A gentle morning cruise with all the locks set for us and not another boat on the river - plus a cloudless sky. This is how cruising should be!

We had studied our trusty De Rouck road atlas for Brussels and concluded that the well recommended Brussels Royal Yacht Club was quite a way out of the centre, not featuring on the six pages of detailed city centre maps. Although the canal does not go through the centre of the city we earmarked a couple of likely spots to the west of the city which would be within cycling range of the main attractions. We eventually chose a spot at the end of a row of houseboats, complete with mooring bollards but with very little depth, just upstream of Pont de la Petite Ile. The bridge meant that the occasional passing coal barge slowed down so there was very little wash, and the tree lined banks were used only by cyclists. (There is also coincidentally a Lidl supermarket opposite but we were quite well provided for.)

From here it was a pleasant 15 minute cycle into the city, but there were bus and tram stops nearby for the less energetically disposed. We found the bikes invaluable for getting around the centre of the city, overtaking the hot pedestrians and getting the chance to see much more of the area. We enjoyed a wonderful (and economic) lunch at Barock Cafe in the Grand Place, entertained by a marching band and a parade of giants.

After this our cycling tour took in the Parc de Bruxelles, the Parliament buildings and the very arty Place du Grand Sablon as well as incorporating a stop at the Palais Royale. Here we had a whistestop history of Belgian monarchy, which in recent times seems to have involved three Leopolds, two Astrids and an Albert. Toilets fit for a queen were an added bonus.

Cruising Statistics

Distance: 8 nm

Total to date: 1862nm

Avg Speed: 5 knots

Duration: 2 hours

Diesel: 10 litres (est)

Mooring: Free

Electricity: N/A

Locks

Halle

Lot

Ruisbroek

Anderlecht

Min headroom: 4.2m

Min draught: 3m

Charts

Navicarte 23

Geocart 2