Belgium fixed base recommendations please

Cycle-touring, Expeditions, Adventures, Major cycle routes NOT LeJoG (see other special board)
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Lightning
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Joined: 14 Aug 2014, 1:51pm

Belgium fixed base recommendations please

Post by Lightning »

Two of us, my adult son & I are intending to spend 4/5 days in Belgium this spring/Summer and would like to do some fairly challenging rides while there BUT we both will be on road bikes and I prefer a fixed base to return to rather than lugging gear around with me. I know belgium isn't the hilliest pace either but would like something other than simply flat rides.
I suppose the question is does anyone have any recommendations for a base that would give us a few different otions for routes, also perhaps recommendations of some decent routes of anywhere from 40 to 80 miles per day.
Thanks in advance for any advice
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TrevA
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Re: Belgium fixed base recommendations please

Post by TrevA »

There's a hostel in Kortrijk that I've stayed at, and also some cheap hotels. You are then in the area of some of the Spring Classic races such as Gent-Wevelgem and Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne. Wevelgem and Kuurne are suburbs of Kortrijk. You could do some rides based on the race routes. The Kemmelberg is to the west of Kortrijk. Roubaix is also close - to the south west.
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Lightning
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Joined: 14 Aug 2014, 1:51pm

Re: Belgium fixed base recommendations please

Post by Lightning »

Thanks TrevA, much appreciated, I'll start to do some research on these recoommendations. Cheers.
chocjohn9
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Re: Belgium fixed base recommendations please

Post by chocjohn9 »

If you look at a map of Belgium, draw an imaginary line horizontally which runs just under Brussels. To the north, it is boring and flat but to the south it is interesting and good fun (French speaking). Bearing this in mind, and it is a lovely town, Namur is great. it also happens to be 70kms from Brussels, which could be your first day, post Eurostar arrival!

Other towns that are worth seeing in this region are - Liege, Spa and Maastrict - avoid Charleroi.
AndyK
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Re: Belgium fixed base recommendations please

Post by AndyK »

A group of us spent a few days cycling in the Belgian Ardennes last September, based in La Roche-en-Ardenne. It was... well, a lot more hilly than we were expecting. Big, long, rolling hills, forests and river valleys, with plenty of quiet minor roads and not a lot of traffic on the main roads. Beautiful scenery and definitely challenging. We stayed at the Resort Floreal, a big and slightly impersonal hotel on the outskirts of the town which offers a bike store and a variety of rooms at fairly good-value prices. The hotel has gardens by the river, and it's an easy and pleasant stroll into the town centre if you want to eat out in the evening. I can probably dig out our routes if you're interested.

Maps: I bought a subscription to the Belgian IGN maps for Viewranger (a smartphone mapping app which also gives you online access on the website to any maps you buy, so you can plan your route on a big PC screen then sync it to your smartphone or generate a .gpx file for use on GPS devices). For £15.49 you get a year's access to the 1:10,000, 1:50,000 and 1:100,000 maps for the whole of Belgium.
Lightning
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Joined: 14 Aug 2014, 1:51pm

Re: Belgium fixed base recommendations please

Post by Lightning »

Thanks Chocjohn9 & AndyK, both very helpful
Vorpal
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Re: Belgium fixed base recommendations please

Post by Vorpal »

I'll second any of the recommendations above, and suggest that you add Ghent to the list. I quite liked it there, and it has the advantage of being within a day ride to many of the tourist destinations in Belgium, including Bruges, which is touristic, but pleasant, coastal areas, which are worth a visit for variety (although flat), Brussels and Antwerp. Ghent also provides access to a network of pleasant canal-side routes. When you want a route that isn't so flat, you could head southward. It's a bit hilly towards Endingen and Ronse. And a bit more hilly in the Wallones region (Vlaams Gewest).

If you'd rather just long rides & scenery, then the Ardennes has clear advantages over northen Belgium, but it is quite hilly; comparable in many areas to Cornwall, or the Peak Disctrict.
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Dudley Manlove
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Re: Belgium fixed base recommendations please

Post by Dudley Manlove »

I went over there with the OH this year - 4 days near La Roche-en-Ardenne at a great little campsite next to the river that lets you light campfires (http://www.campingmaka.be/), another 4 days at the campsite in Brugge. Both were good but I think there's much more to get your teeth into in the Ardennes - hills and climbs and whatnot- as opposed to pancake flat Brugge and the surroundings. Still, we really enjoyed the contrast and the OH is not a big cyclist so it was good to engineer in some nice flat easy riding in the north, including a circular ride to the coast + picnic and sunbathing and a trip over into Holland. I wouldn't rule out spending some time in each part of the country, especially if you're coming over on the ferry from the north anyhow - but I would definately spend more time in the south.

/edit - doh, I meant last year.
Lightning
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Joined: 14 Aug 2014, 1:51pm

Re: Belgium fixed base recommendations please

Post by Lightning »

Thanks Dudley & Vorpal, some great advice there. I'll update after the trip as to what we get up to etc. thanks again
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