Why this ride
From Thuin it runs 105 km to Thuin; allow about 1 h 38 of riding. The stops in between: Beffroi de l'Hôtel de Ville de Charleroi, Bois-du-Luc and back through Beffroi de l'Hôtel de Ville de Charleroi. The line favours views over speed.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Beffroi de Thuin and Bois-du-Luc
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 105 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 1 h 38
- Journey
- Recorded itinerary
Distance and timing basis
Ordered leg totals agree within rounding. Stop distances are approximate sums of rounded legs. Stops, delays, approach and any separate return travel add time. Basis: producer-declared routed record.
Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.
Distance and riding time are measured on the routed road. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Beffroi de Thuin
Thuin sits on a rocky spur above the Sambre, and from the river it looks like a town that climbed a hill to keep its feet dry. At the top stands the belfry, a tall square tower with an onion-shaped spire that was originally the bell tower of a collegiate church and survived when the church itself did not. Since 1999 it has been part of the UNESCO listing of belfries of Belgium and France, a reminder that towns in this region measured their freedom in bells, towers and charters.
Read the complete Beffroi de Thuin write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Beffroi de Thuin is where the day begins. Next is Beffroi de l'Hôtel de Ville de Charleroi.
2. Beffroi de l'Hôtel de Ville de Charleroi
Charleroi has a reputation, unfairly earned or not, as one of the grittiest cities in Belgium, and its belfry is a fine reason to look again. Rising from the town hall on the Place Charles II, the belfry was built in the 1930s in an elegant Art Deco style, replacing an older tower, and it is one of the belfries of Belgium and France listed by UNESCO. Its slender shape, topped with a dome and carillon, is a symbol of the city's pride and resilience, and inside, the town hall has a sumptuous Art Deco interior.
Read the complete Beffroi de l'Hôtel de Ville de Charleroi write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Beffroi de l'Hôtel de Ville de Charleroi comes up about 19 km into the recorded legs. Next is Bois-du-Luc.
3. Bois-du-Luc
The coal that powered Belgium came from a ribbon of pits across Hainaut, and Bois-du-Luc is where the story is told best. The mining company here, the Societe de Bois-du-Luc, was founded in the late seventeenth century, making it one of the oldest in Europe, and it kept going until the pit closed in 1973. The site is now a museum and heritage centre, and it is listed by UNESCO as one of the Major Mining Sites of Wallonia, together with Grand-Hornu, Bois du Cazier and Blegny-Mine.
Read the complete Bois-du-Luc write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 51 km into the recorded legs you reach Bois-du-Luc. Next is back through Beffroi de l'Hôtel de Ville de Charleroi.
4. back through Beffroi de l'Hôtel de Ville de Charleroi
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Beffroi de l'Hôtel de Ville de Charleroi write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Beffroi de l'Hôtel de Ville de Charleroi, late in the day. Next is Beffroi de Thuin.
5. Beffroi de Thuin
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Beffroi de Thuin write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Back at Beffroi de Thuin. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
Beffroi de Thuin to Beffroi de l'Hôtel de Ville de Charleroi
Beffroi de Thuin → Beffroi de l'Hôtel de Ville de Charleroi is 19 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Beffroi de l'Hôtel de Ville de Charleroi to Bois-du-Luc
Beffroi de l'Hôtel de Ville de Charleroi → Bois-du-Luc is 32 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Bois-du-Luc to back through Beffroi de l'Hôtel de Ville de Charleroi
Bois-du-Luc → back through Beffroi de l'Hôtel de Ville de Charleroi is 34 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Beffroi de l'Hôtel de Ville de Charleroi to Beffroi de Thuin
back through Beffroi de l'Hôtel de Ville de Charleroi → Beffroi de Thuin is 20 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.