Cyclist on the Vennbahn - Pierre Pauquay

i rode along the Vennbahn

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Pierre Pauquay

Member for 5 years 4 months

The Ardennes in all directions

Culture and Hiking

125km long, the Vennbahn crosses three countries: Europe can also be built by bike!

I rode along the Vennbahn, a european route

A European route

120km of green cycle trail

As it winds its way through the Eifel and Hautes-Fagnes districts, the Vennbahn offers cyclists a magnificent journey. A green route, with a rich history, it's a timeline we followed for several days.

On 1st December 1885, a sort of buzz could be felt on the high moors: the train had arrived! This famous railway line opened up the isolated Hautes-Fagnes district, whose only contact with the outside world in winter before then had been via the dots and dashes of the telegraph line, to the outside world.

Aachen (Aix-la-Chapelle), the start of the Vennbahn - Pierre Pauquay

At the heart of the Fagnes moors, an immense territory covering 12,000 hectares, living conditions are hard: the soil is poor and the climate is hostile. This railway significantly changed life on the high moors. Stations were built, the economy began to develop and tourism gained a foothold on the moors. The railway line worked well for almost 100 years transporting coal from the mines at Aachen (Aix-la-Chapelle) to the steel industry in Lorraine and Luxembourg, before being converted into a new cycle trail for us to enjoy. 

Map showing the route of the Vennbahn from Aachen (Aix-la-Chapelle) to Troisvierges

While it was the railway that brought together villages and their inhabitants in the past, today new links are being forged by cyclists. Cafés and restaurants have sprung up along the trail. Opened in 2013, the Vennbahn was quickly recognised as one of the most beautiful green routes in Europe. At 125km long and crossing three countries, Europe is also being built by bike!

 

Towards the high moors

In the Spring, it's a delight to set out early in the morning along the cycle route, and to feel the chill of the dawning day. On this first day, we're heading to Raeren Castle, a few kilometres from the Vennbahn, which we will rejoin at the former station, where some old locomotives still hold court. The green route comes from Aachen (Aix-la-Chapelle) and crosses the frontier a few kilometres from here.

 

At Roetgen, the slope becomes a little steeper and, despite it being April, we start to shiver. Here, more than in other places, winter takes longer to release its grip. In the past, when the railway was blocked by heavy snowfall, the only way to get and from the "low country" was by horse-drawn coach. We climb along the former railway line, without worrying too much about the difficulty. On the green route, the climbs and descents remain slight (hardly more than 2.5%): they had been kept to a minimum when the line was built to allow the trains to climb up to the moors.

After cycling a little over 10km along the route, we give in to the irresistible pull of the mediaeval town of Monschau (Montjoie) in the valley below us. A 3km diversion allows us to explore this half-timbered German town  whose golden age was at the end of the eighteenth century, due to a boom in the weaving industry. This wealth is evidenced today in the architecture of its elegant, refined townhouses.

Monschau (Montjoie) - Pierre Pauquay

The former railway line crosses the heart of  Wallonia's green lung, the Hautes-Fagnes nature reserve 

Moorland train

Further on, in the forest, the trail goes around Ruitzhof, a geographical curiosity, as it's a German enclave surrounded by Belgian territory. It was the Belgian-owned Vennbahn railway that separated it from Germany, an unusual situation which resembles that of Guantanamo Bay in Cuba. We continue due South. Now the line crosses the heart of Wallonia's green lung, the Hautes-Fagnes nature reserve! Energised by the wind blowing the scents of wild nature over us, we ride on in silence, except for the whistling of our tyres on the tarmac, as smooth as the palms of our hands.

The Vennbahn, a smooth cycle trail surrounded by greenery - Pierre Pauquay
A bike parked at the former station in Sourbrodt, next to an old railway wagon - Pierre Pauquay

In the past, this silence would have been shattered when the trains rang their bells to announce that they were about to cross the roads leading to the moors, where peat was dug for fuel. At Sourbrodt, we come across the Prussian-style former station. In the past it must have hummed with activity as trains arrived with goods from Germany and soldiers on leave from the barracks at Elsenborn. The signal box, the long platforms and the old railway wagons give an idea of the importance of this railway hub, where an entire little world had been created.

