Why this ride
218 km from Brugge to Brugge, about 4 h 09 of riding. On the way it passes Stadhuis met Belfort, Belfort, Béguinage de Kortrijk and back through Stadhuis met Belfort.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Historic Centre of Brugge and Béguinage de Kortrijk
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 218 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 4 h 09
- 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. Historic Centre of Brugge
Bruges was once one of the richest cities in northern Europe, a trading hub where merchants from Italy, Germany, England and Spain bought and sold wool, cloth, spices and luxury goods. Its wealth came from its access to the sea through an inlet called the Zwin, and when that silted up in the fifteenth century, trade moved to Antwerp and Bruges slowly fell asleep. For centuries it was a quiet, poor town, and that is why its medieval centre survived almost intact. In the nineteenth century, writers and painters rediscovered it, and Georges Rodenbach's novel Bruges-la-Morte made it famous as a melancholy city of canals and bells. The historic centre was listed by UNESCO in 2000.
Read the complete Historic Centre of Brugge write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Historic Centre of Brugge is where the day begins. Next is Stadhuis met Belfort.
2. Stadhuis met Belfort
Eeklo is the capital of the Meetjesland, the flat, green region of East Flanders between Ghent and Bruges, close to the Dutch border, and its town hall with a belfry, the Stadhuis met Belfort, stands on the market square as the symbol of the town. It is one of the belfries of Belgium and France listed by UNESCO, a group of civic towers that embodied the freedom and power of the medieval towns of Flanders. Eeklo's belfry is modest compared with those of Bruges and Ghent, but it has its own charm, rising above a town that most visitors pass through without stopping.
Read the complete Stadhuis met Belfort write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Stadhuis met Belfort comes up 31 km in. Next is Belfort.
3. 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
61 km in you reach Belfort.
4. Stadhuis met Belfort
Oudenaarde's town hall looks like something carved from lace. Built in the early sixteenth century in the late Gothic style, it has a facade covered with pointed arches, niches and statues, and a slender belfry topped with a gilded crown on which stands a small knight known locally as Hanske de Krijger, Little John the Warrior. The building is one of the finest of its kind in Flanders, and it is listed by UNESCO among the belfries of Belgium and France. Inside, there are displays of the tapestries for which Oudenaarde was famous across Europe in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, especially its verdures, woven scenes of forests and greenery.
Read the complete Stadhuis met Belfort write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Stadhuis met Belfort, about halfway. Next is Béguinage de Kortrijk.
5. Béguinage de Kortrijk
Step through a gate off a busy street in the centre of Kortrijk and the noise falls away. The béguinage is a tiny enclosed village of whitewashed houses, cobbled lanes and a small church, founded in the thirteenth century by Countess Joan of Constantinople for the beguines, lay women who lived a religious life without taking full vows. It is one of the Flemish béguinages that UNESCO listed together in 1998, and although it is small, it has a rare atmosphere of calm. A statue of the countess stands at the entrance.
Read the complete Béguinage de Kortrijk write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Béguinage de Kortrijk sits at 123 km, about halfway. Next is back through Stadhuis met Belfort.
6. back through Stadhuis met Belfort
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Stadhuis met Belfort write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Stadhuis met Belfort comes up 153 km in. Next is back through Belfort.
7. back through 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
184 km in you reach back through Belfort.
8. back through Stadhuis met Belfort
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Stadhuis met Belfort write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Stadhuis met Belfort, late in the day. Next is Historic Centre of Brugge.
9. Historic Centre of Brugge
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Historic Centre of Brugge write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
The route ends here after 218 km.
Leg by leg
Historic Centre of Brugge to Stadhuis met Belfort
Historic Centre of Brugge → Stadhuis met Belfort is 33 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Stadhuis met Belfort to Belfort
Stadhuis met Belfort → Belfort is 25 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Belfort to Stadhuis met Belfort
Belfort → Stadhuis met Belfort is 34 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Stadhuis met Belfort to Béguinage de Kortrijk
Stadhuis met Belfort → Béguinage de Kortrijk is 32 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Béguinage de Kortrijk to back through Stadhuis met Belfort
Béguinage de Kortrijk → back through Stadhuis met Belfort is 32 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Stadhuis met Belfort to back through Belfort
back through Stadhuis met Belfort → back through Belfort is 34 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Belfort to back through Stadhuis met Belfort
back through Belfort → back through Stadhuis met Belfort is 25 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Stadhuis met Belfort to Historic Centre of Brugge
back through Stadhuis met Belfort → Historic Centre of Brugge is 33 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.