Belgium and Luxembourg, it’s the dog’s bollox, mate....

Wapping

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Continuing the theme from the ‘There is feck all to do in Holland’ thread:

https://www.ukgser.com/forums/showthread.php/550889-There’s-feck-all-to-do-in-Holland

Here is just some of what the same Tourenfahrer magazine website starts to turn up. Note, all I did was just tap around in the base map on my iPad. You can see the bottom end of one of the Dutch routes peeping through and a series of circles. These will open up into ideas of routes / jaunts to take or adapt.

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Tapping on them throws up....

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Remember, I am just doing this on an iPad; it really is that easy.

Then just tap on any of the ‘Zur Tour’ hot links to reveal the individual jaunt’s details. Here’s an example, using the ‘Luxembourg West’ button from the screenshot above....

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Buy the individual routes for two euro or just use the zoomable map to create your own version. Above all, use your imagination and the magazine’s tools to make something for yourself, rather than just posting “Me and six mates want to do the Ardennes, we want routes, no motorways”. In other words, do something for yourself. Once you have done it once, you’ll find it easier the second time and all the times after that. Everyone is moaning that they are locked in by COVID-19; use the time to create something. There are enough hints and tips on UKGSer on how to do that, stating from just a paper map. All you need to add in is a bit of your time (rather than just siting around, using someone else’s) and a dollop of imagination. That’s why you bought an ‘Adventure’ motorcycle.... but you could do it all even if you had bought a moped or a FireBlade. Give it a go. What’s the worse that can happen?
 
Using the map, rather than the drop down box on the website, is often easiest. You know you want to ‘Do the Ardennes’ and you know roughly where they are. If you don’t, Google ‘Ardennes’ and Google will tell you. Then pull the map around until you are in the right place. It’s really easy.

Zooming in will show purple ‘single’ jaunts. The green circles with numbers in show that say, eight, jaunts lie within it. Tap on it, you can’t break it.

Here’s an example...

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I did a single day jaunt through this region on my way back from Saarbrucken last September, which left me definitely wanting more. I did push on through Luxembourg so can't comment about that much, but from Bastogne up to Liege in particular was really nice. I took in some WW stops along the way, starting in Bastogne itself, on to the Mardasson memorial, to the Foxholes at Foy, up to La Gleize to see the King Tiger, then up over Leige before pressing on for my return ferry. While these routes are circular you could easily join up NW Luxembourg with some of the route I did to bring you up around Liege. Really enjoyed Belgium more than I expected, even the frequent crazy oncoming Pelotons were amusing!
 
Bastogne square has superb bike kit lockers you can use and secure with disc lock.

Highly recommended for a Klim free bumble round town


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Bastogne square has superb bike kit lockers you can use and secure with disc lock.

Highly recommended for a Klim free bumble round town

Do those kit lockers accept lesser imitation bike kit? My jacket is branded Kwim. :D
 
Belgium, Ardennes, Eifel, Luxembourg .... four of the worlds best kept secrets, and you have to blab it all over the place Wappers :thumby:

:beerjug:
 
Tripped over this thread as I try to resurrect a trip that’s been cancelled for 2 years in a row.

Expect to nail down a ferry next week using my DFDS credit note. Looks like prices are the same or slightly less than I’ve already paid.

Maybe it’s just the “early booking” thing. I’m looking at May.

Following the useful tips above I happily blew 1.99 EU twice to download the Luxembourg East and West routes that should fill in a couple of days.
 
2017 - 2019 I was going to the region twice a year as a seasoner opener / closer - an easy long weekend if you're within a few hours of the Tunnel, can hit nice enough roads after a @2hr motorway blast away from Calais, often would go to Bouillon on first day, then our favourite was the now closed (very sad) Grand Hotel in Echternach (great town for food / drink), but Vianden is also really nice and then maybe La Roche en Ardenne or Durbury for the last night. Esch-sur-sure is another place that looks great, never got around to staying there but really want to, I expect the Castle looks great when lit up at night.

Bastogne is good too, lots of places to eat / drink and a lot of WW2 stuff, the large(ish) Museum will take up 2-3 hours if you have a rainy day and I think it is customary to visit "Le Nuts" at least once if touring the area, as a base for a couple of nights or more I am not so keen as it is a bit of a trek to / from the really good roads (I don't mean hours - but compared to many other places where the great roads start as soon as you pull out of the Hotel drive way)

Belgium has lowered the speed limits on many rural roads which is a PITA if you either stick to them or are overly concerned about a tourist-tax ticket and Luxembourg also has a Tourist-tax system comprising og about 5 speed cameras in the country, the one just West of Vianden on the CR322 is one most people will encounter so keep an eye out for it.

Here are a couple of decent routes for 4-5 day trips;

https://www.myrouteapp.com/profile/routes/485#794328/name/asc

https://www.myrouteapp.com/profile/routes/485#512592/name/asc
 
Anyone that is dual inoculated from the UK, thinking of going via or into Belgium (for more than 48 hours) at the moment, might like to have in mind that the Belgian authorities require you to:

Fill in a passenger locator form and…..

Take a COVID test on arrival (basically within 48 hours) and….

To self-isolate for 72 hours or until the result of the test is known and….

If you stay longer than 7 days, to re-test on day 7

Self-tests are not allowed, so you have to go to a pharmacy or similar.

The wearing of masks is enforced in shops but not within restaurants.

This may all yet change and might even vary on a regional basis within Belgium itself. Had we still been in the EU, the rules would have been less stringent. You can thank the usual culprits for that.

Luxembourg has lifted its restrictions on dual jabbed UK nationals. Similarly, they do not seem to need a passenger locator form.
 
Tripped over this thread as I try to resurrect a trip that’s been cancelled for 2 years in a row.

Expect to nail down a ferry next week using my DFDS credit note. Looks like prices are the same or slightly less than I’ve already paid.

Maybe it’s just the “early booking” thing. I’m looking at May.

Following the useful tips above I happily blew 1.99 EU twice to download the Luxembourg East and West routes that should fill in a couple of days.

When you download the route(s) you might get straight lines, when displaying the route in BaseCamp. With a bit of imagination and by zooming in, you can probably work out which roads the route follows. If though you also download the version GPX for TomTom, you’ll get what amounts to a track. This follows the roads much better. Then simply drag and pin the magenta line onto the track. In doing so, you can spot any errors the bod made and / or make any changes to suit yourself.
 
Fresh with the excitement of having returned from the racing at Spa last weekend and despite being pestered almost incessantly by the Belgian Passenger Locator bods, I am off to Belgium and Luxembourg (Vianden) again at the end of the month, on a mini-break thing.
 
Fresh with the excitement of having returned from the racing at Spa last weekend and despite being pestered almost incessantly by the Belgian Passenger Locator bods, I am off to Belgium and Luxembourg (Vianden) again at the end of the month, on a mini-break thing.

Lucky boy.

Online clips were good.
 
For what it's worth, here are my routes for the short break in Luxembourg, centred around Vianden.

It's a schlep across from Calais on day one and a schlep back on day three, with a day riding around when we get there. Yup, we take some motorway there and back but I really don't care. I have bunged on three 'ride arounds', from roughly Vianden, so we can decide on the day which (if any of them) to take.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/2es1dp7rwxawelo/October 2021 - Vianden.GPX?dl=0
 


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