On my way to Ireland

A cycling tour through Luxembourg, Belgium, and France – Part 1

The decision for the route

I have cycled almost all over the world. There are only a few countries in Europe that I have not traveled through by bike.

“I’ll save these countries for when I’m older!” – I said to myself. Now I’m a little older, but I still feel fit. For reasons of time and money, it was going to be somewhere closer this year. “Why not Ireland?” I thought.

I didn’t want to fly mainly because of the hassle. So I thought about the best place to catch a ferry to Ireland. Traveling via England wasn’t an option, as a visa has been required since April this year.

Another important decision criterion: I get seasick! Don’t ask me how I felt on the ferry from Tallinn to Helsinki. So it had to be as short a crossing as possible.

Friends of mine had taken the ferry from Cherbourg. Since the ferry port in Normandy is located directly on EuroVelo 4, I decided to do the same.

The route was set: I would take the train (Germany ticket) to the Luxembourg border, to EuroVelo 5. I would follow this through Luxembourg, Belgium, and France until I crossed over to Boulogne-sur-Mer. From there, I could follow EuroVelo 4 to Cherbourg.

Start in the rain

It was the end of July. I took the train to Dillingen/Saar. Then it was finally time to get on my bike! What an amazing feeling—maybe even for two months! I’ll leave the end open.

It had rained heavily over the last few days. Parts of the bike path along the river Saar and the road were closed due to flooding and landslides. And so the trip began with a little adventure.

Luxemburg: eine große Schleife in einem kleinen Land

It was only a short distance left on EuroVelo 5 in Germany before I arrived in Luxembourg at Schengen.

Along the river Moselle, it was very touristy and, typical for Luxembourg, a higher price range. I spent the first night at a campsite on the German side.

The EuroVelo 5 makes a big loop through Luxembourg. Of course, otherwise I would have finished the small country quickly! On longer stages, cycle paths overlap, such as here for the “VeloSummer.”

207 / 5.000

Well, “Velo” (bicycle) yes, and according this month it’s summer, but it was very cold and rained on and off. At least the roads are closed for two weeks for this event. Congratulations, Luxembourg!

234 / 5.000

I only had a short ride through Luxembourg City. It’s a beautiful city with a great old town and certainly some interesting museums. However, I really wasn’t in the mood for a city tour with so many people and traffic lights.

Through a beautiful park I found my way out onto an old railway line, now a cycle path with nice picnic areas. With this the weather, there was hardly anyone around so late. An ideal spot for wild camping.

At 3:20 a.m., two men passed by. When they saw my tent, they immediately stopped talking and switched off their flashlights. I had read on information boards that this used to be a smugglers’ path along the border with Belgium. Perhaps there are still smugglers around.

After that, it was all downhill, and I was in Belgium.

Belgium: Over mountains and through the battlefields of the Ardennes

In the border town of Martelange, I could barely get through. Countless cars were desperately searching for parking spaces. Cigarettes, alcohol, and coffee are significantly cheaper in Luxembourg. Naturally, that attracts many people—but not me. The chaos was soon over, and I cycled along a lovely bike path beside a stream.

Shortly after, the road climbed again. Near Bastogne, I passed tanks again and again. The town is famous for the Battle of the Bulge. On December 20, 1944, the German Wehrmacht encircled American soldiers there. From December 25 onwards, the Germans were expelled again. These historical sites attract many visitors.

I continued cycling through beautiful, tranquil countryside. Unfortunately, the weather didn’t improve. The sun only came through the next day. The road climbed again, allowing me to enjoy the views, followed by a fantastic descent between rocks to the charming town of La Roche. It’s a great place to spend some time.

Then I realized once again how stressed I am by traffic noise. My calmness vanished. I cycled 28 kilometers along a busy road until the path finally led uphill again on smaller trails. In a small wood far away from everything, I found silence and a good place for my tent.

Just one more climb up the mountain and another fantastic descent along the rocks, and I was at the Meuse – the end of the Ardennes.

In Dinant, I was surprised to see saxophones on the bridge. A reader informed me that Adolphe Sax, the inventor of the saxophone, came from Dinant. Again I’ve learned something!

The Meuse is a pleasant river with a well-developed cycle path. Near Namur, the EuroVelo 3 and EuroVelo 5 routes meet. The EuroVelo 5 climbs again, but since I’m no longer in the Ardennes, it’s mostly just small hills.

Brussels and surroundings

Belgium also has large castles with even larger parks, for example the Château de la Hulpe. To fully appreciate its size and beauty, the EuroVelo 5 cycle route winds through it. Today I could have saved at least 20 kilometers if I had simply continued straight ahead. But what would I have missed? So I had peace and quiet in the green park – the sun even shone briefly – and the extensive forest.

Close to Tervuren it was not so relaxing anymore. Once again, my calmness was tested along a busy road even uphill. As a reward, a new wooden bicycle bridge appeared at the top, and thehassle was briefly over, until I headed into the capital.

The EuroVelo 5 cycle route runs right through the heart of Brussels. It passes the EU headquarters and the Beer Beurs, continues through Jubelpark with its Arc de Triomphe and Quadriga, which reminded me a lot of the Brandenburg Gate.

As you’ve probably noticed by now, my love for cities is somewhat limited – at least when it comes to cycling trips. With its many traffic lights and construction sites, Brussels isn’t exactly a cycling paradise for me.

I was able to leave the city quite pleasantly along the canal, sharing the road with many commuters. The Belgians probably didn’t anticipate attracting so many cyclists when they built the bike paths. At times, it was quite an adventure, with road cyclists whizzing up from behind on the narrow paths – the river to my left, stinging nettles to my right.hrer von hinten auf den schmalen Wegen angerauscht kamen – links von mir der Fluss, rechts Brennnesseln.

Later along the canal, the path became more pleasant. The closer I got to France, the greener the surface of the water became. There were more plastic bottles than ducks floating on it. Very worrying.

I must have somehow missed the border crossing into France. Only after asking around did I realize: I’m in France now. You’ll find out what happened next in the next post.

So far I’ve been on the road for eight days and have cycled 563 kilometers.

ℹ️ Good to know…

Languages ​​in Luxembourg: Luxembourg has its own language, which is very similar to German. German is widely spoken. English is also very common among the many expats.

Languages ​​in Belgium: Flemish in the north, French in the south. There is a small German-speaking community in the east.

Wild camping: Wild camping is not officially permitted in either Luxembourg or Belgium. I pitched my tent late and packed it up early, so hardly anyone saw me and I wasn’t in anyone’s way. And if someone did see me, they were very friendly. It goes without saying that I left no trace. The so-called doggy bags (for dog waste) are very suitable for garbage bags.

Tick ​​tweezers: Tick tweezers are an absolute must in your luggage in this region and at this time of year. I’ve rarely had so many ticks.

What experiences have you had on these EuroVelo routes? Let me know in the comments!