The routes of our heritage: 130 km from Stavelot to Malmedy

For this trip after the start of school, we will tackle heights and get close to dizzying peaks as we ascend to the Signal de Botrange, the highest point of our little country of heroism, at almost 700 m elevation. Do you have oxygen, crampons, and ice axes? Let's go!

Our route begins right in front of the Stavelot Abbey. You just have to walk down the Rue du Châtelet to the Amblève, cross the bridge, and keep left on the main road (Chemin du Château), then you are on the right path. The first kilometers climb steeply, but the pace remains leisurely. The eye is irresistibly drawn to the wide panoramas on the left, and we take the time to slowly warm up the machines with each curve.

We briefly follow the E42, which connects Verviers with Prüm on German territory, before crossing the language border upon arriving in Recht, a small municipality that is Belgian but already exudes a distinctly German atmosphere. A traditional stop at a butcher’s, Michels (Bergstrasse, 4) in this case, to procure some delicious Ardennes sausages for the coffee break. After tasting, we highly recommend the products from this establishment!

Via the aptly named Sankt-Vither Way, we reach Saint-Vith, which we traverse from one side to the other. Here is a small, lively town that will certainly captivate you: although we are administratively in the Walloon region, everything here reminds one of nearby Germany.

After leaving the town, we find ourselves on the N626, a true motorcycle road, with beautiful medium to fast curves, with the additional bonus, believe it or not, of a flawless surface, which however deteriorates upon approaching Schönberg, where our route crosses the Our, a laughing watercourse that originates not far from here, in Manderfeld.

Ascent

After a pleasant, decidedly local meal served with as much speed as friendliness at the Café-Restaurant Zum Burghof, we continue our way north towards Andler, a small municipality known for its impossible motorcycle competition (Hill Climb) held every year at the end of August. A colorful, very spectacular, but rather brutal event! A note for the adrenaline junkies!

Don’t hesitate, after leaving the valley, to stop in the ascent towards Herresbach: you get an impressive view of the competition site when looking back into the valley! Once on the plateau, we curve pleasantly around Heppenbach and Möderscheid. The N658 we had planned to take to connect to Büllingen was under construction, forcing us to take a slight detour, which was, however, very pleasant. The 658 turns out to be extremely enjoyable up to Rocherath before diving into the forests to cross the German border. On to the little exploration in German territory!

We leave the world-famous B258, which connects Aachen to Koblenz via the Nürburgring, behind after just a few kilometers and take a truly winding route through Rohren and Widdau. A true pleasure road in the mountains! We pass near Monschau (Montjoie), which we circumvent to the east and then north. Instead of returning directly to Belgian territory as we have done many times before, we prefer to drive via Mützenich. Also very pleasant, despite a radar in the center of the municipality: it seems perfectly functional, judging by the driving behavior of the locals, who strictly adhere to the 30 km/h limit! You have been warned...

We let ourselves fall into the pleasant, albeit not fast, curves leading to Kalterherberg at the Belgian border. After a few kilometers through vast, austere areas (peat bogs and forests), we pass near the military camp Elsenborn, established by the Prussian army in 1901. The artillerymen of the Belgian army still train there today. It is worth noting that the places have seen better days, and the immediate surroundings of the camp, with their row of abandoned buildings gently succumbing to time, give more of an impression of being in a remote corner of Russia than in Belgium!

718 m

The Signal de Botrange, which is reached via a sadly uninteresting road, is now only a stone's throw away. Aside from being the highest point in Belgium at 694 m (before Weisser Stein in Mürringen at 693 m, and Baraque Michel at 674 m), there is not much to see here. It should be mentioned, however, that the Baltia Hill, constructed in 1923, allows one to artificially reach 700 m and even 718 m at the top of its stone tower... However, you can easily console yourself with the last kilometers that take you down via the winding N88 to Malmedy: the kind of road that gives you the pleasure that only a motorcycle offers! After all that, you certainly deserve a refreshment on one of the inviting terraces of the Place Albert Ier in Malmedy, where our road book ends. Safe travels and always be careful!