Travel review: Ardennes
Debbie Bennett discovers there is a lot more to Ardennes than its famous pate
Rolling valleys, meandering rivers and dense forests – the Ardennes has all this and more in a relatively small area of around 3,860 square miles. This landlocked region in south-east Belgium extends into Luxembourg, Germany and France, and was once the scene of fierce battles in both World Wars.
My time there, with my other half taking on most of the driving, was a mini adventure – three very different hotels in three very different locations.
First stop was the four-star Hotel Le Château Fort, a majestic fortress which guards over the city of Sedan. The hotel is in a stone's throw from the city centre and takes up part of this fort, the oldest medieval castle in Europe.
Driving through the archway into the huge courtyard after a tiring but sun-drenched 12-hour journey from the Midlands, I gazed open-mouthed at the giant walls looming over us, before checking in.
Despite being very up to date, the hotel is sympathetically in keeping with the medieval style. Lifts, subtle lighting, a large bar, and a pool table tucked away in a cosy little alcove, all sit among the vast stone walls.
The hotel has 54 well-equipped rooms and ours, on the second floor, overlooked the courtyard below.
One floor up is the bistro with its very French cuisine – think, foie gras, baked cod, lobster bisque and 'beouf' cooked to perfection. The wine flowed as we tucked into our delicious four-course dinner before turning in for the night.
Part of the castle is now a museum which is well worth spending a few euros on. Audio and leaflet trails take visitors through '1,000 Years of History and Sedan, a Principality'. There's a lot of steep steps and narrow corridors, but every turn reveals a different part of the castle and there's loads of information, medieval scenes, cannons and superb views across the city from the ramparts.
Leaving the castle behind we spent a little time exploring Sedan before driving the 20 minutes to our next destination.
Hotel Kyriad, in the beautiful town of Charleville-Mezieres, is ultra modern – the polar opposite of the castle hotel in Sedan.
Secure underground parking is available through keypad-coded gates and this is where we left the car before spending the day exploring.
As with many parts of the Ardennes, the sleepy Meuse river winds through parts of Charleville-Mezieres, but the focal point is the central Place Ducale with its grand 17th century architecture. Most of the square is traffic free and there is an abundance of cafes and bars. We spent the next couple of hours in one of these, sunbathing and people watching.
For our evening meal we dined on the very French delights of Restaurant Le Lard Mets, a cosy eaterie in one of the town's shopping streets. No-one spoke a word of English so it was up to me with my very limited French to try to work out what we were ordering. In the end it didn't matter – our beefsteaks in pepper sauce were divine.
The next day, after a great night's sleep in Hotel Kyriad, we drove 35 minutes to the star-shaped town of Rocroi, a commune in the northern France area of the Ardennes. The centre of this little town was a fortified city, the walls of which are in the shape of a stylised star.
It was in the centre of the 'star' that we left the car for a day exploring the region in a Citroen 2CV courtesy of Retroscapade, a company which rents out these eccentric buckets of bolts for a day or half-day.
So off we went, clanking and chugging our way noisily and nervously around the steep forests of the northern Ardennes. A 45-minute drive took us to the famous panoramic view 'La Roche à 7 heures' which overlooks Monthermé, a village encompassed by the River Meuse.
We continued north to the sleepy little village of Hierges, right on the France Belgium border, for a lunch stop at La Causerie des Lilas restaurant. The food, cooked on an outdoor griddle, was superb.
We enjoyed three delicious courses of grilled duck, steak, salads and cold beer under the cool of the canopied terrace, before making our way southwards to the steep town of Haybes. Here the Meuse river arcs along on its way, guarded over by the huge forests symbolic of the region.
We parked up the 2CV at Robinson restaurant where the owner, Orphée, dusts off his apron and takes visitors on Segway adventures from his sideline 'adventure' business, Arden Gyropode.
My other half bowed out, but I couldn't resist having a go on this two-wheeled balancing act.
After 15 minutes' practice in the restaurant car park, and despite Orphée knowing very little English, I soon got the hang of this futuristic mode of transport, and we took in forest trails, woodland streams, the banks of the Meuse, and even the steep streets of Haybes itself. It was exhilarating, great fun and easy to master.
Return Channel crossing ticket with P&O for two people in a small car from £130. Visit the website www.poferries.com/en/dover-calais
Hotel Château Fort de Sedan double room from around £75. Tel +33 (0) 3 24 26 11 00, email contact.sedan@hotels-patrimoine.fr or www.chateaufort-sedan.fr/
Restaurant Le Lard des Mets, 71, rue Bourbon, 08000 Charleville-Mézières. Visit the website www.larddesmets.com
Hôtel Kyriad, Place Bozzi, 08 000 Charleville-Mézières. Rooms start at £86. Tel + 33 3 24 26 32 32 www.kyriad-charleville-mezieres.fr
Rétroscapades 2CV day rental: 150 euros or half a day 100 euros. Reduced rates for fewer hours. Tel: +33 3 23 58 21 21/ +33 6 11 96 02 54 or www.retroscapade.com
Segway adventures with Arden Gyropode prices start at 35 euros per person. 7, rue du 24 août, 08170 Haybes. Tel. +33 6 82 22 76 59 or visit www.arden-gyropode.fr
La Causerie des Lilas restaurant, 30 Roger Renard, Hierges 08300. Tel: +33 3 24 41 10 51 or visit www.lacauseriedeslilas.com
Hotel Ferme de Lhirondelle, 6, Grandrue, 08260 Girondelle. Tel : +33 3 24 54 31 32. Its 55 euros for two people in a double room. Meals extra.
Later, dropping off the hard-working and very noisy 2CV, our final accommodation in the Ardennes beckoned.
In the west of the region lies the remote farming village of Girondelle. In this pretty-much self-sufficient commune, every home has either beautifully manicured gardens, a menagerie of ducks and chickens, a vegetable plot, or all three.
Our stay was in the cottage-style Hotel Ferme de L'hirondelle, where we sat on the terrace drinking Belgian beer while fluffy chickens and noisy geese pottered around in the garden plot below us. For our evening meal we sat at the huge dining table and attempted to communicate with our fellow guests who, again, spoke little English, while we all quaffed jugs of wine and a very substantial home-cooked dinner.
The Ardennes can be explored in as little as a day, but its beauty is in its contrasts, its architecture and its people.
To have had a couple more days following the Meuse river or taking in the stunning views was my only wish after this mini adventure.
