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De Chaudfontaine à Huy (stage 1)
On the Meuse RAVeL and connecting cycle paths
Medium
43 km
Your route starts on the Esplanade de Chaudfontaine, right next to the springs and the associated educational park. You will follow the valleys of the Vesdre and the Ourthe to Liège.
Its folklore, the warmth of local people and its districts bustling with activity both day and night, reflected in its nickname, the Cité Ardente, make this an unmissable stage. You will remember its historic centre, its many museums, the Carré district and the slopes of the Citadel, providing a spacious green area for walkers right in the centre of the city.
You then go towards Huy and Namur, retracing your steps along the right bank of the Meuse. You head to the site of Val Benoît, future Cité des Métiers (career advice centre). A little further on, you go past the Standard de Liège football stadium.
The Val Saint Lambert glassworks lies on the edge of Seraing, a city surrounded by metalworking sites, former flagships of the Liège economy. It consists of the castle and its old Cistercian abbey built during the 13th century. You have the opportunity to visit the famous Val Saint Lambert glassworks which boasts a long and internationally renowned industrial past.
A good ten kilometres further on you will see on your right the towers of the Amay collegiate church dating from the 7th century, while in front of you stand the cooling towers of the Tihange nuclear power plant.
As soon as you enter the beautiful old city of Huy with its rich historical heritage, arriving beneath the headland on which the Citadel stands, you will have but one thought in mind: to find the famous steep path that puts such a strain on the calves of racing cyclists!
Details
The route:
From the Esplanade de Chaudfontaine, you follow the right bank of the Vesdre river past the casino car parks towards the tennis club and the Parc Haut Ster. Upon leaving the park, you stay on the right bank of the Vesdre and head towards Vaux-sous-Chèvremont along rue de Hauster, then rue de la Casmaterie, rue de Ster and rue Namont. You come out in place Théodore Foguenne and take the RAVeL on the right bank of the Vesdre as far as the new footbridge on Line 38. You cross this magnificent footbridge to leave the banks of the Vesdre and reach Chênée railway station, then you cross another two footbridges to reach the Ourthe RAVeL. Simply follow the RAVeL in the direction of the current of the river. You go past the Belle-Île shopping centre to the Quai du Condroz in Angleur, still on the left bank of the Ourthe.
Here you head towards rue du Biez which is just before the railway bridge. A short connecting stretch leads to the Ourthe canal RAVeL. This takes you close to the Meuse river which you cross using a footbridge adjoining a second railway bridge. This footbridge is just before the motorway bridge over the Meuse.
The directional signs indicate that you should continue towards Seraing and Huy along small local roads. These roads are a little way from the left bank of the Meuse and wind their way through the districts of Val Benoît, Sclessin and Tilleur.
Just before Jemeppe, you cross the Seraing bridge to the right bank of the Meuse. Having gone through the city along well signposted municipal roads, you will again follow the RAVeL until the site of the Tihange nuclear power plant. You reach the centre of Huy via a well signposted connecting link along municipal roads.
Surface:
Mainly smooth. Alternately asphalt and concrete.
Height difference:
Imperceptible incline or flat.
Signs:
Full directional signs.
Safety, precautions:
- Between Liège and Seraing, the route mostly follows local roads where the traffic is light to moderate but which do not have any cycle paths (± 7 km on shared roads).
Connections:
- From Vaux-Sous-Chèvremont towards Liège and Huy, stage shared with the EuroVelo 3 international route.
- From Vaux-Sous-Chèvremont to the Quai du Condroz upon entering Liège, near the Fétinne/Fragnée bridge, stage shared with the W2 regional route.
- In Vaux-sous-Chèvremont, you can turn onto the EuroVelo 3 and the W2 regional route towards Herve and Aachen/Aix-la-Chapelle (D), taking the Line 38 RAVeL.
- When you reach the Ourthe RAVeL in Chênée, you also join the W7 regional route which is shared towards Liège as far as the Quai du Condroz. If you turn off in the opposite direction to Liège and go along the Ourthe RAVeL, the W7 route takes you towards Esneux and Durbuy.
- From the Quai du Condroz as you enter Liège, towards Huy, the stage is shared with The Meuse by bike international route. You can turn off towards the centre of Liège and Maastricht by following The Meuse by bike or the W7 regional route.
- Again at the Quai du Condroz, you can turn onto the W2 regional route towards the Parc de la Boverie along the Meuse and Liège-Guillemins railway station, then the hubs of Waremme and Brussels.
- In Jemeppe-sur-Meuse, which lies opposite Seraing, you can join the RAVeL of Lines 212 and 210 towards Montegnée and Ans.
- In Huy, you can join the Line 126 RAVeL towards Ciney.
- In Huy, by taking the Meuse RAVeL on the left bank towards Statte and Wanze, you will also be able to reach the Line 127 RAVeL in Huccorgne, heading towards Braives, Hannut and Landen. To do this, you will need to go through the centre of Wanze, follow the N64 for a while and then take rue Val Notre Dame and the N652 for two kilometres (heavy traffic).
Warnings
Useful info
Start:
Esplanade du Casino de Chaudfontaine, 4050 Chaudfontaine.
Coordinates Lambert 72 : X : 240270 m - Y : 142500 m
GPS coordinates: Latitude: 50°35'10.37 "N - Longitude: 5°38'36.68 "E
Access by train: Local Belgian railway stations in Trooz or Chênée. Liège-Guillemins international railway station.
Parking possible near the starting point.
Guides/maps:
- RAVeL map of the Province of Liège published by the SPW. This map, called ‘More RAVeL, more pleasure’, can be ordered free of charge by clicking here.
Stage map
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