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Roadtrip: Mons to Dinant | Turn Back Time
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What to see?
Waterloo, the memorial museum and Hougoumont Farm are a must, as is the ruined abbey at Villers and the still-standing citadel of Namur.
Where to drive?
The meandering road to Villers for a cruise, the challenging N904 to Namur for fun and the fast N275 for a challenge.
A metal lion, one paw raised, perched imperiously on the peak of a hill. Erected by the Dutch in 1826, it’s a sight that draws tourists down the Route de Lion and towards the Waterloo museums complex. Some 40 minutes earlier, the journey starts in the streets of Mons, the 2015 European Capital of Culture. Martin’s Dream Hotel, with its hidden, private car park, is the perfect starting point. Bold street art and the 15th century Grand-Place reward local explorers before the fast blast down the E429 to the battleŒeld.
We all know the basics – Wellington called it ‘the nearest run thing you ever saw’, Napoleon did surrender – but the immersive Memorial Museum takes visitors so much deeper. The experience is split into three sections exploring the situations before, during and after Waterloo and peaks with a 3D movie that recreates the battle itself.
Leaving the N5 at Vieux-Fenappe, hook left onto the Rue Longchamps and the drive changes dramatically. Open farmland gives way to tall, sparse woodland as the road rolls into languid sweepers that burst into a clearing just above the Abbaye de Villers
A striking combination of Romanesque, Gothic and Neo-classical styles, the site bore witness to more than six centuries of Cistercian devotion until its ruination during the French Revolution. Today, history-lovers can easily lose an hour or two to exploring the abbey but even time-pressed travellers should take a minute to wriggle down the narrow road that abuts Villers and o™ers remarkable views without leaving the driver’s seat.
Head back to the main road and the rewards are immediate – the N275 thunders north in a series of fast, building turns that feel like they’ll never end. The N25 dual carriageway and arrow-straight N4 are next, then spear o™ the main road just south of Beuzet for the N904, which ribbons straight into the heart of Namur.
The hairpins of Avenue de Jean Ler bring a rear-wheel workout, pulling uphill with Alpine persistence, but it’s worth it for the moment you blast on to the Champeau plateau. The imposing 1910s stadium stares down, a reminder of Namur’s recent past as a holiday resort, and marks the Œnal approach to the Namur citadel. The walls, bridges and museum appeal but the sprawling underground tunnel network intrigues most. The passages extend for miles and visitors can take a 90-minute guided tour that reaches more than 10m underground.
Rise back to earth and engage overdrive for a lazy, riverside cruise down the N92, perhaps detouring west for a tour and tasting at Châteaux Bioul winery en route to Dinant. Now gastronomic delights beckon, so trace the Lesse tributary ten minutes south to Hôtel Castel de Pont-à-Lesse, which often hosts car clubs and stuns with its on-site restaurant. Novel combinations dominate and guinea fowl with duck liver and blackberries is especially compelling. Back in town, beer fans can round out the day at Maison Leffe, a museum and tasting tour celebrating one of Belgium’s most famous monastic brews.
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