Cycling Holidays - Bruges and Flanders Fields

Bruges and Flanders Fields

Belgium

From £789 P/P

On this unique self guided tour you will cycle through Western Flanders and Bruges. Most WWI-related places of interest are situated within the Bruges – Panne - Ypres triangle. If you want to stay longer, just book an extra night.

The happy highlight of this holiday is the wonderful town of Bruges. Preserved, renovated and added to in just the right medieval look, it is a harmonious and satisfying whole - cobbles and all. It feels like a fairytale village, complete with swan lake. Ypres, too, is lovely. After the devastation of WWI, it was restored to its former glory and recalls the days when the town was a proud commercial centre for quality cloth - woven fabric made from wool - in the 13th and 14th centuries.

Our route is signposted according to the cycling-by-numbers system. You will cycle along country lanes, tow paths, forest paths and cycling paths; past meandering brooks and dead-straight canals; behind the dunes and along the sea; through rolling meadows and endless cropfields. Battlefields, museums, cemeteries and memorials can be visited on Days 6 and 7 of this tour.

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Itinerary
Itinerary

Day 1 Arrival in Veurne (Fumes)

Organize your own journey to Veurne. The beauty of the small Old Town will delight you. The main market square is one of the most beautiful in all of Belgium.

Day 2: Veurne (Fumes) – Oostende (Ostend) (approx. 44 km)

On your first cycling day, make your way up the North Sea coast. Art lovers may be interested to visit a museum dedicated to painter Paul Delvaux (1897-1994). Farther along, the well-known beach resort of Koksijde boasts the highest dune top on the coast.

It used to be a beacon for sailors at sea. Proceed to Nieuwpoort, best-known for the battle that took place here in 1600 AD between a Spanish army and a Dutch army including English and Scottish regiments. Back then, the lesson learnt was that open-field battle is best avoided in favour of besieging a town. In West Front visitors’ centre you can find out what happened here 1914-1918. Top off your day in beach resort Oostende (Ostend) and watch the sun set into the sea.

Day 3: Oostende (Ostend) – Brugge (Bruges) (approx. 38 km)

We have planned a short trip for today to ensure you have ample time to explore Bruges. A good place to stop for a break is the village of Stalhille. Directly below the church tower you will find Antonie Demonie, master of many trades, glass-blower, basket weaver, beekeeper. While you sit and enjoy the view of the polder, savour a cup of honey tea or a glass of honey beer.

Subsequently, wander through a peaceful nature reserve called the Meetkerkse Moeren: low-lying, open wetland where wild flowers grow in the meadows and where marilandica poplars are being reintroduced to provide shelter to bats and birds. Finally, crown your day in Bruges! This captivating town should be admired both by day and by night. Picture-perfect!

Day 4: Brugge – Roeselaere (approx. 58 km)

Follow a delightful route through the woody Houtland region. It is dotted with lovely castles and country estates. Near Oostkamp you can admire Pecsteen, Raepenburgh and Lakebos castles. Stop off in Torhout, Gitsberg and Hooglede and finally set course for Roeselaere.

Day 5: Roeselaere – Kortrijk (Courtrai) (approx. 35 km)

In 1995 work got underway to transform farmland into Rhodesgoed woods. Poplar and willow were planted and paved the way for slow-growing oak, ash, cherry and beech. Today you will enjoy woods interspersed with wild-flower meadow. Already the area counts a great many different species of plants and animals, thanks in part to numerous ponds and meandering Rhodebeek brook.

Take a break in the shoe town of Izegem where cyclists with a shoe fetish will want to wander the halls of Eperon d’Or museum. It showcases not only the finest “Chaussure d’Iseghem” shoes, but everything to do with shoe and brush production and the town’s industrial heritage. Next, ride through the slightly rolling, wide-open landscape of West Flanders to Kortrijk on the River Leie (Lys). Take your time to stroll around town to see the Belfry, Town Hall, beguinage and Gravenkapel, a chapel and mausoleum for the Counts of Flanders. The medieval Broel towers used to be part of the town’s fortifications and guarded the stone bridge across the river. If you have a fascination with colour, fingers crossed that St. Anthony’s church of the Passionist Fathers is open for you to see the greens, browns and golds in the painted interior.

Day: 6 Kortrijk (Courtrai) – Ieper (Ypres) (approx. 49 km)

Follow the River Leie out of town and head for Menen (Menin). The town museum presents the military history of this border town. Forty-eight thousand German soldiers lie buried in Menen War Cemetery. Then proceed to Dadizele and Zonnebeke to ‘Passchendaele 1917’ Memorial Museum dedicated to the madness of the Battle of Passchendaele. From here there is a 3-km walking route to Tyne Cot Cemetery, with nearly twelve thousand Commonwealth graves and a wall with the names of another 35,000 soldiers with no known grave. Polygon Wood was the scene of fighting in the First, Second and the Third Battles of Ypres. The pinewoods harbour two British war cemeteries as well as memorials for soldiers from Australia and New Zealand.

There is a free app you can download onto your mobile device, 'Ypres Salient 1914-1918' to help you explore the landscape around Ypres. You will end the day in Ypres. ‘In Flanders Fields’ Museum can be found in the immense and magnificent Lakenhalle (Cloth Hall) on the main Market Square. You may be interested to attend a poignant ceremony that takes place every evening at 20.00 hrs under the Menin Gate memorial for the soldiers who lost their lives in the trenches and whose graves are unnamed: Buglers play the “Last Post”.

