Flemish Ardennes

The Flemish Ardennes weekend takes you through the beautiful and wide nature that Flanders has to offer. The hilly landscape with highlights such as the Koppenberg and Petegemberg make this adventure extra challenging. You will enjoy beautiful nature in areas such as the Maarkebeek valley and Scheldemeersen and you will be treated to singletracks in, among others, the Muziekbos.

The weekend in the Flemish Ardennes takes you through the beautiful and wide nature of Flanders. The hilly landscape with highlights such as the Koppenberg and Petegemberg make this adventure extra challenging.

Paved roads and off-road through nature reserve and forest alternate continuously. You can enjoy beautiful nature in areas such as the Maarkebeek valley and Scheldemeersen and you will be treated to some singletracks in, among others, the Muziekbos.

The overnight stay in a meadow with a great view and the delicious meal at the Liefmans brewery in Oudenaarde will undoubtedly remain with you.

This bikepacking trip has a total length of 153 km, spread over two days. We travel completely self-sufficient when it comes to food, drinks, clothing and overnight accommodation. Trailgrip will give you the neccecary advice about how you can best approach this. Investing in special bike packing bags is not yet a must, we offer you the opportunity to rent bike packing bags from us at a favorable rate for participants.

Two weeks before the start of the journey, Trailgrip organizes an information evening. On this evening you will get a extensive briefing and we will give you lots of bikepacking tips. If you have rented bike packing bags you will receive them on the information evening.

DAY 1

Ghent - Maarkedal | 80 km - 728hm

We leave the bustle of the city of Ghent via green bicycle paths. We cycle to the island of Assels, formed by the tributaries of the Leie. A picturesque boat helps us to get dry to the other side of the Leie. Along the way, several stately castles, such as the castle Borluut and Ooidonk, attract our attention. Through the nature reserve De Leyhoek and the urban forest of Deinze we reach the Lozerbos, an ideal place to enjoy lunch. Some nice singletracks lead us through the forest and along quiet roads we reach the first forest of the Flemish Ardennes, the Kordaalbos.

The landscape of the Flemish Ardennes begins to take its typical shape and that becomes very clear when we climb over the Petegemberg. Via the Langemeersen nature reserve we arrive in the Mecca of Flemish cycling, Oudenaarde. After cooling off on one of the nice terraces on the marketsquare, we make our way through the Maarkebeek valley to the overnight place. We set up our tarps, strengthen the inner man and enjoy a great view by a campfire.

DAY 2

Maarkedal - Ghent | 73 km - 1076hm

Boosted by a healthy and energy-rich breakfast, we refill our water supply and resume our journey through the Flemish Ardennes. It doesn't take long before the Muziekbos with the old Geuze tower treat us to a portion of beautiful nature. After the Scherpenbergbos we catch our breath on the cozy terrace Molen Ten Hotond.

Altimeters continue to increase as we cross Spijkerbos. We ignore the impressive slope of the Koppenberg and take the less steep path right next to it. After the tough climb, it's time for a portion of energy! In the Liefmans brewery in Oudenaarde, we treat ourselves to a delicious meal with an a drink.

After lunch we follow the Upper Scheldt and through the nature reserves Reytmeersen and Kaaimeersen we return to Ghent. We cycle into Ghent via the Merelbeekse Scheldemeersen and a beautiful piece of bicycle highway.

Start and endpoint

Start and end point of this adventure is the railway station Gent-Sint-Pieters.

This base is easily accessible from various railway stations in Belgium. If you want to come by car, you can park it in the parking near the station building at the applicable rates. Please note that the station is located in the low emission zone.

Overnights

Adventure and nature share a first place on Trailgrip travels. So don't expect a luxurious bed, but you will relax on a campfire and a warm sleeping bag.

Trailgrip provides a few tarps for this trip. These are waterproof sails that protect us against wind and light rain. The tarps are tensioned between our bikes or trees. This allows us to camp as true adventurers under the starry sky.

The success of a bikepacking weekend depents largely by the weather conditions. In case of unfavorable weather conditions, participants will be contacted at least 24 hours before the start of the trip and a new date can be set if necessary.

Meals

Who sports needs energy! Trailgrip provides decent freeze-dried meals and some energy snacks for on the road. Be sure you can take enough water with you, for example bicycle drinkbottles or a Camelbak. It is useful if these are already filled on departure. Along the road there are several possibilities to fill them with tap water.

Necessities

As a participant you must have the following equipment. We are happy to advise you on a possible purchase. Or maybe you can borrow certain things from friends or family?

  • A decent mountain bike
  • Bicycle helmet
  • Sleeping bag and sleeping mat
  • Spoon and cup
  • Cycling clothing and shoes
  • Extra inner tube
  • Drinking bottle and / or CamelBak
  • Head lamp

Start bikepacking can take a serious bite out of your budget. That is why we offer our participants the opportunity to rent bikepacking bags. During the online reservation you can indicate which items you wish to rent.

You will receive a detailed packing list two weeks before the start of the trip during an information evening.

Insurance

Each participant of a trip organized by Trailgrip must be insured for the full duration of the trip for physical accidents, legal assistance and civil liability.

Trailgrip recommends the insurance of the Vlaamse Wielerbond - VWB for this. In addition to insurance, membership of the VWB offers various advantages. Your membership with the VWB is fully or partially reimbursed by various health insurance companies. More info

Trailgrip raadt hiervoor de verzekering van de Vlaamse Wielerbond - VWB aan. Naast verzekering biedt een lidmaatschap bij de VWB verschillende voordelen op. Bovendien wordt uw lidmaatschap bij de VWB door verschillende mutualiteiten geheel of gedeeltelijk terugbetaald. Meer info

Cancellation

You can cancel your booking up to 30 days before departure. You get the amount paid back with deduction of 5% administration costs.

For cancellations between 30 and 7 days before departure, we will deduct 25% from the amount paid. Cancellation of the trip from 7 days before departure cannot be refunded.

More info, see terms and conditions.

Included

The items below are included in the price and are provided by Trailgrip.

  • 1 Supper*
  • 1 Breakfast*
  • 1 Lunch*
  • 8 energy bars for each participant
  • Tea and coffee
  • Use of cooking equipment
  • Tarps as protection during the nights
  • Use of bicycle repair tools
  • Mapped out mountain bike tours
  • Daily briefings
  • Professional advice and guidance

* The meals we take on the road consist of freeze-dried food. This is the perfect solution for trips where the volume and weight of the luggage play an important role. The offer is large, the quality and taste varying. The Trailgrip team has put together a delicious selection for the participants based on experience.

Not included

The items below are not included in the price.

  • Traveling to and from the starting point
  • Insurance (see practical information)
  • Renting bikepacking-bags
  • Mountainbike
  • Personal cycling and camping equipment (see practical information)
  • Meal and drinks in the Liefmans brewery

Price

€ 120.00 p.p.

participants per booking

Minimal 4 - Maximal 6

Start and endpoint

Railway station Gent-Sint-Pieters

Overnights

1 x back to basics

Total distance

153.00 kilometer

Total ascent

1804 meter

Technical level

Condition

Luxury level

Available periods

  • No available periods.

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