February 24, 2023

EuroVelo 5 in Belgium is Cycle Route of the Year 2023

The EuroVelo 5 'Via Francigena' in Belgium was awarded the honorary title 'Cycling Route of the Year 2023' on the first day of the Fiets en Wandelbeurs in Utrecht.

Three European routes had reached the final of the election. The other nominees were the Castle Route on the Danish island of Fyn and the Vänerleden around Lake Väner, the largest lake in Sweden.

Pilgrim route

The full EuroVelo 5 route runs from Canterbury in England to Brindisi in Italy and follows the ancient pilgrimage route from England to Rome and onwards towards Jerusalem. In Belgium, the route runs from the west to the east of the country, straight through Flanders, Brussels and Wallonia. You partly drive on former railway tracks and towpaths along rivers and canals, and otherwise mainly on quiet roads.

It is remarkable that the route goes straight through the center of Brussels. Nowadays, Anspachlaan is the domain of cyclists and pedestrians. The parts along the Dender and Maas rivers are very beautiful. In the Ardennes you have to climb, but the route makers have managed to include mainly mild slopes in the route. Cobblestones seem inevitable in Belgium. But the heavier pieces are short and have something authentic about them.

Huge variety

The jury members, consisting of (cycling) travel journalists Jessica de Korte, Mirre Oost and Bert Sitters, were particularly charmed by the enormous variety of the route. You will find plenty of nature, industrial heritage and you will cycle through the center of Brussels, Namur and along Dinant. It is also nice that a large part of the route is on cycle paths.

The route also scored high on signage, road surface, accessibility by public transport, facilities (such as benches and picnic tables) and the presence of information boards. There are few campsites along the route, but quite a few residents are affiliated with Campspace. This allows you to pitch your tent in someone's garden.

The EuroVelo 5 in Belgium is the successor to the Royal Canal Greenway in Ireland, the Cycle Route of the Year 2022.

More info: eurovelo.com.