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W9 La Véloroute grandeur Nature
Medium
157 km
De Raeren à Martelange
All along the northern section, the W9 route follows a cross-border greenway of 125 km known as the ‘Vennbahn’ or Fen railway line, one of Europe’s longest and most beautiful greenways, which crosses three countries. It is part of the RAVeL network and has been laid out along the path of old railway lines, No 48 from Raeren to Saint-Vith/Sankt-Vith and No 47 from Saint-Vith to Lengeler and the Luxembourg border.
When the Vennbahn reaches Luxembourg, you leave it and follow a connecting route to Gouvy and then the Line 163 RAVeL as far as the old Bastogne railway station. After this, you go to the Line 618 greenway in Assenois. After passing through the commune of Fauvillers, your route ends in Martelange (provisional end of the W9 route).
This route leads you through superb, undulating landscapes where the gradients are mainly gentler than you may have expected (max. 2%). This is the advantage of travelling safely along old railway lines with their viaducts and tunnels. You can explore our beautiful German-speaking region, the neighbouring German Eifel, the magnificent landscapes of the Hautes Fagnes and finally the Ardennes, abounding in rivers and forests, and especially the superb valleys of the Our, the Strange and the Sûre.
Interactive Route Map
Route Stages : W9 La Véloroute grandeur Nature5
De Raeren à Montjoie/Monschau (D) (stage 1)
On the Line 48 RAVeL
The Line 48 RAVeL follows a permanent curve, starting at the site of the old Raeren railway station.
Having crossed the woods in the commune of Raeren, the Line 48 RAVeL - Vennbahn passes back and forth from one country to the other as nowhere else. One moment it is in Germany, the next in Belgium. The particular feature of the Line 48 RAVeL is that you are always in Belgium, even though the land on either side of the path is often in Germany. All along the way you will come across remains of the railway network, silent witnesses of a glorious past.
Family
27 km
De Montjoie/Monschau (D) à Sankt-Vith/Saint-Vith (stage 2)
On the Line 48 RAVeL
Starting from the old Montjoie/Monschau railway station, the way leads you towards the Rur valley in Belgium. A unique area of heath heralds the Hautes Fagnes nature reserve. This fascinating region of raised peat bogs is a huge water reservoir that forces visitors to cross many streams and rivers. Between Kalterherberg (D) and Sourbrodt (B), you will be accompanied by budding railway workers firmly seated on railbikes.
Family
44 km
De Sankt-Vith/Saint-Vith à Gouvy (stage 3)
On the Line 47 RAVeL and the connecting cycle path to Line 163
Starting in Saint-Vith/Sankt-Vith, a commune that has been tossed from one side of the border to the other by the vagaries of history, this stage takes you towards the romantic Our valley, nestling among the massifs of the Eifel and the Ardennes. Heading towards Hemmeres, you again cross the Belgian-German border.
Returning to Belgium via the village of Auel, in the distance you will soon see the ruins of the Burg-Reuland fortress, the high point of this stage, which has overlooked the region since the 12th century.
Family
32,5 km
De Gouvy à Bastogne (stage 4)
On the Line 163 RAVeL
The stage is laid out entirely along the old No 163 railway line, where folklore and delicious local produce with the smells of salted goods nestle in the heart of the region's valleys. You go deep into this green lung, the Belgian Ardennes, in peace and quiet and in total safety.
Family
28 km
De Bastogne à Martelange (stage 5)
On the pre-RAVeL lines 163 and 618
This stage takes you through many villages in the Pays de Bastogne region and the idyllic valleys of the Strange and the Sûre rivers set largely in a Natura 2000 protected area. You follow two sections of the old 163 and 618 railway lines, now laid out as RAVeL paths, which once linked Bastogne to Libramont on the one hand and Bastogne to Martelange, at the gates of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, on the other.
Medium
26 km
