Chimay, Trappist pedal

1. Meet at the Auberge de Poteaupré (V) in Bourlers. With the hostel on your left you start, direction France. At the first intersection (on the right, it goes to the abbey) you pedal straight, towards Cul-des-Sarts and Rièzes. You cross the river La Wartoise and then you see the abbey protruding above the trees on the right behind you. Strange but true, this is the most beautiful view you can catch from the abbey. You pedal between a cross and a chapel. The Flemish is called this place. At Ferme Belle-Vue, ignore the road to Rièzes on the left and head towards Signy-le-Petit. Don't worry about side roads and cycle further France. From now on, follow the D10. You pass in front of a chapel with statuettes of lady and have a view of the church of Brognon. At the intersection with the bus shelter, after the Brognon sign, you continue straight towards Signy-le-Petit. Continue to ignore all secondary roads, cross the gland and continue pedaling until the fork. From there, follow the D34 on the right, direction Neuville-aux-Joutes and Cendron. You will pass Le Château, a somewhat neglected castle farm. Past the sign of Neuville-aux-Joutes, at the junction turn right, direction Cendron and Chimay. Cross the Gland again and you will cross the center and pass in front of the church of Neuville. After a climb, you pass the cemetery, a farmhouse with a chapel on the right and a chapel on the left. Then, after the sign indicating the end of the Neuville-aux-Joutes, take the Gravier du Bois on the left. You now pedal on a narrower asphalt path, towards the forest. Continue to follow this road, after Le Merle Blanc, until the fork. Here you turn left and turn a little further into the Forêt Domaniale de Saint-Michel, more precisely on the Route Forrestière des Colonies. Follow this narrow forest road to the Watigny roundabout (1). At this point, five forest roads meet and there is an information panel on the Maginot Line. You don't have to follow the Sur les Traces de Maginot route and that's a good thing, because after a descent you are in front of a straight wall that you should climb.
2. You take the first forest road on the right, the road to Cendron. Keep in mind that this road may be closed during hunting season, mainly between mid-October and late December. It is a straight road, but slightly hilly and forbidden to motor vehicles and transistors. Cycle along the barrier and enjoy 3.5 km of peace and quiet in the quiet area. At the end, you will arrive at a brightly colored old Stella café on a paved road. Left. You are now close to the Franco-Belgian border and still in a special place. Just before the Wartoise and on the border is a memorial to the Allied troops who entered Belgium here in 1944. At the old sign, turn left and pedal towards Macquenoise and Hirson. You pass the Macquenoise sign and at the first fork you take the path of the Willow on the left, a narrow paved road above the Willow and past the House of the Willow. At the Ferme de l'Artoise you turn right with the road. Continue cycling through the gently rolling landscape and cross the crossroads with the villa and the Hermitage Farm. Continue straight along the Ferme Monastière de l'Ermitage and turn right at the next crossroads, with the Belgian-American War Memorial (2). At the corner is the Distillery Farm a little hidden in the green. On the left, you can enjoy a hilly panorama. Just after a white farm, you arrive at a crossroads with the Forge-Philippe sign. Turn right here. On the left is a chapel in a green triangle. At the T-junction, you pedal to the right. You go down a hollow road between two farms and pass another farm until you can turn left into the first street, rue du Cimetière. This is just before the Ferme de Cendron. You follow another straight road, towards the Place de l'Eglise. The best view you have on your right, because on the left it goes up and the view is limited. You pass in front of the Forge-Philippe agglomeration sign and the cemetery. It then goes back down. There is a road on the right and immediately after you turn left, direction La Trappe.
3. You cycle in the rue de la Forge and take the rue de la Grotte on the right in front of a white farm. One kilometer further, you pass in front of a cave of Lourdes (3). At the fork after, follow rue Léopold on the left, direction Semoignes, La Trappe and... all directions. You will follow the pond of Vieux-Gauchy to the next crossroads (4). Here you have a choice. Either you choose the short route and turn right. Either you choose the complete tour and cross the crossroads.
4. You cycle along Albert Street along the Pouillette Farm and then along the Petite Pouillette Farm. They both have a white color and one is already more impressive than the other. Then take the first road on the left. This is the rue des Combes. You immediately cross a bridge over the Griffon and pass in front of the Hostellerie de l'Oise and the Relais du Domaine de Griffon with camping. Continue to follow the rue des Combes, forest on the right, on the left open landscape with meadows. At the end, follow rue de Malapaire on the left. Follow this straight and rolling road along the chapel of Malapaire (1751) (5) to the crossroads of the Wactiaux Lodge. You also saw the chapel you see in front of you at the crossroads earlier. Turn left towards La Trappe en Rièzes. You now pedal in the rue des Fosses, a straight street between the meadows. You ignore a road on the right, then cross the intersection where you just passed. From there, the long and short trip tours coincide again.
5. Keep pedaling straight. The street receives successive names such as rue des Oiseaux, rue des Trappistes, rue de la Trappe. You will pass in front of the Ferme de la Grande Pouillette. With this, you have seen all the Pouillettehoeves. Continue straight until you reach the Pointe du Rond. Not counting unpaved roads, you are now seven points away. Continue straight, in the rue de la Trappe, pass in front of the dilapidated Villa Lamarche (6) (actually Villa Belle Avoine) towards La Trappe, Rièzes and Auberge de Poteaupré. You pass through an agricultural landscape with a yellow farm on the right and a white farm on the left. You approach the edge of the forest. A little further you pass in front of the entrance of the abbey of Chimay (7) which is located in the hamlet of Scourmont. The cheese is made in the abbey and one of the six true Trappists of Belgium. In the world, 7 Trappist beers are still made, 6 of which are made in Belgium. Continue cycling to the crossroads and turn left. The Auberge de Poteaupré is now nearby.