cisamcgu
Legendary Member
- Location
- Merseyside-ish
Dear CCers
Following this thread https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/short-tour-in-holland-belgium-recommendations.246243/
Mrs Cisamcgu and I went on the mini-tour last week .. here is a write up, taken from http://ramblings.mcguiness.co.uk/
Thanks
Andrew
Belgium - Ypres to Brussels - Monday, 25th August
By Andrew on Monday 26 August 2019, 18:45
Brompton bikes checked, most packing done, dinner being prepared - all ready for an early start tomorrow .
Obviously the luggage isn't attached yet - we cannot travel for 12 days without a change of undies - we are not barbarians !! (although Belinda is Australian, which is close I suppose?)
We will be catching a train from Crosby all the way to Lille in northern France. Obviously not the same train, I'm not sure a class 507 Merseyrail train would get that far, the third rail would be a problem anywhere south of the Wirral anyway - this may be a little too nerdy for a non-train person, but anyway, we will continue ...
So, train from Crosby to Liverpool, then Liverpool to London, then London to Lille (lots of L's, maybe this is a hidden theme ?). Once in Lille, we stay the night, then catch the train to Kortrijk (avoiding trying to navigate out of Lille), then ride from there to Ypres. Sharp eyed readers may have already noticed the occasional Anglicising of the European towns and cities. For instance Kortrijk is also in English Courtrai or Courtray , whereas Ypres is properly called Ieper. I will make no apologies for this, and will make use of whatever name I fancy - I will leave it up to you, dear reader, to decipher
Trains, trains and more trains - Tuesday, 27th August
By Andrew on Wednesday 28 August 2019, 06:40
We set out from Crosby (well it wouldn't make sense to leave from anywhere else, would it?) and caught the local train the Liverpool Lime Street station. Trains ran on time, we got seats and they were mostly empty. The bicycles folded well and were very well behaved on the journey.
We arrived in London and rode (aren't we brave?) the 1km to St Pancras Station. (Please note, dear reader, that it is not Pancreas, which is an organ in the body, but Pancras which is something else entirely). With 4 hours to spare before the train left ( you van never be too early), we plonked ourselves down on the concourse for a nice, but expensive, snack.
We tried to pop into the Crick Institute, but found it was closed on Tuesdays, so pottered around, went through customs and passport control, and eventually boarded the Eurstar to Brussels via Lille. Belinda carried the bags and I carried the bikes. If you ever think about getting a Brompton also consider getting a large, powerful manservant at the same time, it will make you life easier and stop you arms from stretching unnecessarily !
Lille was as elegant as we remembered. We had a beer in a local bar, served by the Frenchiest person you are ever likely to meet, had a nice pizza and salad further down the road, and retired early to sleep in the hottest, noisiest room in the whole of Flanders...
Cycling by numbers - Wednesday, 28th August
By Andrew on Thursday 29 August 2019, 15:34
Before I go any further, I must apologise over the lack of photographs. This is because of a technical reason that may have to wait until we return home for resolution. Hence, pictures will be painted by the written word, and imagination may be required to fully appreciate the goats and corn (if we had photos you would know why both goats and corn were mentioned - sadly it is not to be).
Lille in the morning is a strangely quiet city, but no less pleasant. We broke our fast on croissants and porridge and then loaded the bikes, waved goodbye to the Ibis hotel and zipped over to the Lille Flanders train station. After a few minutes trying to translate a French ticket machine, a tiny Union Jack flag was noticed and everything magically turned into English, we managed to get a couple of singles to Kortrjik, and stepped onto the 10:08 out of France into Belgium.
Once in Beligium we obviously started to ride in earnest, only stopping after about 7 minutes for a refreshing lemonade - cycling gods we are ! We found the Fietsroute and started towards Ypres. The Belgium cycle routes are simply wonderful, you just go from number to number, and arrive. Almost no navigation required, nearly all dedicated cycle paths and tremendously courteous drivers - nothing could be better.
