Alongside the Meuse river from Montherme to Alken
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RouteXpert Guy Heyns - Adv. RouteXpert
Last edit: 10-12-2024
Route Summary Every now and then a frivolous side jump is made on very nice roads that help to maintain your cornering talents, whether ascending or descending.
Enjoy this pleasant, relaxing ride that also takes you along Dinant, a tourist attraction in the Condroz.
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Verdict
Duration
4h 49m
Mode of travel
Car or motorcycle
Distance
230.90 km
Countries
RouteXpert Review It passes a number of nice places such as Givet & Dinant and you cross the Maas 10 times while you follow its banks for 174 kilometers.
Here and there, however, we leave these banks to look very fun and frivolously on the smaller roads to hone our cornering talents.
So plenty of variety on this return route from the French Ardennes.
As already mentioned, the route starts in Monthermé, France. First the banks of the Semois are followed, and then, believe it or not, to catch a 'colleke' in the North of France. Do not expect intensive bends or climbing on this 'Col du Liry', but rather enjoy the first magnificent forest you drive through (Forêt Domaniale de Château-Regnault) while 'descending' back to Bogny-sur-Meuse. There you will find a connection to the famous 'green' Michelin roads and these roads form a 'red' thread through this route, in which road quality is of paramount importance.
At Haybes, just after Fumay and after a possible refueling on the route (rp 6- 50 km) we cross the Meuse again and dive into some great forests (Forêt Domaniale de la Manise / d'Hargnes-Lurier & Bois de la Cloche). In the middle of these forests you will also get to process some nice pins, so that will be enjoyed from the front row.
You stay in this green area until you reach route point 8 and after 83 kilometers arrive in Givet, the last city before the French-Belgian border. Perhaps a short break is recommended here instead of in the higher Dinant. In contrast to Dinant, Givet offers ample parking options and perhaps also space on its terraces along the Maas. After all, in Dinant it can be very busy on a sunny weekend day….
At route point 10 (86 km) you pass the French-Belgian border and meander back to the Meuse, which you cross again in Hastière-Lavaux. You will then continue along the Meuse to Dinant (rp12 - 109 km).
Dinant is a tourist attraction with its Citadel and home to Adolphe Sax, the inventor of the saxophone. It can be very busy on a summer day. Parking options in and around the center are very limited, even for motorcycles. Maybe something to take into account ...
Just after leaving Dinant there is another very nice attraction and that is the Leffe Abbey (rp13). You will probably have no trouble recognizing the Abbey tower. This is depicted on the 13 different types of Leffe beer that originated in this abbey. Today, however, the Leffe varieties are brewed in Leuven and 'royalties' are paid to the abbey.
If Dinant is or was too busy, you can stop at route point 15, barely 8 kilometers after Dinant, at a small but nice picnic area for a short break.
Enjoy the roads that are cut here and the peace and nature they offer you. It will soon get busier when you approach the city of Namur. To avoid the crowds there, we stay on the right side of the Maas to dive back into the woods after the Naamse bend. The Bois de Jeumont, d'Herpet, Rouquimont, Lier, de la Justice, the Gresves, the Faux,… they all slide under your wheels, just to illustrate the beautiful, green area you cross here. At route point 23 and after 173 kilometers you will arrive in Andenne where, just before you cross the Maas for the 10th and last time, you can take a short break in a pleasant square.
For the rest, the ride to Alken then follows beautiful, good and rural roads where the speed from route point 26 is reduced to 70 km / h outside the built-up area. After all, you are back in Flanders, where different speed limits apply. From the Walloon-Flemish border it is then another 23 kilometers to the arrival in Alken, where you can enjoy a last farewell drink in 'De Ton' or in 'Sportwereld'.
This return route from the French Ardennes is particularly varied and offers something for everyone. Excellent road surface, beautiful nature, varied views, quite a bit of history, nice hills and even a real 'col' are your part on this route that deserves a five star rating because of its surprising, yet always fascinating route.
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Changes may nevertheless have occurred due to changed circumstances, road diversions or seasonal closures. We therefore recommend checking each route before use.
Preferably use the route track in your navigation system. More information about the use of MyRoute-app can be found on the website under 'Community' or 'Academy'.
