Belgium and Luxembourg (Eyewitness Travel Guides)

SPORTING AND ACTIVITY HOLIDAYS 313

Canoeists at the launch of a voyage on the River Ambléve, near Coo

WINDSURFING

The brisk breezes of the coast

provide excellent conditions

for windsurfing. De Panne,

Nieuwpoort, Oostende, De

Haan, Zeebrugge and Knokke-

Heist (see pp120–21) are all

noted windsurfing centres,

with surf shops where equip-

ment can be bought or hired.

On beaches shared with

WATERSKIING

The lakes and broad rivers

of Belgium have numerous

waterskiing centres. These

include the lakes of Barrage

de l’Eau d’Heure and the

River Meuse (see p206) near

Wépion and Profondeville. A

good source of information

is the Fédération Francophone

du Ski Nautique Belge. Its

parallel in Luxembourg, for

waterskiing on the Moselle

(see p249) and various lakes

is the Union Luxembourgeoise

de Ski Nautique.

KAYAKING AND
CANOEING

The best-known locations for
kayaking and canoeing are on
Amblève (see p225), Semois
(see p228–9), Lesse (see p211)
and Ourthe (see p226). All of
these have cen tres offering
equip ment and guides. The
Nederlandstalig Kano Verbond,
the Fédération Francophone
de Canoë et Kayak and the
Fédération Luxembourgeoise
de Canoë-Kayak offer informa-
tion for novices and experts.

SWIMMING

There are plenty of public
swimming pools in Belgium
and Luxembourg. In many of
these, both men and women
are expected to wear bathing
caps, usually available at the
pool. Lifeguards oversee
swimming areas at the coast
and hoist flags to indicate
swimming conditions: a red
flag means bathing is forbid-
den, a yellow flag calls for
extra caution and a green flag
means safe con ditions. Various
lakes also have swim ming
beaches, such as at the Lacs
de l’Eau d’Heure (see p191).

PROFESSIONAL CYCLING

Belgium ranks among the world’s top

professional cycling nations. It produced

probably the greatest cyclist to date: Eddy

Merckx (b.1945), five times winner of the

Tour de France and winner of over 140

other titles. Other great names include Rik

Van Looy (b.1933) and Roger de Vlaeminck

(b.1947). Belgium hosts several of the most

important world cycling events, including

two of the five one-day classics called the

Monuments. Of these, the Ronde van

Vlaanderen (see p32) includes the notorious cobbled climb,

the Mur de Grammont, while the Liège–Bastogne–Liège

takes place in the Ardennes. First held in 1882, the latter is

the oldest of the Monuments. Other key events include the

Flèche Wallonne in April, and the four-day Tour of Belgium

in late May–early June. Zesdaagse Vlaanderen-Gent, the

6-day European speed cycling race, is held in late November.

SAND YACHTING

At low tide, the hard surface

of the sand beaches along

Belgium’s coast provide the

perfect conditions for sand

yachts – wheeled vehicles

with sails. This amusement

is centuries old; the great

Bruges-born mathematician

Simon Stevin (1548–1620),

had a 26-person sand yacht

with two sails. The modern

ver sion was invented in the

late 19th century near De

Panne, the main centre for

the sport. Novices must take a

train ing course, for exam ple,

at the Royal Sand Yacht Club,

to obtain a permit for recrea-

tional sand yachting.

swimmers, there are separate

windsurfing areas demarcated.

Windsurfing is practised on

some recreational lakes

(see p191) as well. Kite-surfing

is also popular on the coast.

SAILING

Coastal sailing focusses on the

main ports and marinas at

Nieuwpoort, Oostende,

Blankenberge and Zeebrugge.

There is also dinghy sailing on

some of the larger lakes. Sailing

federations such as Fédération

Francophone du Yachting Belge

(FFYB) and Vlaamse Vereniging

voor Watersport pro vide useful

information. Luxembourg

likewise has a number of

opportunities for sailing,

overseen by the Fédération

Luxembourgeoise de Voile.

FISHING

There is fishing of all kinds: on
the coast, in rivers, lakes and
canals. A permit is needed for
inland fishing. Details of this
are available from the Service
de la Pèche at the Ministry of
the Wallon Region and the
Fédération Sportive des Pêch-
eurs Francophone de Belgique.
In Luxembourg, per mits are
issued by local author ities or
District Commissariats, with
details at tourist offices.

A cyclist speeds

to victory