We followed the river which was full of huge barges carrying all sorts of things including containers, cars, agricultural products and anything else you can imagine - a proper use of infrastructure. The sun was hot, and our legs slowly became tired, but we plodded on through small, sleepy towns (sleepy is not some romantic turn of phrase, they were literally asleep; every shop and cafe closed), slowly closing in on Ypres. We were climbing some serious hills, many over 10m high. (In actual fact the hills were low and shallow but continual for many km, and did become tiring)
We past a few WW1 cemeteries, stopping briefly at a couple - they were not sad places, more thought provoking really, especially when you saw the lists of thousands upon thousands of names. We were so busy looking at one that we missed our route coming into Ypres and had to navigate by map (how quaint I hear you cry, very retro).
Ypres was nice, full of WW1 stuff, obviously, but very interesting. We had a superb burger in a small cafe, went to the last post at the Menem Gate, and retired to our sumptuous hotel room tired and happy.
Belinda and I at the Menem Gate ( yes, I DO know it is upside down, do you think I like being this way up, it is virtually barbarian !)
Riding with the wind - Thursday, 29th August
By Andrew on Friday 30 August 2019, 14:56
Ypres sleeps in late....very late...
We wandered the streets looking for breakfast and in the end bought croissants and cakes. We devoured these in the hotel and packed up the bikes. There was a slight issue on checking-out, we were given the wrong bill for the wrong room, but eventually everything was fine and we began the relatively short trip to Roeselare. The wind was with us so we flew out of Ypres, taking the wrong route almost immediately !
After a hurried consultation with the map, and no crossed words, we veered south and reconnected with our plan. It was mostly uneventful.
We cycled past acres of corn and rows of sprouts, and eventually stopped for coffee at a place called ANZAC rest. It was a coffee shop/pub, and was also the site of excavations of WW1 fortifications. They had found a photo and had traced it back to an Australian solder from 1917. The whole area was the scene of fierce fighting from 1915 - 1917.
This is the sort of path we follow
We had a scrumptious lunch in Passendale after popping into the museum for a few minutes. We also visited Tyne Cot, the largest Commonwealth cemetery. It was immaculately kept, and rather lovely, in a stark and depressing way.
Tyne Cot
The route was about 50% on dedicated cycle paths and was a pleasure to ride. Roeselare was quite a large town, lots of industry and such, but also strangely quiet, like all of Belgium - maybe they heard we were coming and all scarpered ? We had a late afternoon beer and dinner in a peculiar bistro, run by a cross between Olivia Coleman and Kerry Goodliman from Derek, (if you have never seen the TV show, then take the time to find it, very touching and very, very funny; Derek that is, not this Bistro).
Staying in the same hotel were a group of lady bike riders called the "cycling sisters". They seemed to stalk us a little, drinking at the same bar, eating at the same cafe, but I am sure it was just a coincidence and we won't see them again
Also had a moment of panic that I had forgotten to insure the house since May, but 15 minutes later a nice lady from John Lewis insurance assured me I could continue to enjoy my holiday safe in the knowledge that the buildings and contents had been safely covered by their comprehensive plan .. phew!
We retired very early to bed in the hotel, the room over warm but comfortable.
Still a problem with photos, eventually they will appear, and then you will just have to read the whole thing again, won't you ... well ... I thought so, good ...
Coffee, the civilised way - Friday, 30th August
By Andrew on Saturday 31 August 2019, 07:56
We left Roeselare, travelling North along an old railway line, the sun was shining, the birds were tweeting - you get the picture ? We ariived for a brief stop at Gits, and then carried on to Torhout where we had a lovely cup of coffee. I have a picture, but cannot work out how to include it here, so it will have to wait until we are back, but perfect coffee, a piece of Belgian chocolate and a tiny glass of brandy (Baileys for the ladies) and a lovely view of the square. It was picture perfect, only spoiled by the arrival of the cycling sisters - they are stalking us, I am sure
Hey, we have got some photos to work, maybe more to follow, dear reader, but do not hold your breath.
