We started this tour from the little german village of Merzig, with the goal of reaching Oberkorn (where I have some family) in one day. We left Zurich early morning, and arrived in Merzig around lunch time.
There are plenty of small roads (sometimes marked for bicycle) going through this farmland, which made this ride very enjoyable. There are also plenty of wind turbines, and although we didn't have too much wind, I can imagine that it could made the ride a bit harder.
Unfortunately, we got lost after the little town of Schengen, and ended up arriving rather late at Esch-sur-Alzette, where we decided to take a train for Differdange. It turns out that taking the bicycle in the train in Luxembourg is extremely easy AND cheap (I don't remember the exact, price, but train tickets are basically free in Luxembourg.)
We spent the night in Oberkorn, where I have some family.
After a couple days in Oberkorn, we decided to move forward in the direction of Orval. Orval is an old and beautiful Abbey, well known for brewing a rather strong trappist beer.
We started with my uncle who helped us finding a route to cross the border at Arthus. The traffic there is rather heavy, but we had to continue on the main road until Musson, where we could go through the village.
We then continued in the direction of Mussy-la-Ville, Bleid, and Latour, before entering Virton.
We decided to reach Orval through France, in order to avoid large road. This allowed us to pass through Avioth, which holds a wonderful basilica. Then direction Herbeuval and we finally spent the night at Villier-devant-Orval, where we met somebody who allowed us to pitch a tent in his field. It is worth noting that the villages in France are rather dead, so stock up on food when you are in Virton.
We started the morning by visiting the Abbey. Unfortunately you can't visit the brewery, but the place is definitely worth visiting. We then found a small road through the forest which lead us to Florenville which holds a tourist information where you can buy maps of the region.
The rest of the day was fairly easy, with little traffic and plenty of small roads. In Dohan you can follow the Route du Sati which brings follows the river. The road was closed to cars when we were there, but you can definitely pass with a bicycle.
We reached Bouillon through an extremely steep tiny road (if I remember well, I had to push the bicycle). Bouillon is a beautiful little village built along the river. It's definitely worth planning a bit of time to chill on a terrasse and have a go at their multiple bakery. There is a campground at the outside of the village (Halliru), along the river. It closes rather early (Maybe around 6-7 pm), so try to get there early if you want to get tokens for the shower. If you're too late, you can just pitch your tent and pay the next day.
After a small breakfast in Bouillon, we left rather early towards. It all started fairly well, until we reached Poupehan and decided to try to follow a small road along the river. Unfortunately, our map was not precise enough and we didn't realize that this road led use to the wrong side of the river, and that the only way to move forward was to cross a gué. However the water was close to waist high, so we didn't manage to bring the bicycles to the other side and we had to go back. We ended up following a tiny path along the northern side of the river, but we didn't more pushing than cycling.
Anyway, we did end up reaching Laviot, and from there continue direction Vresse-sur-semois. There we stopped for a small break and decided to go towards France, were we would be able to join another large river: La Meuse. We started following the main road, which went well because the traffic was rather quiet. We stopped at a nice camping in Haulmé (the camping is large, with enough space so that it almost feel like you are not in a camping).
We started the day by following a cycling road called La Trans-Seymoisienne which passes just north of the campground. We followed it towards the west until we reached the Meuse, which we then followed towards the north. We definitely enjoyed the very comfortable cycling road along the river.
Once in Revin, we decided to follow the road D1 in order to reach Rocroi. The road went rather steeply uphill and sees a lot of traffic. After a few kilometer, there is the possibility to take a left on a smaller and much more comfortable road.
Rocroi itself is a beautiful old fortified town where we enjoyed a small lunch along the fortified wall. The remaining part of the journey was rather easy and hassle free. We crossed the border at Regniowez and then followed the main road until right before Rièzes. We then went to visit the Abbey of Scourmont, where the Chimay is being brewed. You can't directly buy beer at the Abbey, but there is a small restaurant further along the road where you can sit down and enjoy a beer. They also have a shop which sells all the different Chimay.
We slept at the campground in Chimay. Do arrive early (before 6 pm): we arrived later and the woman in charge of the camping was not really happy.
Chimay itself does not have a train station, so we decided to go to Walcourt to take the train and finish our trip. There is a beautiful cycling road which takes you north towards Froidchapelle through the forest.
From there, it's a short trip to the Lac de La Platte Taille and the Lac d'eau d'heure, which are full with cycling path. We followed the south of the first lake to the dam, and then followed the west side of the other lake.
We were then forced to join the main road first towards Silenrieu and then Walcourt, where we finished our trip! Walcourt is home to a beautiful cathedral which is definitely worth visiting.