Five trails and some 120k. Buying the 1:30,000-scale map (7 euro) from the Bastogne tourist office and looking at it, it seems that although the instructions indicate that all loops start at Gare de Bastogne, only red, yellow and light-blue do. The other two loops (green and dark-blue) can be reached through starting out on these ... and you will then obviously end up with more km's than the loop you are seeking to do. Nevertheless, the loops from Gare de Bastogne still offer you a good first selection, and for anyone wanting to do really long-distance, the loops are all interconnected. It is not indicated on the map how many k's you end up with if you combine them ... but it looks like quite a decent loop!

NB. Always try to encourage the effort made: Buy the trail map and help finance mountain biking in the area!

My first visit to Bastogne (September 2004) was limited, and while I was dying to try out the red trail I needed to stay fresh for Sunday's planned ride, so I opted for the 20k-long green trail that went just past the gîte I had rented. Signs were excellent, but the trail ... was very disappointing. No singletrack whatsoever, very little off-road, lots and lots of boring tarmac, and the rest gravel road. I was unhappy to have to negotiate quite many cars (this was a Saturday afternoon), because except for some steeper downhills and uphills that might be tough on and scary for kids, this could be a nice family ride as you go past nice landscape with lots of cattle out on the fields, and also past the Bastogne Historical centre, where you have toilets and parking facilities.

The historical centre is an alternative starting point should you prefer to not go into busy, shopping-downtown Bastogne with your car. Except for the green trail, here you can pick up with the above-mentioned three trails that go through the centre of Bastogne.

Should you be here longer for the day and be a little like me, and not really want to stay the night in the city, here is a little summary of small villages that the trails either go through or close-by:

Light-blue (13k)	Recogne, Luzery, Bastogne, Hemroule
Dark-blue (15k)	Bourcy, Noville, Rachams, Hardigny
Green (20k)	Neffe, Bourcy, Michamps, Arloncourt, Benonchamps
Yellow (29k)	Recogne, Foy, Bastogne, Withimont
Red (40k)	Bastogne, Remoifosse, Villers-la-Bonne-Eau, Lutrebois, Wardin, Neffe

I am sure I have not done the trails justice. I came here to participate in the annual organized ride La Bastognarde, and when I come back next year (yes, it was that good!) I will come for a longer time, to have time to check out the permanent trails a little better. Although La Bastognarde went through a lot of private property normally not open to bikers, the green trail must have been an exception to what this area has to offer off-road-, hill- and singletrack-wise.

Don't forget that you have Bertogne to your NW, Houffalize to your NE, Sainte-Ode to your SW, Vaux-sur-Sûre and Fauvillers to your S, all supposed to have permanent mountain bike trails as well. Just in case you have more time here than I did!

A bike shop in Bastogne, that we have never used ourselves, is
Jimmy Cycles, 74b Route de Marche, 6600 BASTOGNE (Phone 061-21 29 50, Fax 061-21 72 09).