Obviously we soon lost the route and had to navigate simply by smell (we are like scouts) to get to the next waypoint. The bikes were performing well, only a few strange noises from some of the gears, but nothing singing a loud song didn't fix ! We made our way to Aartijke and had a nice lunch in what turned out to be 'the place to be' it filled with lots of locals, many of whom knew each other and seemed to order, and then eat, a pile of orange goo. I'm sure it was lovely, they all devoured it with gusto, but we had no idea what it was.
The cycling passed the normal crops, for here, of corn and sprouts. We wondered for a significant time why they were growing so many sprouts in Belgium, was it a national vegetable, was it very popular here, it was a mystery until we remembered the full English name -Brussel Sprouts - doh !
The road to Brugge now passed through a lovely wooded region, we were cycling through a forest with the sun dappling on the track, very scenic indeed, but soon we were past it and into Brugge proper. A glance at the map and 10 minutes later we were checking into the Novotel.
With hardly a pause we were out again, wandering the street of Brugge, drinking wine and beer and eating mussels - we were virtually native. We booked a walking tour for tomorrow and retired for our customary early night.
In Bruges - Saturday, 31st August
By Andrew on Monday 2 September 2019, 08:03
We snuck out of the hotel and bought breakfast in a small supermarket. Pastries and yoghurt and freshly squeezed orange juice. Squeezed by yours truly, using a mechanical machine the likes of which the world has never seen ! It was a marvel, moving, squishing and disposing of the oranges in a never ending stream.
After our breakfast we meandered to meet the guide who we had booked yesterday. An American chap, he was entertaining and enlightening in equal measure and gave some excellent insights into Bruges. After the tour we grabbed a quick bite of lunch before looking at markets and bric a brac shops.
We had a small rest back in the hotel then walked a quarter of the circumference of the city, seeing windmills, boats, ducks and canals. All very scenic and pretty. A beer and dinner (Thai) followed before we crashed back to the hotel for a well earned sleep.
Following the river - Sunday, 1st September
By Andrew on Tuesday 3 September 2019, 07:30
Today we cycle from Brugge to Gent, basically following the river for about 45km. The wind is blowing from the north-west, we are cycling south-east, rivers are notoriously flat, so even we should manage it in a few hours.
We again feasted on supermarket findings - gluten filled pastries for me, gluten-free options for Belinda; and of course the wonderful orange juice created by the infernal squishing machine. As we walked back to the hotel a peleton of about 35 cyclists whizzed up the narrow, cobbled Brugge street. They were all dressed in purple, all (well most) thin and fit looking, and all obviously going at 850kmph. Following this cavalcade was the 'team car', a small Fiat with a billboard on the roof announcing the name of the club. It was sureal, like watching the Veulta Espana, but not really
View of the river
We checked the route on our every useful maps, and set off, following the river, and a lot of other cyclists on the route from Bruges to Ghent. It was a simple as we had hoped, and other than the fact it was Sunday and so nothing was open, it was lovely. We passed some WW2 re-enactment, passed and re-passed the same boat all the way down (maybe housing the cycling sisters), and generally made good time. The only thing to go wrong was Belinda, she started making a dreadful grinding, knocking noise and will maybe need replacing when we return to the UK.
Can you hear the grinding noise ?
We saw the same boat again and again ...
Ghent is a bigger place than Bruges, and it took us some time to cross through the suburbs and find the hotel. We are right in the centre, ideally located for waffles and beers.
Arriving into Ghent
One of the lovely Belgium beers
We found a lovely restaurant and I had fish casserole and Belinda had steak. After an ice-cream we wandered back to the hotel, got our room changed because the original one had a building site outside the window that would commence at 8am, and collapsed into bed.
