Travel report: Out and about by bike in West Flanders
From our guests Notburga and Martin
Arrival to Roeselare, Saturday, May 14, 2022
There is still a lot to do this morning before departure, so we can leave home at 11:45 am. The weather is glorious: the sun is shining from a blue sky, so the conditions are perfect for our cycle tour. There is quite a lot of traffic in the Ruhr area, but we get through without any traffic jams.
At 4.45 pm, we cycle through the very hidden gateway to the parking lot of the Parkhotel in Roeselare. We didn't find the entrance between the terraces of the cafés at first and were almost in the pedestrian zone by car.
At reception we receive our travel documents from the Belgian partner organization of Radweg-Reisen, a tour book and a cycle map printed especially for this tour. We park our bikes in the designated garage and take our luggage to our room. We then take a stroll through the town, which has a pretty market square. Back at the hotel, I browse through the documents and travel guide because I'm curious to see what awaits us.
Day 1 of the tour: Roeselare - Tyne Cot War Cemetery - Ypres, Sunday, May 15, 2022
We start our "Cycling vacation in Flanders" cycle tour this morning after a very hearty and varied breakfast at the hotel. The sun is shining from the sky. We first cycle through the suburbs and residential areas on the outskirts of Roeselare. We cycle through the undulating Flemish countryside using the ingenious Knooppunten system, which we have already learned to appreciate in the Netherlands. The route runs partly along a former railroad line. It's beautiful and very quiet because it's Sunday. The birds are chirping, we hear roosters crowing, the leaves rustle in the wind and it smells mostly of spring, but also sometimes of 'fresh country air'.
Now we are sitting on the Tyne Cot War Cemetery, looking over the white gravestones for the 12,000 fallen British, Canadian, Australian, New Zealand and four German soldiers, past the cross to the towers of Ypres. A very impressive and touching place that makes you feel the senselessness of war.
Tyne Cot War Cemetery
We drive through the Meenenpoort into Ypres. As soon as we pass through, we are already on the Grote Markt with Lakenhal and Belfried. A beautiful square with impressive Flemish architecture. We realize that these are - magnificent
reconstructions, as Ypres was totally destroyed in the First World War. Churchill wanted to leave the ruins as a memorial, but fortunately the citizens of the city prevailed with their wish for a faithful reconstruction.
As we can only check into the hotel at 3 pm, we visit the 'In Flanders Fields Museum' in the Lakenhal, which brings us closer to the First World War from different perspectives. A visit is highly recommended! We climb the 231 steps to the top of Belfried . From up there, you can look out over the city and see Tyne Cot on the horizon, just as we saw the towers of Ypres from there.
Ypres
We check into Hotel O and get a room with a great view of the market square and Lakenhal. Great! At 8pm, we are at the 'Last Post', the British Army's taps at the Meenenpoort, which have been sounded every evening since 1928 in memory of all Commonwealth soldiers who died in the Ypres Arc during the First World War. There are a surprisingly large number of people there. After the ceremony, we walk along the ramparts, through the alleyways, past St. James' Church and across the market to the Martinskerk. We are always aware that everything here is just 100 years old.
Now we are still sitting on the market with a beer and an Aperol Spritz. It's a really nice, balmy early summer evening.
Day 2 of the tour: Ypres - Poperinge - Diksmuide, Monday, May 16, 2022
After a good breakfast, we set off on today's stage at 9:45 am. It's cloudy today and a strong wind is blowing from the west.
We cycle through the Flemish countryside with views of the Kemmelberg and the surrounding hills of the Flemish Ardennes. We don't make much progress because the wind is blowing against us from the front. We have to make way for tractors several times. On the way to Poperinge we cycle through hop gardens.
Itzertoren Diksmuide
After this, we pass the Trappist Abbey of St. Sixtus. You can't enter the abbey, but there is a pub next door called 'De Vrede' where you can drink (and buy) beer brewed by the Trappists and eat bread with abbey cheese.