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Grand Est
About this region
Grand Est (French: [ɡʁɑ̃t‿ɛst] (listen); Alsatian: Grossa Oschta; Moselle Franconian/Luxembourgish: Grouss Osten;
Rhine Franconian: Groß Oschte; German: Großer Osten [ˈɡʁoːsɐ ˈʔɔstn̩]; English: "Greater East") is an administrative region in Northeastern France. It superseded three former administrative regions, Alsace, Champagne-Ardenne and Lorraine, on 1 January 2016 under the provisional name of Alsace-Champagne-Ardenne-Lorraine (pronounced [alzas ʃɑ̃paɲ aʁdɛn lɔʁɛn]; ACAL or, less commonly, ALCA), as a result of territorial reform which had been passed by the French Parliament in 2014.The region sits astride three water basins (Seine, Meuse and Rhine), spanning an area of 57,433 km2 (22,175 sq mi), the fifth largest in France; it includes two mountain ranges (Vosges and Ardennes). It shares borders with Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany and Switzerland. As of 2017, it had a population of 5,549,586 inhabitants. The prefecture and largest city, by far, is Strasbourg.
The East of France has a rich and diverse culture, being situated at a crossroads between the Latin and Germanic worlds. This history is reflected in the variety of languages spoken there (Alsatian, Champenois, and Lorraine Franconian). Most of today's Grand Est region was considered "Eastern" as early as the 8th century, when it constituted the southern part of the Francian territory of Austrasia. The city of Reims (in Champagne), where Frankish king Clovis I had been baptized in 496 AD, would later play a prominent ceremonial role in French monarchical history as the traditional site of the coronation of the kings of France. The Champagne fairs played a significant role in the economy of medieval Europe as well. Alsace and Lorraine thrived in the sphere of influence of the Holy Roman Empire for most of the Middle Ages and Renaissance, and subject to competing claims by France and German over the centuries.
The region has distinctive traditions such as the celebration of Saint Nicholas Day, Christmas markets, or traditions involving the Easter hare in Alsace and Lorraine. Alsace-Moselle are furthermore subject to local law for historical reasons. With a long industrial history and strong agriculture and tourism (arts, gastronomy, sightseeing), the East of France is one of the top economic producing regions in the country.
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Rhine Franconian: Groß Oschte; German: Großer Osten [ˈɡʁoːsɐ ˈʔɔstn̩]; English: "Greater East") is an administrative region in Northeastern France. It superseded three former administrative regions, Alsace, Champagne-Ardenne and Lorraine, on 1 January 2016 under the provisional name of Alsace-Champagne-Ardenne-Lorraine (pronounced [alzas ʃɑ̃paɲ aʁdɛn lɔʁɛn]; ACAL or, less commonly, ALCA), as a result of territorial reform which had been passed by the French Parliament in 2014.The region sits astride three water basins (Seine, Meuse and Rhine), spanning an area of 57,433 km2 (22,175 sq mi), the fifth largest in France; it includes two mountain ranges (Vosges and Ardennes). It shares borders with Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany and Switzerland. As of 2017, it had a population of 5,549,586 inhabitants. The prefecture and largest city, by far, is Strasbourg.
The East of France has a rich and diverse culture, being situated at a crossroads between the Latin and Germanic worlds. This history is reflected in the variety of languages spoken there (Alsatian, Champenois, and Lorraine Franconian). Most of today's Grand Est region was considered "Eastern" as early as the 8th century, when it constituted the southern part of the Francian territory of Austrasia. The city of Reims (in Champagne), where Frankish king Clovis I had been baptized in 496 AD, would later play a prominent ceremonial role in French monarchical history as the traditional site of the coronation of the kings of France. The Champagne fairs played a significant role in the economy of medieval Europe as well. Alsace and Lorraine thrived in the sphere of influence of the Holy Roman Empire for most of the Middle Ages and Renaissance, and subject to competing claims by France and German over the centuries.
The region has distinctive traditions such as the celebration of Saint Nicholas Day, Christmas markets, or traditions involving the Easter hare in Alsace and Lorraine. Alsace-Moselle are furthermore subject to local law for historical reasons. With a long industrial history and strong agriculture and tourism (arts, gastronomy, sightseeing), the East of France is one of the top economic producing regions in the country.
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