Please note : Belinda has asked me to make it clear that it was her bike, not her, that started making odd noises, and that it is the gear mechanism that will need to be changed, rather than .... well, anyway, you get the idea.
Following this thread https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/short-tour-in-holland-belgium-recommendations.246243/
Mrs Cisamcgu and I went on the mini-tour last week .. here is a write up, taken from http://ramblings.mcguiness.co.uk/
Thanks
Andrew
Belgium - Ypres to Brussels - Monday, 25th August
By Andrew on Monday 26 August 2019, 18:45
Brompton bikes checked, most packing done, dinner being prepared - all ready for an early start tomorrow .
We will be catching a train from Crosby all the way to Lille in northern France. Obviously not the same train, I'm not sure a class 507 Merseyrail train would get that far, the third rail would be a problem anywhere south of the Wirral anyway - this may be a little too nerdy for a non-train person, but anyway, we will continue ...
So, train from Crosby to Liverpool, then Liverpool to London, then London to Lille (lots of L's, maybe this is a hidden theme ?). Once in Lille, we stay the night, then catch the train to Kortrijk (avoiding trying to navigate out of Lille), then ride from there to Ypres. Sharp eyed readers may have already noticed the occasional Anglicising of the European towns and cities. For instance Kortrijk is also in English Courtrai or Courtray , whereas Ypres is properly called Ieper. I will make no apologies for this, and will make use of whatever name I fancy - I will leave it up to you, dear reader, to decipher
Trains, trains and more trains - Tuesday, 27th August
By Andrew on Wednesday 28 August 2019, 06:40
We set out from Crosby (well it wouldn't make sense to leave from anywhere else, would it?) and caught the local train the Liverpool Lime Street station. Trains ran on time, we got seats and they were mostly empty. The bicycles folded well and were very well behaved on the journey.
We arrived in London and rode (aren't we brave?) the 1km to St Pancras Station. (Please note, dear reader, that it is not Pancreas, which is an organ in the body, but Pancras which is something else entirely). With 4 hours to spare before the train left ( you van never be too early), we plonked ourselves down on the concourse for a nice, but expensive, snack.
We tried to pop into the Crick Institute, but found it was closed on Tuesdays, so pottered around, went through customs and passport control, and eventually boarded the Eurstar to Brussels via Lille. Belinda carried the bags and I carried the bikes. If you ever think about getting a Brompton also consider getting a large, powerful manservant at the same time, it will make you life easier and stop you arms from stretching unnecessarily !
Lille was as elegant as we remembered. We had a beer in a local bar, served by the Frenchiest person you are ever likely to meet, had a nice pizza and salad further down the road, and retired early to sleep in the hottest, noisiest room in the whole of Flanders...
Cycling by numbers - Wednesday, 28th August
By Andrew on Thursday 29 August 2019, 15:34
Before I go any further, I must apologise over the lack of photographs. This is because of a technical reason that may have to wait until we return home for resolution. Hence, pictures will be painted by the written word, and imagination may be required to fully appreciate the goats and corn (if we had photos you would know why both goats and corn were mentioned - sadly it is not to be).
Lille in the morning is a strangely quiet city, but no less pleasant. We broke our fast on croissants and porridge and then loaded the bikes, waved goodbye to the Ibis hotel and zipped over to the Lille Flanders train station. After a few minutes trying to translate a French ticket machine, a tiny Union Jack flag was noticed and everything magically turned into English, we managed to get a couple of singles to Kortrjik, and stepped onto the 10:08 out of France into Belgium.
Once in Beligium we obviously started to ride in earnest, only stopping after about 7 minutes for a refreshing lemonade - cycling gods we are ! We found the Fietsroute and started towards Ypres. The Belgium cycle routes are simply wonderful, you just go from number to number, and arrive. Almost no navigation required, nearly all dedicated cycle paths and tremendously courteous drivers - nothing could be better.
