Solo cycling trip to Belgium.
I packed my panniers for the 7 night trip and they seemed lighter than when I went to Kettlewell for the weekend. Despite that, I could have packed lighter still since I came back with three unworn items of clothing. Next time I will take even less.
The train journey from Saltaire to Hull with my bike was easy. In Hull, I used the Komoot app for the first time to get to the ferry which was surprisingly straightforward on dedicated cycle lanes and paths the whole way. The cycle path went round the outside of the Siemens wind turbine factory which was quite amazing.
At the ferry terminal, they were having some work done so I had to take my bike on the pedestrian bus onto the ferry rather than up the car ramp. On the ferry I just had to tie the bike securely with a rope. Then I had a shower, a big dinner and a not bad night’s sleep whilst we sailed to Rotterdam.
It was a chilly, bright morning as I cycled down off the ferry into The Netherlands. A short way into the ride, there was a sign indicating that the path might be closed ahead, but I wasn’t sure if that was true, or if I’d be turning off before that point, and a woman flying past on her bike shouted something in Dutch, which I presumed might also mean that the path was closed, but I went that way anyway. After about a mile, it turned out that the path was in fact closed so I had to turn back. But anyway. It was no big deal.
I loved the industrial landscapes on the way to Rotterdam city. The big round globes of an oil refinery. The rows of blue cherry pickers standing vertically against the blue sky. The chemical tanks all stacked up. The giant sci-fi-yurt fuel containers; cylindrical with massive 4 million cubic metre capacities.
A brutalist windbreak hid another concrete structure in the distance. This turned out to be a bridge, with steps but also a channel at the side for pushing the bike up, then a long loop descent on the other side. This bridge marked the start of a more suburban section with small waterways and reeds and weeping willows. I made it to the passenger ferry across the river to Maassluis just as it was setting off. Then continued on the way to Rotterdam. It took me nearly 3 hours to go 20 miles, and the locals were all cycling much faster than me. At the station I struggled to find something to lock my bike to, amongst all the millions of bikes, I got something to eat, then took my bike on the train to Belgium.
In Antwerp the next morning, I cycled from the hotel to the railway station and went on a one-hour journey east to the town of Hasselt. This is in the Limburg region which is a historic coal mining area. After lightening my luggage at the hotel, I set off on a 30-mile ride. I was soon out of town and in the depths of the Belgian countryside. The route took me through farmland, woodland and wetland. Through the grounds of an abbey and along and over the huge Albertkanaal. The sun was shining and it was all perfectly flat but very windy! Nearly halfway round there was a long, straight, relentless stretch of former railway line that went through some sand dune kind of area. That section was particularly windy and I was starting to flag a bit so I stopped for my picnic.
Re-energised, I soon got to the exciting part, which took me underneath wind turbines to an old coal mine (C-mine at Genk), and then back through a pine forest to ‘Cycling through the water’. Which is what it sounds like. Then the final stretch down the canal and back into Hasselt.
Day 4 was a 48 mile round trip from Hasselt. I had options for cutting it short (railway stations en-route) but there was no need as I was feeling so good. Started off next to a busy dual carriageway before getting into quiet suburbs then onto another tranquil coal path (this time wiggly through the trees). Got to the former mining village of Zolder but not much to see as the headframe was covered in scaffolding. Onwards to Be-mine at Beringen for some more industrial views. Then through Leopoldsburg to “Cycling through the trees” in Bosland forest.
Day 5 was a rest day where I had the entire cycle carriage to myself on the train to Brussels. Then Day 6 I did a leisurely 20 mile out and back down the Charleroi canal to Halle for a coffee. Cycling out of Brussels was a little bit confusing and slightly hairy, but the way back was fine. I should say that the entire cycling infrastructure was fantastic throughout the trip. It was all so easy. You need to pay a small supplement to take a bike on the train but there was always plenty of space. And using Komoot meant I could easily plan routes and be directed where to go so I was free to take in the views and daydream.
Final day, I got the train from Brussels to Rotterdam then cycled back to the ferry. This time it only took two hours as by now I was more used to cycling like a local. Then all there was left to do was to cycle up the steep ramp back onto the ferry home.