Summer holidays?
I think this one was long overdue. How could my love of cycling still not have taken me to Belgium? For one reason or another I’ve visited different parts of the world, but one of the countries with the richest cycling tradition was still missing. If not the richest of all.
It didn’t take much organising. Planning to start from Liège, I arrived at Brussels airport with all my gear. For anyone who doesn’t know it, I’ll tell you it has at least two good things going for it. One, big lockers where I can leave the bike box. And two, a train station right in the terminal. So, as soon as I landed, I put the bike together, stowed the bags in the locker and caught the first train to Liège.
The journey is quick. Even with a change of trains halfway, I reached Liège in under two hours. At last I was going to try out my new bike and my new set-up: goodbye panniers, hello bikepacking!
I stayed in a small hotel in Liège and early the next morning I set off.
I can’t say it was the best of starts. First thing in the morning it was pouring with rain. So I killed a bit of time after breakfast and, once it had eased off, I headed for Malmedy.
The first few kilometres were easy, and I got to enjoy first-hand the famous cycle paths that link Belgium’s towns and villages. Kilometre after kilometre of tarmac just for bikes, busy with riders, that take you almost anywhere. And beautifully kept, too.
Luckily it hardly rained on me and, although the weather was far from good, I never got soaked through. I left the cycle paths for a network of lovely trails, great fun to ride. And that’s how I reached Limbourg, where I managed to steer clear of the frietkoten, the chip shops, and got hold of a dürüm to eat a bit later. With their cylindrical shape, their foil wrapping and how well they keep once made, I discovered on this trip that they’re ideal for carrying on the bike and enjoying later on.
And so, little by little, I made my way while the sky grew darker and the clouds closed in. The temperature began to drop, not dramatically, but enough to make me wonder… why on earth do I have to be wrapped up like this in the middle of July! Oh, summer holidays, where are you?
By this point I’d had enough kilometres for one day. I always try to be well prepared for the route ahead, and I’ve never thought it a disgrace to take a shortcut or skip a stretch if it’s hard going, if it’s getting late, or if I simply don’t feel like it. And that day there was a section that promised to be completely waterlogged (and most likely muddy) and, honestly, I didn’t feel like starting the trip that way.
So I rode the last few kilometres on the road. Just one quick stop at what looked like a roadside bar but turned out to be a smart restaurant, where they weren’t too thrilled about a soaking-wet guy in brightly coloured clothes dripping on their floor for the sake of a measly coffee. I left a tip.
The plan for the day was to stay at the campsite in Malmedy. I even gave it serious thought, but a quick look from the entrance made me think again. The campsite was completely waterlogged, and the rain didn’t look like stopping. So I found a hotel in Malmedy, where I could wash (and dry) my clothes and sleep in a comfortable bed. I’m used to the rain, but I hope the sun comes out tomorrow. That said, I had a fantastic time!