We followed the river which was full of huge barges carrying all sorts of things including containers, cars, agricultural products and anything else you can imagine - a proper use of infrastructure. The sun was hot, and our legs slowly became tired, but we plodded on through small, sleepy towns (sleepy is not some romantic turn of phrase, they were literally asleep; every shop and cafe closed), slowly closing in on Ypres. We were climbing some serious hills, many over 10m high. (In actual fact the hills were low and shallow but continual for many km, and did become tiring)
We past a few WW1 cemeteries, stopping briefly at a couple - they were not sad places, more thought provoking really, especially when you saw the lists of thousands upon thousands of names. We were so busy looking at one that we missed our route coming into Ypres and had to navigate by map (how quaint I hear you cry, very retro).
Ypres was nice, full of WW1 stuff, obviously, but very interesting. We had a superb burger in a small cafe, went to the last post at the Menem Gate, and retired to our sumptuous hotel room tired and happy.
Belinda and I at the Menem Gate ( yes, I DO know it is upside down, do you think I like being this way up, it is virtually barbarian !)
Riding with the wind - Thursday, 29th August
By Andrew on Friday 30 August 2019, 14:56
Ypres sleeps in late....very late...
We wandered the streets looking for breakfast and in the end bought croissants and cakes. We devoured these in the hotel and packed up the bikes. There was a slight issue on checking-out, we were given the wrong bill for the wrong room, but eventually everything was fine and we began the relatively short trip to Roeselare. The wind was with us so we flew out of Ypres, taking the wrong route almost immediately !
After a hurried consultation with the map, and no crossed words, we veered south and reconnected with our plan. It was mostly uneventful.
We cycled past acres of corn and rows of sprouts, and eventually stopped for coffee at a place called ANZAC rest. It was a coffee shop/pub, and was also the site of excavations of WW1 fortifications. They had found a photo and had traced it back to an Australian solder from 1917. The whole area was the scene of fierce fighting from 1915 - 1917.
We had a scrumptious lunch in Passendale after popping into the museum for a few minutes. We also visited Tyne Cot, the largest Commonwealth cemetery. It was immaculately kept, and rather lovely, in a stark and depressing way.
The route was about 50% on dedicated cycle paths and was a pleasure to ride. Roeselare was quite a large town, lots of industry and such, but also strangely quiet, like all of Belgium - maybe they heard we were coming and all scarpered ? We had a late afternoon beer and dinner in a peculiar bistro, run by a cross between Olivia Coleman and Kerry Goodliman from Derek, (if you have never seen the TV show, then take the time to find it, very touching and very, very funny; Derek that is, not this Bistro).
Staying in the same hotel were a group of lady bike riders called the "cycling sisters". They seemed to stalk us a little, drinking at the same bar, eating at the same cafe, but I am sure it was just a coincidence and we won't see them again
Also had a moment of panic that I had forgotten to insure the house since May, but 15 minutes later a nice lady from John Lewis insurance assured me I could continue to enjoy my holiday safe in the knowledge that the buildings and contents had been safely covered by their comprehensive plan .. phew!
We retired very early to bed in the hotel, the room over warm but comfortable.
Still a problem with photos, eventually they will appear, and then you will just have to read the whole thing again, won't you ... well ... I thought so, good ...
Coffee, the civilised way - Friday, 30th August
By Andrew on Saturday 31 August 2019, 07:56
We left Roeselare, travelling North along an old railway line, the sun was shining, the birds were tweeting - you get the picture ? We ariived for a brief stop at Gits, and then carried on to Torhout where we had a lovely cup of coffee. I have a picture, but cannot work out how to include it here, so it will have to wait until we are back, but perfect coffee, a piece of Belgian chocolate and a tiny glass of brandy (Baileys for the ladies) and a lovely view of the square. It was picture perfect, only spoiled by the arrival of the cycling sisters - they are stalking us, I am sure
Hey, we have got some photos to work, maybe more to follow, dear reader, but do not hold your breath.
