A 800km network across French Flanders is so easy to follow (and ride) you don’t even need a map to find the country’s favourite village, inspiring landscapes and great food
Sat 19 Oct 2019
I’m sitting down to a picnic breakfast at a sun-flecked table beside the River Lys in Flanders. Consulting my map, I write the following numbers on something approximating a waxed luggage tag: “22-37-71-34-33-32-31-30-08-01-33”. I put the map away, slip the tag around my bike’s handlebars and I’m set for the morning. I’ve never been to this part of Flanders before – it’s the lesser-known French part, on the northernmost tip of the country, bordering Belgium – but I’m now confident I can cycle today from my table in the riverside town of Saint-Venant, through Haverskerque, across the Nieppe forest, down into Merville and finally into the town of Estaires.
Welcome to French Flanders’ ingenious new cycle network. Launched earlier this year, the catchily titled Réseau Points-Nœuds Vélo (literally Network Node-Points Bike) comprises 830km of minor roads and cycle paths covering the Vallée de la Lys, the Monts de Flandre hills and a small slice of southern Belgium. The clever bit is its hundreds of numbered signposts – or “node-points” – each directing cyclists to the next numbered signpost. All riders need to do is pick up the map (€8), note down the node-point numbers on their chosen route and pedal away. The map also highlights restaurants, breweries, museums, attractions, campsites and eco-lodges, and shows the distances between the node-points, which makes tailoring your own Tour de Flandre extremely simple. And once you’ve set off, there’s no need to consult the map again, or worry about your phone dying.
Tour de northern France: a new cycling trail in Flanders | Travel | The Guardian
A 800km network across French Flanders is so easy to follow (and ride) you don’t even need a map to find the country’s favourite village, inspiring landscapes and great food Sat 19 Oct 2019 I’m sitting down to a picnic breakfast at a sun-flecked table beside the River Lys in Flanders. Consulting my map, I… [Read More]
