We started the day by travelling through the Ruyaulcourt tunnel, 4.5 km through a hill.
Lining up the tunnel
The tunnel is lit and very narrow. Martijn had about 30cm clearance either side.
Warp speedLight (and another barge) at the end of the tunnel
Once through the tunnel the Zwaantje was moored, the bikes were offloaded and we disembarked. An easy day today of just over 20 km on the bikes. Warren volunteered to be sweep for the day.
Breaker, breaker
We voted to go straight to Peronne via the path beside the canal so that we could have the afternoon there to go to the War Museum.
War museum in PeronneFloor map
Tomorrow is our rest day and while Fred is encouraging us to go for a ride, we are ready for a day off the bike. The museum in town was great at portraying the battles of the Western Front and in particular the Somme which passes through town.
Museum displaysHaunting Otto Rix sketches
There was a special Australian display about the Battle of Mont St Quentin which was well done.
Australian exhibit
Route of today’s ride – Ruyaulcourt to Peronne – 22 kms
The day started with one of the Aussies in our group getting a cab to hospital after a fall down the stairs last night. We got a message later today to say his leg was broken and he was in a cast. So only 15 riders today plus Fred off to do a loop in the area.
David was sweep for the day
3 others elected to spend the day on the barge. Zwaantje had 7 locks to negotiate so it was going to be slow going.
One of our stops in the morning
We had a loose itinerary with Fred taking us along the canal to start and then through quiet country tracks and roads.
Lecluse war memorial
Morning tea at a pub in Lecluse was followed by a short walk to a Menhir (monolith) erected over 3000 years ago.
Our group in front of the Menhir
Lunch was at the small town of Eterpigny – too small for a cafe or pub. After lunch we decided to go to the Australian “Digger” Memorial in Bullecourt.
Bullecourt Memorial
It was a beautiful, perfectly maintained memorial to the almost 10,000 Australian soldiers who lost their lives in the battles around Bullecourt.
Aussies in front of the memorial
It is situated on the Rue des Australiens amongst the now beautiful fields in this part of the country. It is hard to imagine how different it must have been in April and May 1917. Next we went to a cemetery for the British and Canadian soldiers who lost their lives in the final 2 months of the war.
British cemetery
Our final cemetery was one of the few in the country where both Allied and German troops are buried.
Lest we forget
We cycled the final 15km to the barge which was moored past the 7th lock. After we were all on board, Martijn set sail for an hour to the entrance of the Ruyaulcourt tunnel that we are going through tomorrow morning.
Route of today’s ride – Arleux to Ruyaulcourt – 48 kms
Another beautiful day that started with a breakfast cruise to Montagne du Nord where we alighted and started a slow ride towards our destination of Arleux.
The Zwaantje had to take a longer route so we needed a slow day to give them time to arrive. We started by cycling back to the Belgian/French border for a group photo.
Belgian borderFred’s map
We then set off on bike paths not quite up to those in Belgium but pretty none the less. We were soon stripping off layers of clothes in the sunshine.
Church at Saint Amand des Euax
We had morning tea at Saint Amand des Eaux and lunch beside the canal.
Lunch stop by the canal
After lunch the route was on roads which I and many others did not enjoy as much due to the traffic.
Another stop to pass the time
Even with our dawdling we still arrived in Arleux an hour before Zwaantje so had a drink in the local pub where David practised his French. The barge finally arrived at 5.45 with us all looking forward to a hot shower and early night after a long day.
Arrival of Zwaantje
Route of today’s ride Montagne du Nord to Arleux – 51km
We awoke to bright sunshine and headed off about 9am. We were quickly onto a nice path that ran beside the canal. We spent most of the day on these paths with the occasional diversion into a town for morning tea or lunch.
Beautiful cyclingThat’s a big sand pit
It was also much warmer and our guide Fred was soon back into sandals without the socks.
Pont des Trous, Tournai
We arrived in Tournai about 2.30 and spent 2 hours wandering around and seeing the sights. We watched a short video at the Tourist Information which explained about the various conquerors of Tournai over the last 2000 years – Romans, French, English, Dutch, Spanish and Germans.
View from the top of the belfry
A climb up the 257 steps to the top of belfry finished our day before we headed back to the barge which was moored right next to the last remaining part of the medieval wall that circled the city – the Pont des Trous. It was such a nice evening we had a drink on the top deck before dinner for the first time.
Sundowners Belgian style
Route of today’s ride – Oudenaarde to Tournai – 44 kms
Another interesting day in the saddle. 48km over mostly bike tracks again although today it was a bit more “off road”. Asphalt, concrete, cobbles, gravel and dirt were all encountered. We had some rain today, drizzle actually, just enough to make it feel a bit colder. Our guide, Fred, gave us our first stop after only about 15 km at the small village of Melle. We went to a small barber’s shop that had added a bar and cafe.
Del enjoying a local brew
The toilet was decorated like the flag of the USA! For some it was the first beer of the day at 10am. A great spot but my tea this time turned out to be black currant!
Got to look your best Fred
From here we cycled through some lovely countryside seeing horses, cows, deer and 1 pheasant. Fred did not know this area well but managed to find a pub that would let us eat our packed lunches if we bought a drink.
I’m not lost
I have given up on tea so settled for soup – packet chicken but hot and tasty.
Lunch in Gavere
The last stretch saw more drizzle but we arrive in Oudenaarde for the final stop at Liefmans brewery where I tried their lasted brew called Yellow which came with ice. Made from pineapple and lemon, it tasted more like cider but was very refreshing.
Enjoying a beer
After this, Warren and I left the group for a quick visit of the Tour of Flanders museum, the famous one day race that finishes in this town.