Obviously we soon lost the route and had to navigate simply by smell (we are like scouts) to get to the next waypoint. The bikes were performing well, only a few strange noises from some of the gears, but nothing singing a loud song didn't fix ! We made our way to Aartijke and had a nice lunch in what turned out to be 'the place to be' it filled with lots of locals, many of whom knew each other and seemed to order, and then eat, a pile of orange goo. I'm sure it was lovely, they all devoured it with gusto, but we had no idea what it was.
The cycling passed the normal crops, for here, of corn and sprouts. We wondered for a significant time why they were growing so many sprouts in Belgium, was it a national vegetable, was it very popular here, it was a mystery until we remembered the full English name -Brussel Sprouts - doh !
The road to Brugge now passed through a lovely wooded region, we were cycling through a forest with the sun dappling on the track, very scenic indeed, but soon we were past it and into Brugge proper. A glance at the map and 10 minutes later we were checking into the Novotel.
With hardly a pause we were out again, wandering the street of Brugge, drinking wine and beer and eating mussels - we were virtually native. We booked a walking tour for tomorrow and retired for our customary early night.
In Bruges - Saturday, 31st August
By Andrew on Monday 2 September 2019, 08:03
We snuck out of the hotel and bought breakfast in a small supermarket. Pastries and yoghurt and freshly squeezed orange juice. Squeezed by yours truly, using a mechanical machine the likes of which the world has never seen ! It was a marvel, moving, squishing and disposing of the oranges in a never ending stream.
After our breakfast we meandered to meet the guide who we had booked yesterday. An American chap, he was entertaining and enlightening in equal measure and gave some excellent insights into Bruges. After the tour we grabbed a quick bite of lunch before looking at markets and bric a brac shops.
We had a small rest back in the hotel then walked a quarter of the circumference of the city, seeing windmills, boats, ducks and canals. All very scenic and pretty. A beer and dinner (Thai) followed before we crashed back to the hotel for a well earned sleep.
Following the river - Sunday, 1st September
By Andrew on Tuesday 3 September 2019, 07:30
Today we cycle from Brugge to Gent, basically following the river for about 45km. The wind is blowing from the north-west, we are cycling south-east, rivers are notoriously flat, so even we should manage it in a few hours.
We again feasted on supermarket findings - gluten filled pastries for me, gluten-free options for Belinda; and of course the wonderful orange juice created by the infernal squishing machine. As we walked back to the hotel a peleton of about 35 cyclists whizzed up the narrow, cobbled Brugge street. They were all dressed in purple, all (well most) thin and fit looking, and all obviously going at 850kmph. Following this cavalcade was the 'team car', a small Fiat with a billboard on the roof announcing the name of the club. It was sureal, like watching the Veulta Espana, but not really
We checked the route on our every useful maps, and set off, following the river, and a lot of other cyclists on the route from Bruges to Ghent. It was a simple as we had hoped, and other than the fact it was Sunday and so nothing was open, it was lovely. We passed some WW2 re-enactment, passed and re-passed the same boat all the way down (maybe housing the cycling sisters), and generally made good time. The only thing to go wrong was Belinda, she started making a dreadful grinding, knocking noise and will maybe need replacing when we return to the UK.
Ghent is a bigger place than Bruges, and it took us some time to cross through the suburbs and find the hotel. We are right in the centre, ideally located for waffles and beers.
We found a lovely restaurant and I had fish casserole and Belinda had steak. After an ice-cream we wandered back to the hotel, got our room changed because the original one had a building site outside the window that would commence at 8am, and collapsed into bed.
Please note : Belinda has asked me to make it clear that it was her bike, not her, that started making odd noises, and that it is the gear mechanism that will need to be changed, rather than .... well, anyway, you get the idea.
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