochefort". Tastes very nice and goes down well. There are three types 8, 10, 12. The numbers are not just indicating varieties.
Thus, four pints of "10" = 1 pint of whiskey.

In moderation, or more precisely, taken very sparingly it is jolly nice though.

 

[A-lexandre]

Thank you @Brandane !
@Profpointy Ha ha, don't worry, I know it well, in fact I just had one yesterday I love Trappist beers!

 

[jay clock]

having lived a long time in Belgium I am sure that the Ardennes will be much nicer than the NL. I would not want to be doing all that flat stuff. Bon voyage

 

[Bodhbh]

Not really much to suggest. There's a great campsite just NE of Boullion - camping Maka. We stopped in it in June (not cycle touring) - it's small, they let you collect your own wood and have fires, plus it's right on the banks of the Semois. It's also worth going over the top of the Haute Fagnes, as you're going right past it.

 

[A-lexandre]

having lived a long time in Belgium I am sure that the Ardennes will be much nicer than the NL. I would not want to be doing all that flat stuff. Bon voyage

It has crossed my mind, but I'm sure there is a lot of interesting things to see in the Netherlands to compensate the... regularity of the ground

Not really much to suggest. There's a great campsite just NE of Boullion - camping Maka. We stopped in it in June (not cycle touring) - it's small, they let you collect your own wood and have fires, plus it's right on the banks of the Semois. It's also worth going over the top of the Haute Fagnes, as you're going right past it.

Thanks, I've spotted this campsite, but decided to go for another, cheaper one. And I'm going on top of the Hautes Fagnes, I'll be crossing the "signal de Botrange" during my first day :-)

 

[Donger]

Thank you @Brandane !
@Profpointy Ha ha, don't worry, I know it well, in fact I just had one yesterday I love Trappist beers!

So do the trappists - only they are not allowed to say so.

Enjoy your trip Alexandre. I loved it around the Haute Fagnes and Robertville (though hadn't expected to need to speak German anywhere to the East of there!). I'm sure you will have a great ride. Hope you are OK with the single chain ring, though.

 

[A-lexandre]

Thank you! I think it'll be allright with the single chain ring. I still have 6 different speeds in the cassette, and I'm not taking the steepest of roads to go there. But I'm leaving early anyway in case I need to rest more often than usual, and I'm not ashamed by walking by my bicycle if needed :-)

 

[Haitch]

Haute Fagnes? Super de Fagnes!

 

[A-lexandre]

Ha ha, I didn't know this one, I'll try it if I can find it!

 

[A-lexandre]

Ok... So, I had to come back because of severe back pain, and lack of good sleep. Apparently I need a more user-friendly camping gear. I made it to the Signal of Botrange though, it was a good challenge, and I met nice people on the road. I'll get ready for another try.