Dinant is a small city squeezed between a river and a cliff. The Meuse runs through it, wide and slow, and the rock face rises almost vertically behind the old houses, with the citadel perched on top. The town has about thirteen thousand people, and the first view of it, with the Gothic collegiate church and its famously bulbous spire in front of the cliff, is one of the great pictures of Belgium.
Several things come from here. Adolphe Sax, inventor of the saxophone, was born in Dinant in 1814, and the town honours him with sculptures of giant saxophones along the bridge. The hard biscuit called couque de Dinant, made of flour and honey and so tough that it can break a tooth, is a local curiosity, usually stamped with elaborate designs. The strong Leffe beers take their name from an abbey on the edge of town. And the Rocher Bayard, a rock pillar beside the river, is said to have been split by the magic horse Bayard, which carried four brothers away from Charlemagne.
For a rider, Dinant is both a destination and a gateway. The roads along the Meuse north and south, with their curves, cliffs and river views, are among the best in southern Belgium, and the route into the Ardennes plateau and the Semois valley climbs through woods and meadows. Fuel is easy, with stations on the main roads, and cafes and restaurants line the river. Moules-frites, local cheese and waffles are the standard meals, and many of the riverside places have terraces.
Traffic can be heavy on summer weekends, when tourists and boats fill the quays, and the road along the river is busy with campers. Weekdays and early mornings are better, and the light on the cliff is best in the morning. The Citadel can be reached by a cable car or a steep flight of steps, and the view from the top is worth the climb.
On a damp day, mist hangs on the river and the cliffs disappear into cloud. It is moody and atmospheric, and the hot chocolate in a riverside cafe tastes better for it.