Thiméon, Thudinië and Eau d'Heure

A robust ride through the outskirts of Charleroi, the south of Hainaut, and the west of the province of Namur. A cycling tour with surprisingly many variations. In the quiet village of Thiméon, you can easily park in the center. At first, the surroundings may seem a bit dreary, but as soon as we follow a stretch of the Sambre, the nature becomes more colorful and greener. From the Aulne Abbey Ruins, the route becomes quite hilly with beautiful panoramic views. Through this part of Hainaut and the province of Namur, one discovers the real, less touristy Wallonia (La Wallonie profonde), where there is still little industry, which makes the landscape all the more beautiful. The tour also offers us authentic, pretty villages where old traditions are upheld. Walcourt, situated on a steep cliff between the rivers Eau d'Heure and Eau d'Yves, is one such town with preserved folklore, medieval and picturesque. The monumental Basilica of St. Maternus, visible from afar, dominates the entire area. It is a centuries-old pilgrimage site of the Marian image.
This cycling tour is again one of my favorites, ideal for enthusiastic cyclists who want to really get going and hate the life-threatening bike paths along the longitudinal developments in Flanders, where every ten meters an exit from a yard, a garage, or a side street can endanger our lives. There is none of that here! There are occasionally a few unpaved but well-drivable paths, and at the beginning, along the Sambre, there may sometimes be some gravel, which makes this tour unsuitable for tubeless tires, but it runs smoothly with stiff racing bike tires.
This tour has no specific signage.