La Transardennaise on mountain bike

Day 1

La Roche-en-Ardenne
Welcome in La Roche-en-Ardenne in the afternoon and handing over of the complete file. Possibility to visit the village of La Roche located on the meander of the Ourthe. The town is situated at 220 m above sea level and surrounded by wooded hills. The townscape is dominated by the ruins of a medieval castle, from which there is a beautiful view of the city and its surroundings. Luggage and mountain bike drop-off at La Roche-en-Ardenne. Transfer of the vehicles to Bouillon (departure from La Roche-en-Ardenne around 4pm, transfer time: about 2 hours). Evening meal included.

Day 2

La Roche-en-Ardenne – Saint-Hubert (41.8 km; +802 m)
You will start the day with a steep climb out of the valley of La Roche. Then the road crosses a gently sloping landscape to Hives. You arrive in Cens, once a prosperous village, but today only about twenty houses are inhabited. The road is then uncovered and you will have beautiful views over wide wooded hills. In Wyompont, you cross the Ourthe.

Then the route passes through the village of Lavacherie where you can still admire many typical Ardennes houses. In the forest of Freyr, you will discover a magnificent forest of preserved nature. Near Vesqueville, you start the descent towards Saint-Hubert, European capital of nature and hunting.

Day 3

Saint-Hubert – Awenne (38,5 km ;+877 m)
This day allows you to cross some of the most beautiful deciduous and coniferous forests in the Ardennes. You will pass by the Saint-Michel Furnace estate, where you can visit the “Iron Museum” which houses a rich collection of tools used in the metallurgical industry at the time. There are also two comfortable cafes/restaurants with regional dishes. The “Museum of Rural Life” is an open-air museum covering 32 hectares. Some solid climbs separate you from Nassogne, which is one of the oldest places in the Ardennes.

From Nassogne, the differences in height are smaller. The hike passes partly through forests, but mostly through fields and hilly meadows. In the Masblette valley, we find ourselves in an agricultural area before arriving in the beautiful little village of Awenne.

Day 4

Awenne – Daverdisse (31 km; + 564 m)
From Awenne, you quickly join Mirwart. After Mirwart, you cross the Marsau valley and the Haute-Lesse valley near Daverdisse. The road takes you to the book village of Redu. Every year, during the Easter weekend, a “book festival” is organised there and attracts thousands of people. After Redu, the road winds through the Lesse valley, it is certainly one of the most beautiful roads in the Ardennes. It climbs gradually to Daverdisse, the last village for today.

Day 5

Daverdisse – Bouillon (52.3 km; + 584 m)
This day is not really difficult as there are only a few gradients, the only real slope is at the start in Daverdisse. In addition, the landscape opens up again and you benefit from wide views. The first village you pass through is Porcheresse, a village which, together with Daverdisse, belonged to the Stavelot Abbey. After Opont, you have about 20 kilometres of relative flatness to reach the village of Sensenruth. From there, you will soon have a view of Bouillon and its medieval castle. There are still a few kilometres of descent to get to the heart of the city. End of the program on arrival in Bouillon. Possibility to stay an extra night and leave the next morning.