Why this ride
242 km from Mons to Mons, about 4 h 11 of riding. On the way it passes Beffroi de Thuin, Beffroi de Gembloux, Sint-Germanuskerk met Stadstoren and back through Beffroi de Gembloux. The line favours views over speed.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Neolithic Flint Mines at Spiennes and Sint-Germanuskerk met Stadstoren
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 242 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 4 h 11
- 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. Neolithic Flint Mines at Spiennes
Beneath the fields south-east of Mons lies a honeycomb of shafts and galleries dug by Neolithic farmers more than six thousand years ago. They were after flint, the essential raw material for axes and tools, and they dug shafts up to fifteen metres deep through the chalk to reach the best seams, using antler picks and stone hammers. The mines at Spiennes, covering more than a hundred hectares, are the largest and earliest in north-western Europe, and they were inscribed by UNESCO in 2000. An interpretation centre allows visitors to descend into one of the shafts, and on the surface the ground is still scattered with flint flakes.
Read the complete Neolithic Flint Mines at Spiennes write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Neolithic Flint Mines at Spiennes is where the day begins. Next is Beffroi de Thuin.
2. 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 comes up about 30 km into the recorded legs. Next is Beffroi de Gembloux.
3. Beffroi de Gembloux
Gembloux grew up around a Benedictine abbey founded in the tenth century, and for most of its history the monks ran the show. The abbey buildings, rebuilt in a grand classical style in the eighteenth century, now house a university faculty of agricultural sciences, fitting for a town surrounded by some of the richest farmland in Belgium. The belfry, a solid tower that was once part of a church and later became the town's civic symbol, stands in the centre and is part of the UNESCO listing of belfries of Belgium and France. Climbing it gives views over the rooftops and across the open fields of the Hesbaye.
Read the complete Beffroi de Gembloux write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 85 km into the recorded legs you reach Beffroi de Gembloux. Next is Sint-Germanuskerk met Stadstoren.
4. Sint-Germanuskerk met Stadstoren
Tienen means sugar to most Belgians. The town in the east of Flemish Brabant has been the home of Belgium's largest sugar refinery since the nineteenth century, and the smell of sugar beet being processed hangs over the town in autumn during the campaign, when trucks loaded with beets roll in from the surrounding fields. The Sint-Germanuskerk, the church of Saint Germanus, with its massive tower serving as the town's belfry, stands near the huge Grote Markt, one of the largest market squares in Belgium, and it is part of the UNESCO listing of the belfries of Belgium and France. The tower, a mix of Romanesque and Gothic, has a carillon whose bells ring out over the town.
Read the complete Sint-Germanuskerk met Stadstoren write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Sint-Germanuskerk met Stadstoren, about halfway. Next is back through Beffroi de Gembloux.
5. back through Beffroi de Gembloux
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Beffroi de Gembloux 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 Gembloux sits at 169 km, about halfway. Next is back through Beffroi de Thuin.
6. back through 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 through Beffroi de Thuin comes up about 214 km into the recorded legs. Next is Neolithic Flint Mines at Spiennes.
7. Neolithic Flint Mines at Spiennes
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Neolithic Flint Mines at Spiennes write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Neolithic Flint Mines at Spiennes closes the day.
Leg by leg
Neolithic Flint Mines at Spiennes to Beffroi de Thuin
Neolithic Flint Mines at Spiennes → Beffroi de Thuin is 30 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Beffroi de Thuin to Beffroi de Gembloux
Beffroi de Thuin → Beffroi de Gembloux is 55 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Beffroi de Gembloux to Sint-Germanuskerk met Stadstoren
Beffroi de Gembloux → Sint-Germanuskerk met Stadstoren is 36 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Sint-Germanuskerk met Stadstoren to back through Beffroi de Gembloux
Sint-Germanuskerk met Stadstoren → back through Beffroi de Gembloux is 36 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Beffroi de Gembloux to back through Beffroi de Thuin
back through Beffroi de Gembloux → back through Beffroi de Thuin is 57 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Beffroi de Thuin to Neolithic Flint Mines at Spiennes
back through Beffroi de Thuin → Neolithic Flint Mines at Spiennes is 28 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.