206 BELGIUM AND LUXEMBOURG REGION BY REGION

Cruise boats line up along the tree-lined banks of the River Meuse

Abbaye de

Maredsous r

Rue de Maredsous 11, Denée;
12 km (7 miles) NW of Dinant.
Road Map D3. Tel (082) 698211.

daily. 7 - = http://www.

maredsous.com

A vast Neo-Gothic monastery
founded by the Benedictines
in 1872, Abbaye de Maredsous
is set in the tranquil Molignée
valley and built in austere grey
stone. The abbey offers insight
into the lives of the monks and
a chance to sample two of the
institution’s famous products –
a soft, orange-rind cheese and
the res pec ted abbey beer. The
grounds have gardens, a play-
ground and walks into the
surrounding countryside.

River Meuse t

Road Map D3. n La Compagnie

des Bateaux Touristes de la Meuse,

Rue Daoust 64, Dinant; (082)

222315. http://www.bateaux-meuse.be

Flowing north out of France,

River Meuse enters Belgium

via the Province of Namur,

coursing past Hastière and the

Château de Freÿr to Dinant

(see p205), and then on to

Namur (see pp202–203). Here,

it is joined by River Sambre

and heads east to Liège. The

prettiest part runs between

The soaring and polished chancel
of the Abbaye de Maredsous

Dinant and Namur and many

long-established boat cruises

offer trips along this stretch.

Fully-equipped sightseeing

boats make scheduled excur-

sions up and down the river.

The main departure points

are at Dinant and Namur. The

round-trip between the two

takes about 9 hours, but there

are numerous shorter trips to

points in between. It is neces-

sary, however, to check about

landing possibilities as most

boat trips do not stop at their

destination, but simply turn

round. Landscape, and the

pleasure of being on water,

are the main attractions. The

river banks are dotted with

rocky outcrops and ruined

castles. Points in between

include the pretty towns of

Profondeville and Wépion,

the most famous source of

strawberries in Belgium.

South of Dinant, the stretch

up to Hastière and Waulsort is

also rewarding and includes

the splendid castle at Freÿr.

The main season for river

trips runs between May and

September, with mid-July to

late August being busiest.

Château de Freÿr y

Domaine de Freÿr, Hastière; 5 km

(3 miles) S of Dinant. Road Map D3.

Tel (082) 222200. 4 # Jul–Aug:

Tue–Sun; Apr–Jun and Sep: Sat–Sun;

Oct–Mar: Sun. & 8 http://www.freyr.be

One of the most impressive

châteaux in Belgium stands

right beside the broad River

There is also a shop selling

regional produce at the

Centre d’Acceuil St-Joseph.

Environs

With Railbikes of the Molignée,

visitors can pedal along the

Molignée valley on a four-

person draisine (railbike),

on disused railway lines link-

ing Falaën, Maredsous and

Warnant. Falaën, set 4 km (3

miles) southeast of Maredsous,

has the ruins of a mighty 14th-

century castle, Château-Fort

de Montaigle, which was des-

troyed by the French in 1554.

Railbikes of the Molignée

Rue de la Molignée 116, Anhée.

Tel (082) 699079. # daily (Falaën);

Apr–Oct: Tue–Sun (Warnant). &

http://www.draisine.be

P Château-Fort de Montaigle

Rue du Marteau 10, Falaën.

Tel (082) 699585. # Jul–Aug: daily;

Apr–Jun and Sep–Oct: Sat and Sun.

& http://www.montaigle.be

For hotels and restaurants in this region see pp269–71 and pp296–7