Brussels to Antwerp by Bike

You always get some funny looks from the other hotel guests as you wheel you bike through a hotel lobby after breakfast…

Exiting Brussels from the north was much less stressful than our arrival as we were able to generally follow a riverside trail out of the city and only had to negotiate a few road crossings that were clogged up with roadworks, commuters and delivery drivers. The bike lanes even have their own separate traffic lights but in the city centre with a section of road half dug up if felt like a bit of a free for all!

Soon enough we were on our own again following the river as it passed through various industrial zones.

We passed by huge mountains of scrap metal and every grade of rock chipping, hardcore and ballast, all neatly piled up and ready to load onto a barge. Where it was all heading next was anyone guess?… especially the huge bales of plastic waste…

At one point, the route was closed for resurfacing, but we found a sneaky cut though behind some houses, rather than have to double back too far. Amazingly, the winds have shifted direction again so we are once again enjoying a tail wind even though we are now heading north!

There have been some mega bridges, where the road can be lifted up to huge heights to let the boats pass through.

We were aiming roughly for a town called ‘Boom’! Great name! And somewhere for us to find some food for lunch.

Having not really passed many good resting places, (as the terrain was quite industrial, rather than full of idyllic picnic spots), we eventually found a little clearing near the railway line where we got the tarp out and made some sandwiches.

As we grew closer to Antwerp, we passed a private castle with a nice tree lined avenue, before riding the final section along the river into the city centre.

On the riverside bike way, we got over taken by two DHL delivery trucks! (Pulled by Bikes!).

The outskirts of town had a large Muslim population – most women had head coverings and many men wore traditional robes. Along with the many Turkish restaurants and shops, it felt briefly as if we’d just arrived in Istanbul. And then all of a sudden, the classic Belgium building fronts appeared as the city centre approached.

Another day, and another fabulous city square! The forth and final one on this impromptu city to city bicycle tour of Belgium!

Despite all we’ve seen over the past week, it was still an impressive place to ride into! Once again we stopped at the central statue and tried our best to take some of it in!

Clare has come up trumps with the accommodation booking today! On a street behind the main square, we have a very trendy loft conversion, with views of the city spires from its own private rooftop terrace! After stashing the bikes in the basement, we made use of the washing machine in the laundrette across the street, then found some fresh food and settled into a very restful evening! We have two nights in this place, so there was no need to rush!