Day 7: Ieper (Ypres) – Veurne (Fumes) (approx. 58 km)

The Allied wounded in the Ypres Salient were taken to Lijssenthoek, just outside the town of Poperinge. From 1915 this was the scene of four large British field hospitals with a total of 4000 beds. Ninety-seven percent of the wounded were patched up and moved on. But 11,000 soldiers of thirty different nationalities found a last resting place in Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery. Because most of them were alive upon arrival at the field hospital, their names were known and appear on the gravestones. Today, the excellent visitors’ center is a work in progress as more and more photographs and stories are linked to a specific gravestone.

On to lighter matters. Cycle to Poperinge, a lovely town with a Gothic Town Hall and three gothic churches. Visit the Hop Museum where colourful characters introduce you to the Belgian beer and hop culture. Later on you will pass St.Sixtus Abbey in Westvleteren. The monks are Cistercians of Strict Observance or Trappists. They pray and read and do manual work… in the brewery! This is one of six Belgian abbeys that brew Trappist beer. Then cycle the winding roads of West Flanders, past glistening streams, scattered villages and vast cropfields, to your destination Veurne.

Day 8: Departure from Veurne

After breakfast, your holiday will come to an end. It’s time to return home.
Route Overview

Route Overview

Our self guided route is signposted according to the cycling-by-numbers system. You will cycle along country lanes, tow paths, forest paths and cycling paths; past meandering brooks and dead-straight canals; behind the dunes and along the sea; through rolling meadows and endless cropfields.

Route Maps (For guidance only):

Routes maybe subject to change or alteration. All route notes, maps and day-by-day information will be given to you upon arrival at the first hotel or at the welcome meeting. GPS/GPX Files are available for most our the cycling holidays we offer. Please ask us for details.

Starting point of the cycling holiday:Veurne
Getting There

Getting There

We recommend flying to either Lille, Ostend-Bruges , Brussels or Brussels Charleroi airport to reach the starting point of this cycling holiday. Trains from Brussels to Veurne take approx. 2 hours.

Flights are available with a number of airlines to your required airport or you can travel to the start using alternative methods such as rail or road.

We recommend using Skyscanner to find the best flight prices by date or Voyages SNCF for European rail travel. There is customer car parking available at most hotels for a supplement. Please contact us for more details.

Please use local transport to arrive at the starting point or call us on 0800 755 5385 for more specific travel advice.

You do not need to go back to the starting point of the cycling holiday as all hire bikes are left at the final hotel.

Important: Please book your flights only after the cycling holiday has been confirmed by invoice or email. Flights and transfers are not included in the advertised holiday price.
What’s Included?
What’s Included?

The Bruges and Flanders Fields self guided cycling holiday includes the daily transfer of luggage to the next hotel and local support if required.

Included Services (Subject to confirmation)
- 7 nights in 3/4* Hotels
- Room with shower / bath and toilet
- 7 x breakfast
- Bike hire and Luggage transport (1 piece/person)
- Map, tourist information and road description in English
- Service-Hotline (also in weekends)
- Possibility for half board (3 course dinner)
Not Included
- Flights to/from the start and finish
- Evening meals (unless stated)
- Helmets
- Water Bottles
- Travel Insurance
- Bike Insurance (unless stated)
- Welcome Meetings (unless stated)
- Transfers (unless included)
Bike Hire

Bike Hire

This cycling holiday uses hybrid bikes with gearing suitable for the local terrain. All bikes are regularly maintained and offer comfort along with good quality components.

You will receive an accessories package including a bicycle pannier bag with a good capacity, repair kit, lock, key, and air pump.

When you make a booking with us, we take your height(s) and the appropriate bike size is matched up accordingly.

Helmets are not provided and you will need to bring your own to use. We always recommend wearing a helmet when on your cycling holiday.

E-Bike Upgrades:

Why not upgrade your cycling experience to an E-Bike (Electric Bike)? Using a power assisted bike is a great way to go on a cycling holiday and will help you smooth out inclines or longer days in the saddle. Each E-Bike features an LCD display, removable batteries for easy charging and assistance up to 25 km/h with a range of around 120 km for each full charge depending on usage.

E-Bike upgrade prices vary per tour, but if you require any more information about bike hire and electric bikes, please get in-touch with us on +44 (0) 800 7555385.
Hotels

Hotels

This self guided cycling holiday stays in good quality hotels with private facilities carefully selected for their proximity to your cycle route and comfort. If you wish to know specific information about the hotel facilities, Wi-Fi and upgrades used on the holidays, please contact us on +44 (0) 800 7555385 for more information.

You will receive your final hotel list approximately 4 weeks prior to your arrival date detailing the hotels used on your cycling holiday. If you wish to know more about the hotels prior to completing a booking form, please contact our Customer Services team via email or by phone.

Date & Prices

You can find out more about this self guided cycling holiday by completing a Contact Form or call 0800 755 5385 to speak to one of the team.

2019 Cycling Holiday Prices:

Season	Date Band	Arrival Day
Season 1:	06.04. to 21.09.2019	Saturdays

Category A Information:

Season	Prices per person including bike hire
Season 1:	£789
E-Bike Upgrade:	£79
Single Room Supplement :	£269

Hotel Category Descriptions:

Category Type	Accommodation Overview
Category A:	3* / 4* Hotels

Extra Nights (You will stay in the same hotel as per the cycle tour):

Location	Prices from (DBL/BB)
Veurne:	£69 per person per night

Date From	Date To
06 April 2019	21 September 2019

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Overall Trip rating:

3.9^/5

Customer Experience:

3.9^/5

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