Some of the winners bikes – got to admire the early winners with little technology
Warren also bought a bike skull cap to keep his head warm. Looks like it is going to be cold for a few days yet.
Route of today’s ride – Ghent to Oudenaarde – 49 kms
Day 1 of our cycling began with overcast skies and a temperature of about 10 degrees.
Morning tea stop to warm up
It was an easy 53 km though on flat roads with a nice tailwind all day. We had 3 falls, Paula, Kate and Barbara but luckily no serious injuries. We arrived at Ghent early afternoon and Fred took us to a small chapel beside St Baaf’s cathedral that was built in 942. The church was huge after the confined chapel and we marvelled at the money that must have been required to decorate the interior.
Church is hugeThis was a very wealthy areaThis statue took my eye
The crypt underneath the church was from the 12th century. We then went for a walk around the old town and visited the castle which had fabulous views over the town.
Fred in front of the castle at GhentGhent skyline
Who ‘s the king of the castle?
Trams running through the town were a stark contrast to the old buildings.
We joined the crew of the Zwaantje at 4pm and were shown our cabin for the next 2 weeks, cabin 12. Captain Martijn introduced the rest of the crew, wife Marjorie (boss), engineer Michael, chef Keith, hostess Nadine and guide Fred.
Captain MartijnCycling Guide Fred
Also on board was mascot Gaston, a friendly King Charles mix. There are 20 cyclists on the tour, 6 Australians (including friends David and Jenny Boxer), 10 Americans and 4 Canadians. Our cabin is small but has an ensuite and comfy double bed.
We were looking forward to our time in Bruges as everyone we had met who had been here loved it. Of course, sometimes you can be disappointed after such a build up, but this was not the case with Bruges.
City of Bruges flag
We had 3 days to explore and we started with a free walking tour of the old town. This gave us an overview of the main sights and museums and a brief history of this well preserved medieval town.
The golden era for Bruges was during the 12th to 15th centuries when trade flourished and the resultant wealth was used to build many impressive churches and buildings. Around 1500, the channel to the sea started silting up and trade declined. Lack of money meant that many of the old buildings and churches were not renovated and retained their original features. Bruges survived both World Wars with little damage so by the second half of the 20th century, restoration of many buildings led to a surge in tourism.
Bruges is sometimes referred to as the “Venice of the North”. There are canals around the old town as well as several through the town.
Gothic Hall inside City HallStill in use today by Council
After the walking tour we purchased a 3 day Bruges Museum pass and started with a trip to the City Hall built in 1376. Highlight was the Gothic Hall with its late 19th century murals and impressive vaulted ceiling.
Mechanism that controls the ringing of the 47 bells
The movie “In Bruges” featured the Belfort which is 83m tall and contains an impressive clockwork mechanism and a carillion with 47 bells.
366 steps to the top
This belfry was added to the market square around 1240 and housed the archives and served as a watchtower for fire or other dangers.
The Groeningemuseum provides a history of Belgian art and masterpieces from the Flemish Primitives including Jan van Eyck. They were in stark contrast to some of the modern art also on display.
The Church of Our Lady has a 115m high brick tower and a valuable art collection that includes Michelangelo’s Madonna and Child.
Reliquary
The Chapel of the Holy Blood was built in the 12th century and houses a relic brought back from the crusades that is said to be the blood of Jesus. There is a Procession of the relic on Ascension Day each year. The reliquary used for the procession was made in 1617 from 30kg of gold and silver and more than 100 precious stones.
Belfort
We also did an evening walking tour that finished at a small local pub. Another great guide who expanded on the history of the town. The lights on the buildings at night made for some beautiful photos.
One different experience was a visit to the Historium which features a story of life in Bruges in medieval times. You travel from set to set and view films as the story unfolds. We finished our visit here with a Virtual Reality experience that included a flyover of the old town.
Stepped gable on most buildings
Bruges has narrow streets but few cars are allowed in the centre so walking the streets is enjoyable. There are lots of tourists but no one was trying to sell us a selfie stick. It definitely was as beautiful as we had heard.
Newport, United Kingdom
Dinner at The Fox pub for our last night with Jane before heading across to Belgium for our bike and barge trip. On Wednesday morning Jane dropped us a Stafford railway station for the 2 hour trip to London to catch the Eurostar to Brussells.
This is a 3 hour trip including about half an hour under the English Channel and the trains have a top speed of 300 km per hour. From Brussells it was on a local train to Bruges for 3 nights before joining the barge Zwaantje.
We started the day with a trip across to St Michael’s Mount. This estate has been in the same family for 600 years and the current Lord still resides here.
St Michael’s Mount Castle
From the top of the castle the Spanish Armada was first sighted. We did a short walking tour of the village next to the harbour and discovered it is home to 35 people (workers and their families). In 1846 Queen Victoria made a surprise visit and was entertained by the housekeeper as the Lord was away.
Queen Victoria’s footprint
A bronze cast of her footprint commemorates the occasion and this tradition has continued for monarchs and heirs.
Giant bromeliad in the gardens
The gardens were beautifully maintained but we cut short our visit to catch the last boat back to Marazion. We had just enough water to get to the pier and it would be another half hour or more until the causeway was open to foot traffic.
Waiting for the tide to go down
From here we went to The Lizard after deciding Dartmouth (ancestral home of the Kerswills) was too far. More beautiful rugged coastlines.
Cornish CoastOld lifeboat stationBeach below the LizardCadgwith Cove InnA real fishing village
Jane was worried about our accommodation for tonight in the small village of Cadgwith. The hotel was great and after beautiful freshly caught fish for dinner we enjoyed a fun trivia night with the locals. We didn’t win but did not disgrace ourselves either.