We continue along the Ijzer to Diksmuide. Before we enter the town, we pass the Ijzertoren, which can be seen from afar.
Diksmuide was also reduced to rubble during the First World War and rebuilt in the old Flemish style after the end of the war.
At 2.10 pm, we arrive at the B&B 'Het Witte Huis' right on the market square. We are accommodated in the new building at the back behind the garden in a very nice room with a view of the rear of the historic house.
After a short break, we sit down in a café on the market square, drink a cappuccino and eat an ice cream with fresh strawberries with a view of the town hall and Belfry. It's still windy, but the clouds have disappeared apart from a few fair-weather clouds, so the sun is shining from what looks like a freshly washed blue sky.
Marketplace Diksmuide
Day 3 of the tour: Diksmuide - Bruges, Tuesday, May 17, 2022
The day greets us again with bright sunshine. From our window, we can see the spires of the Belfry and St. Niklaaskerk peeking over the houses.
We start the day with a lovingly prepared, hearty breakfast with a view of the Grote Markt. I am very happy about the fresh fruit.
Before we set off, we stop at a bike store to buy an air pump. Yesterday we realized that we didn't have a pump with us, which would be pretty stupid in an emergency if we ever had to repair it. At around 60 kilometers, today is the longest stage ahead of us. We set off at 9.40 am and leave the pretty little town of Diksmuide. First we cycle along the Ijzer again. After about 2 kilometers we come to the so-called Dodengang directly on the Ijzer. There you can still see a Belgian trench that runs along the Ijzer, the only - albeit not original - preserved trench from the First World War. You can visit the trench, but as it is not yet open, we will leave it at an impression from the outside.
Show more Show less
Ijzer
The paths lead us past small villages, alongside canals and streams, between pollarded willows, poplars and oaks. A beautiful route.
Halfway along the route, we take a break at Ten Putte Abbey. Saint Goedelieve is worshipped there. We are amused to see that there is a candle vending machine where you can draw consecrated candles. We take a look at the pretty ensemble and take a picnic break under the trees.
Continue along the small paths through the polder landscape. For the last stretch to Bruges, the route runs alongside the Ghent-Bruges-Ostend canal. At 3.40 pm we reach the Velotel on the outskirts of Bruges, where we stay until Friday. After a break, we go to the hotel's restaurant for dinner. My husband orders an espresso to round off the meal. What he gets is more like a small dessert. Beautifully presented next to the espresso is a small milk jug, a mini muffin, a caramel sweet and an egg liqueur.
Freshly fortified, we cycle into the city center. When we arrive at the Grote Markt, the Belfry is shining in the mild light of the evening sun. A beautiful picture! The square and the surrounding cafés are still bustling with activity. We stroll through the alleyways to Rozenhoedkai, where the swans are swimming by. We enjoy the beautiful evening on the medieval streets and squares of Bruges.
Rozenhoedkaai Bruges
Bruges
Day 4 of the tour: Excursion Bruges - De Haan - Bruges,Wednesday, May 18, 2022
Today, too, there is a great, rich and varied breakfast. Two excursions from Bruges have been suggested by Radweg-Reisen for today and tomorrow. Today we take the excursion to the coast to De Haan suggested for tomorrow. At 10.15 a.m. we sit on our bikes, well fortified. First, our route takes us along a canal. A little way off the canal, we pass the former Cistercian abbey of Ter Doest. The imposing tithe barn from the 11th or 12th century is impressive, made of bricks, 16 meters high inside and divided by old oak beams.
We continue on to Lissewege. Here, too, you can see the massive steeple of the Gothic church from afar. The polder houses in this village on the Way of St. James are painted white. We then head towards the coast, pass Blankenberge and cycle through the Uitkerkse Polder, a nature reserve.
Liesserwege
Then we reach our destination for today, De Haan. We park our bikes at the streetcar station and walk through the streets lined with Belle Époque houses. We meet Albert Einstein, who lived here for a few months before emigrating to the USA via England. We walk to the beach, sit on the promenade and watch the hustle and bustle.
