Sambre Valley
The Sambre Canal guides the route between Namur and Maubeuge.
Steelworks, glassworks, workers’ houses and slag heaps reveal the important industrial and mining past of the Charleroi region.
The route also offers a more bucolic setting with its woods and meadows. It passes through the medieval towns of Thuin and Lobbes.
< Namur
Maubeuge >
Itinerary Eurovelo3, recommended by CTE
→ click on map to go to a stage
De Namur à Tours par l'Eurovélo3
It is completely free.
Join us : https://eurovelo3.fr/adhesions/
The 4 stages of the section « Sambre Valley »
The towpath that follows the meandering Sambre between Namur and Floriffoux bears witness to a major industrial park. Then it’s on to more rural surroundings, with a diversion to Floreffe Abbey, built on a promontory, offering a remarkable viewpoint. Before arriving in Auvelais, we return to an industrial environment with the famous Moustier glassworks and the Solvay chemical plants.
This stage, especially from Farciennes to Charleroi, reveals once again the strong industrialisation of the region. Some industries have disappeared (steel), while others have been modernised or developed (glassmaking, aeronautics, biotechnology). Many of Charleroi’s brownfield sites are currently being rehabilitated.
Don’t miss the guided walks offered by the Maison du tourisme des pays de Charleroi.
After Charleroi, the peaceful, leafy route passes through Thuin, a pleasant place to stroll and admire the hanging gardens. It then reaches Lobbes, with its magnificent collegiate church, and the pleasant town of Merbes-le-Château.
This cross-border stage, green in Belgium, moves from one bank of the Sambre to the other in France, among industrial remains (drawbridges, depots, shed-roofed factories) and hedged farmland.