The best traffic-free bike rides around Durbuy

Very idyllic stretch of Ourthe, beautiful side arm

a small picnic area possible by the water with the watermill nearby.

Bucolic road running alongside the Del Hé stream.

Bucolic route following the Hé stream.

Beautiful mill

The Col du Rideux: a gem in Luxembourg's Aisne Valley and a favorite among climbing enthusiasts. The 2.6 km climb (avg. 6.2%, 160m elevation gain) winds through a dense forest and is actually divided into two sections. After the hairpin bend, it seems to be over, but then comes a challenging final half kilometer at 8%. The road surface isn't in the best condition, but the climb has charm. Fun fact: rumor has it that this was the first climb in Belgium to be designated a "Col"!

Durbuy is first mentioned in 1078 (as Dolbui) and in 1084 (under the current name). The first traces of habitation are found during excavations in the Anticlinaal cave by Count Pierre d'Ursel. The d'Ursel family still inhabits Durbuy Castle. Before the current castle, there were already others. Based on the archives of Luxembourg, a castle was destroyed and in the eleventh century, another was built by Henry II the Lame, who had received the domain from his mother Rageline, sister of Pope Stephen II, and her husband Albert II of Namur. Around 1156, that castle was severely damaged by flames and during the succession wars of the Duchy of Limburg, it was destroyed several more times. From 1412, Durbuy came into the hands of the House of Burgundy and at the end of the fifteenth century, the then-existing castle was destroyed by Maximilian of Austria, like all the castles of the la Marck family: besides Durbuy, these also include the castles of Logne and La Roche. In 1628, Baron Antoine Schetz of Grobendonck leased the Durbuy estate for 40,000 gold marks, a very considerable sum. Besides being a baron, he was also Count of Grobbendonk, Lord of Tilburg and Goirle, Pulle and Pulderbos, and Wezemaal. He was in the service of the Spanish and had led the defense of 's-Hertogenbosch during the Eighty Years' War. At the age of 71, he was also governor of the city of Leuven during the Siege of Leuven. And he was the first in a long line of the d'Ursel family who, to this day, inhabit the castle. In 1731, the castle was rebuilt by the then Duke of Ursel. Countess Auguste d'Ursel, who acquired the d'Ursel family's possessions in Durbuy, then modernized the castle from 1880 to 1882 with the help of architect Thirian from Namur. During the Second World War, the castle was occupied several times and in 1944, during the Battle of the Bulge, it was used as a field hospital by the American liberators, with the billiard table serving as an operating table. Sources: historical overviews in Word documents on the website of Count Jean-Michel d'Ursel, current resident, at https://www.chateaudedurbuy.be/historique.html

Beautiful chapel at the castle/estate. It's private, so it's not open to the public. It's being restored. It's said to have been built with perfectly cut stones on site and without the use of cement or mortar. Thanks to its perfect construction techniques, the crypt is said to remain bone dry after all this time, even though it lies below the waterline.