As we approach Bütgenbach, the day is coming to an end on the Hautes-Fagnes and the setting sun reddens the cotton grass. We ride along, completely alone, happy to have explored the first part of this journey through the heart of the moors.

From the high plateau to the Our valley

The next day, we leave the moorland landscape behind us and enter another, more fertile one, characterised by its mesh of hedges, typical of the Waimes district: as cyclists, we are grateful for the protection they offer us from the wind. The Vennbahn continues to Montenau. This village is still haunted by an anecdote: there was a gold rush here in the 1880s that continued until after 1918, but only a few nuggets of gold were ever found…

A beautiful day on the Vennbahn near Montenau - Pierre Pauquay

The village is also the birthplace of authentic Ardennes ham, made here in artisanal fashion with real love for work done well. It is smoked in the traditional way over beech wood and juniper branches... our mouths water just thinking about it. Fortunately, we've brought our Opinel knife with us! The picnic will be tasty. At Born, our route crosses the road from Vielsalm, which was used to ferry German soldiers to the Western Front during the First World War. Today, only the majestic viaduct that overlooks the village, built quickly during the war, bears witness to this. It was built by Russian prisoners-of-war, 2,000 of whom died in the process…

 

After passing through St Vith, the Vennbahn enters the Our valley, whose topography posed a serious challenge  to the railway engineers.

Lommersweiler - Pierre Pauquay

A hellish racket

Our route pushes ahead through the old railway cutting and emerges into the wide landscape of the valley. We then cross pretty bridges and go through an illuminated tunnel. As we pedal along this calm trail, we find it hard to imagine the railway traffic that would have run along this line in the early years of last century to the station at Lommersweiler.

Around 1900, the advent of this railway opened up this region, that had previously been cut off, to the outside world. Exchanges began to take place: men and women took the train to visit other areas, or to seek a better life elsewhere. At the height of the Industrial Revolution, this railway line No. 47 was a vital economic artery for the Prussian Empire, transporting coal from the mines near Aachen (Aix-la-Chapelle) to the steelworks in Lorraine, which had been ceded to Prussia after the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-1871.

In this corner of a modern paradise, long trains puffing out smoke and soot travelled to Burg-Reuland. And accidents were frequent… more than 100 trains travelled along this line every day: just imagine the din! The green route crosses to another former railway line running to Burg-Reuland. This is a particularly beautiful stretch beside the meadows that line the Our valley. The damp, fallow meadows offer nesting places for winchats, meadow pipits, reed buntings, yellow wagtails and marsh harriers.

Sketch of a marsh harrier - Pierre Pauquay

We ride along smoothly, thanks to the new trail surface. As evening approaches, the Burg-Reuland fortress appears on the horizon. the "Bergfried" or castle keep dates back to the tenth century, when it was a refuge from Norman raiders. The fortress managed to survive the wars of King Louis XIV of France and a siege by the Austrian army, but was burned down by French troops during the Seven Years' War in 1759 and was never rebuilt.

Burg-Reuland - Pierre Pauquay

Just after Oudler, we arrive at Langler, the last village in Belgium before we cross the frontier into Luxembourg and arrive at the end of the trail in Troisvierges. It had been a slow journey, but we had been intoxicated by the atmosphere of the green route… And what a pretty paradox. From a past when is spat smoke and soot over the countryside from the Fagnes to the Eifel, the  Vennbahn has become a green lung for the sole enjoyment of cyclists. What a transformation!

Enjoy this experience

Itinerary

Distance: 125km from Aachen (Aix-la-Chapelle) in Germany to Troisvierges in Luxembourg
Waymarks: follow the remarkably clear Vennbahn waymarks.
Start: The Vennbahn (line 38) starts at the Aachen-Rothe-Erde railway station. We started our ride at Raeren, a village in Belgium located 22km from Aachen.
Finish: The Vennbahn ends at the railway station in Troisvierges in Luxembourg.
Return: You can return to Aachen from Troisvierges by train via Liège and Welkenraedt or Verviers (approx. 1h28).

 

Accommodation

Along the Vennbahn are several "bed+bike" branded establishments, offering a welcome and facilities specially adapted for cyclists. They are all signposted from the Vennbahn.

 

More info: www.vennbahn.eu

Location of places to eat and stay with the "Ardenne brand" nearby