Back at the Velotel, we end the day with an Aperol Spritz.
Albert Einstein, De Haan
De Haan station
Ter Doest Monastery
Day 5 of the tour: Excursion Bruges - Damme - Sluis (NL) - Bruges, Thursday, May 19, 2022
During the night, there was a thunderstorm with a heavy downpour. Over breakfast, we consider driving to the center of Bruges this morning. The weather forecast predicts rain in the late morning, but it should stop again. We feel more comfortable in a city when it's raining than on our bikes in the countryside.
For the afternoon, we use Komoot and the Knooppunt app to plan a tour by bike to Damme and Sluis. We cycle into the city center of Bruges. We don't take the direct route, but cycle along the former city wall. It's over 6 kilometers long in total. I estimate that we cycle about half of the rampart. We pass two of the remaining city gates and a few windmills.
We actually want to go to the Begijnenhof 'Ten Wijngaarde' first, but when we get to the Minnewater, we have trouble getting through the groups of schoolchildren. So we ride to the Grote Markt and park our bikes in the bicycle parking garage. As soon as we are outside, it starts to drizzle, so we visit a few stores.
Churches also offer protection from the rain, so we visit the St. Salvator Cathedral and the Onze-Lieve-Vrouwen-Kerk. Both churches are very impressive. Afterwards, we visit the Begijnenhof, as both the rain and the groups of schoolchildren have cleared. Afterwards, we have a cappuccino in a very nice little tea room.
© Minnewater
Now it's no longer raining and we cycle along the Dammer Vaart to Damme, a cute little medieval town. The old star-shaped fortress structure that we cycle along is clearly visible here.
The town seems to consist mainly of pubs and restaurants. The huge church, of which the tower and choir with part of the nave are still standing, is impressive. Between them, a section that had to be demolished in 1725 is missing.
Damme
And the journey continues along the Damme Vaart to Sluis in the Netherlands. Sluis, another old fortified town, is a pleasant surprise. There is a lot going on here. In addition to restaurants of all kinds, there are also stores. We walk through the streets and find a Dutch whisky in the town hall square as a thank you for our cat sitter.
Very funny: as we walk through the streets, we see a stork strolling along the road. A woman passing by feeds it some chips. That must be a Belgian stork!
We find a nice restaurant opposite the windmill. We sit down on the terrace and have dinner. Today we had fish. Very tasty!
We cycle back along the canal without any detours. It is simply beautiful. The canal is lined with poplars on both sides and the meadows are dotted with black and white cows on buttercups in pollarded willows. So much beauty!
Day 6 of the Tour: Bruges - Roeselare, Friday, May 20, 2022
For days, the weather forecast has been predicting more or less rain in the late morning, sometimes with and sometimes without thunderstorms. Since yesterday evening, it has been forecast to start raining from around 11 o'clock. That's why we looked for a direct route to Roeselaere yesterday evening and get up at 7am today. We take the time to have a hearty breakfast, check out and are on our bikes at 9:05 am. It starts to drizzle about halfway along the route. We stop briefly at a chapel, pull the rain covers over our rucksacks and bike bags and carry on. There is a heavy downpour in between, but we survive it dry under a few trees. We reach the Parkhotel in Roeselaere at 11:30 am without having had any rain to speak of. We are lucky, we get our room and our luggage is already there.
It is now 12:45 pm, we sit in the dry, drink a cup of tea or coffee and listen to the rain beating against the windows. In the afternoon, after it has stopped raining, we go into town. We have dinner today at the Koers Café in the Koers Cycling Museum. It's very nice there and the food is plentiful.
Roeselare
Departure day, Saturday, May 21, 2022
We have another leisurely and hearty breakfast. Now my husband loads the bikes onto the car.
This brings a great cycle tour through Flanders, to the coast and to Bruges to an end. The organization was excellent, the hotels very nice, the luggage transport went smoothly and the bikes were always well secured. Absolutely recommendable! The cycling weather was also perfect. This trip will leave a lasting impression on us!
