Why this ride
From Gent it runs 228 km to Gent; allow about 2 h 57 of riding. It goes by way of Maison Guiete, Sonian Forest - Forest Reserve “Joseph Zwa and back through Maison Guiete. Long stretches are under trees.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Belfort and Sonian Forest - Forest Reserve “Joseph Zwa
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 228 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 2 h 57
- Journey
- Recorded itinerary
Distance and timing basis
The recorded total and the leg detail need reconciliation. Inspect the leg notes before using this record for timing or navigation. 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. Belfort
Ghent has three towers standing in a row, and the middle one is the belfry, rising over the old centre between St Bavo's Cathedral and St Nicholas' Church. Begun in the fourteenth century, it was the town's watchtower, bell tower and strongroom, where the charters granting the city its privileges were locked away. On its spire sits a gilded dragon, the city's mascot, keeping an eye on things. The belfry, with the cloth hall attached to its base, is part of the UNESCO list of belfries of Belgium and France, and you can climb it, partly by lift, for one of the best views over the rooftops, canals and spires.
Read the complete Belfort write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Belfort is where the day begins. Next is Maison Guiete.
2. Maison Guiete
In a leafy residential street in the southern suburbs of Antwerp, there is a white house that looks as if it has walked in from a different century. The Maison Guiette, as it is usually spelled, was designed by Le Corbusier in 1926 for the painter René Guiette, and it was his first building in Belgium. Since 2016 it has been one of the sites in the UNESCO listing of Le Corbusier's architectural work, alongside the Villa Savoye, the Unité d'Habitation in Marseille and buildings on several continents.
Read the complete Maison Guiete write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Maison Guiete comes up 65 km in. Next is Sonian Forest - Forest Reserve “Joseph Zwa.
3. Sonian Forest - Forest Reserve “Joseph Zwa
Brussels has a forest on its doorstep, and a very good one. The Sonian Forest, Forêt de Soignes or Zoniënwoud depending on who is speaking, spreads over the south-eastern edge of the city in a dark green arc of about four and a half thousand hectares, and its core is beech, tall, grey and straight as columns. The forest is shared among three regions of Belgium, and the Joseph Zwaenepoel reserve is a protected section in the Flemish part, where the managers let nature take its course and fallen trees are left to rot. It is part of the UNESCO listing for ancient and primeval beech forests, extended in 2017 to include the Sonian Forest.
Read the complete Sonian Forest - Forest Reserve “Joseph Zwa write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
130 km in you reach Sonian Forest - Forest Reserve “Joseph Zwa. Next is back through Maison Guiete.
4. back through Maison Guiete
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Maison Guiete write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Maison Guiete, late in the day. Next is Belfort.
5. Belfort
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Belfort write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Back at Belfort. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
Belfort to Maison Guiete
Belfort → Maison Guiete is 66 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
Maison Guiete to Sonian Forest - Forest Reserve “Joseph Zwa
Maison Guiete → Sonian Forest - Forest Reserve “Joseph Zwa is 64 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Sonian Forest - Forest Reserve “Joseph Zwa to back through Maison Guiete
Sonian Forest - Forest Reserve “Joseph Zwa → back through Maison Guiete is 64 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Maison Guiete to Belfort
back through Maison Guiete → Belfort is 66 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.