Brussels · Eifel and High Fens Day
Moorland, border roads and small-town stops.
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Why this ride
Moorland, border roads and small-town stops. A 321 km loop that starts and ends near Spa, about 5 h 32 of riding. On the way it passes High Fens roads, Monschau old town and Eupen roads. It crosses from Belgium into Germany - carry ID and check vignette or toll rules. Back roads rather than main roads, where the map allows.
Roadbook
- Spa fuel gate
fuel
The word spa comes from this town, and that is the kind of claim that most places make and few can prove. Here it happens to be true: Spa, in the Ardennes foothills of eastern Belgium, has been a place for taking the waters since the Romans, who are said to have noted its iron-rich springs, and from the sixteenth century it was a fashionable resort. Visitors have included the Russian emperor Peter the Great, who came in 1717 to cure his stomach, and the town's central spring, the Pouhon Pierre-le-Grand, is named after him. The bottled water that bears the town's name is sold worldwide, and the little town has a quiet, slightly faded charm, with grand hotels, a thermal baths complex on the hill and a casino.
It is also a motorcyclist's town, because of the nearby circuit of Spa-Francorchamps, a few minutes away, which hosts the Belgian Grand Prix and a famous round of the motorbike calendar, along with a road network that has been a favourite of riders for generations. The Eau Rouge corner and the Raidillon climb are some of the most famous in racing, and the public roads around the circuit are fast, wooded and fun. Stavelot, with its old abbey, lies a few kilometres to the east.
From Spa, the road climbs on to the High Fens, the Hautes Fagnes, a high plateau of peat bog, heather and stunted spruce that is the wildest landscape in Belgium. Boardwalks cross the wet ground, mists collect in the hollows and the wind is often sharp. On a clear day, the views over the moor are remarkable, and in autumn the colours go gold and rust. The road continues across the German border into the Eifel, where the old walled town of Monschau, with its half-timbered houses along the Rur river, is worth a stop.
Spa is a town of about eleven thousand people, with several fuel stations, bakeries, and restaurants, and Theux, a few kilometres away, has the same. This makes it a convenient place to fill up before the high country. Check the weather, because the Fens can be cold and wet even in June, and fog on the plateau is common in autumn.
- High Fens roads
scenic
The High Fens, the Hautes Fagnes, are the great wet moorland of eastern Belgium, a high plateau of peat bogs, heather and stunted spruce that stretches toward Germany. It has a feeling unlike anywhere else in the Benelux, empty, windswept and slightly lunar. The highest point in Belgium, Signal de Botrange, stands here at 694 metres, which is not very high, but on a cold day with the wind blowing it feels more like the Scottish Highlands.
The fens themselves are a nature reserve, and the rules are strict. In many parts, walkers have to stay on boardwalks to protect the fragile peat, and the wooden planks wind out across the bog toward distant stands of birch. The area is home to black grouse, curlews and rare plants, including sundews, which catch insects, and cotton grass, which turns whole patches white in early summer. The bogs hold water like a sponge and, in a dry spell, they can burn, as they did in 2011, when a large fire swept across the plateau.
The roads that cross the fens are some of the best in the region. They run over the open plateau and down into river valleys through spruce forest, with long curves, short climbs, and views across the empty moor. The surface is mostly good, though frost heaves and potholes appear after winter. Wind is a constant, and can be strong on the open stretches. The weather changes quickly, with fog common in autumn and winter, and snow on the plateau well into spring.
Nearby is the world-famous racing circuit of Spa-Francorchamps, which hosts Formula One and motorbike races, and the old town of Spa, which gave its name to all spas, is only a short ride away. Malmedy, with its Carnival and its old abbey, lies to the south, and Eupen, with a German-speaking community, to the north. Language signs can switch from French to German in a few kilometres, which adds to the sense of crossing a border.
Malmedy and Jalhay both have stations, and the larger centres are Eupen and Verviers. Cafes and small restaurants in the villages offer waffles, hot chocolate and hearty Ardennes food, and on a cold day, they are very welcome.
- Monschau old town
food
Monschau is a town squeezed into a narrow valley of the Rur river in the northern Eifel, so tightly that its half-timbered houses seem to lean over the water and over each other. It sits right on the German border, near Belgium's High Fens, and its steep roofs and dark slate walls give it a look straight from a fairy tale. A ruined castle stands on the hill above, and the main sights are small and close together, which makes the town easy to explore on foot.
The town grew rich in the eighteenth century from cloth, and the wealthy merchants built grand houses, the finest of which is the Red House, a clothier's mansion with a spectacular staircase. The old mustard mill, which still produces mustard in the traditional way, is another stop, and you can buy jars in several flavours. In the autumn, the smell of spices from the Printen bakers, who make a hard, spiced gingerbread, drifts along the lanes. Monschau also holds a lovely Christmas market, which draws large crowds, and a classical music festival in summer.
The roads in and out are the reason bikers come. From the Belgian side, the road crosses the High Fens, a wild plateau of heath and peat, and descends into the Rur valley in a series of bends. The B258 and B399 wind through forest and meadow, with good surfaces and attractive scenery, and the surrounding Eifel is a favourite for motorcycle tours. The roads are popular at weekends, and speed cameras and police checks are common, so keep to the limits and be considerate in the villages. Monschau's own streets are narrow and cobbled, and the centre is largely pedestrian, so park at the edge and walk in.
Nature is close at hand. The Rur valley is steep and wooded, and the High Fens nature reserve lies just across the border. The Eifel is old volcanic country, with crater lakes, called maars, to the south. Spring brings fresh green and abundant wildflowers, and autumn colour is excellent.
Food and drink is easy to find. There are cafes, bakeries and restaurants in the old town, and a slow lunch with a view of the river is a good idea. Fuel is available at Simmerath and Roetgen, a short distance away, but the village has little, so fill up beforehand. Weekends in summer and the Christmas season are busy, so arrive early.
- Eupen return roads
sight
Eupen is the capital of the German-speaking community in the east of Belgium, a small town of about eighteen thousand in the valley of the Vesdre, and a place where borders have moved more than once. For centuries it belonged to the Duchy of Limburg and then to Prussia, and only after the First World War, under the Treaty of Versailles, was it transferred to Belgium. People here speak German, and shop signs, church services and the local radio all use it, though French and Dutch are also heard. It is also the home of a well-known chocolate factory.
The pleasures of Eupen lie in what surrounds it. To the south, the Hautes Fagnes, or High Fens, rise to a wide plateau of peat bog, heather and stunted spruce. The highest point in Belgium, the Signal de Botrange, stands at six hundred and ninety-four metres, hardly an alp, but the landscape feels remote, with boardwalks over the moor, cotton grass in spring and mist most of the year. Parts of the fens are closed to motor traffic to protect the fragile habitat, and in dry spells there is a serious risk of peat fires, so follow the signs. To the east, the border town of Monschau, just across the line in Germany, is a gem of half-timbered houses.
Riding the return roads from the Eifel and the High Fens into Eupen is a joy at the end of a day. The road drops through forest and pasture, with wide curves, long views and a smooth surface, and the weather can change in minutes, from clear to fog to rain, so carry a waterproof. In autumn the beech woods are golden, and in winter frost and snow can lie on the heights when the valley is clear.
Fuel is easy in Eupen, with several stations and supermarkets, and the old town has cafes and bakeries serving waffles and heavy cakes. It is a convenient place to top up before the border.
- Back to Spa
finish
Back at Spa. That is the ride.