Huy and surroundings including Mur de Huy 83 km

Cycling tour around Huy on the edges of the Hesbaye and Condroz regions and in the Meuse valley. The tour includes some strenuous climbs, the Mur de Huy being the most famous and the Thier de Huy the most difficult (see https://climbfinder.com/en). The Condroz region is a quiet agricultural area dotted with castles and farms, which is not well-known with tourists and cyclists. The Hesbaye is also an agricultural area with even less cols, but you only see the edge of this area. The start is near the Liège-Namur highway. You can find something to eat and drink mainly in Huy and Pont-de-Bonne. The tour is suited for the road bike, although there are some places with bad pavement and a stretch of 200 meters semi-paved cycling path. Pictures were taken on another tour in these surroundings a few years ago.
From the start in Villers-le-Bouillet at a gravel parking near the cemetery you ride towards Vinalmont through the Bois de Champia with a steep descent to and a short and less steep ascent from the Doyard valley. Through built-up area you descend to Wanze and on to the Meuse valley at the point where the Mehaigne river flows into the Meuse. Along the Meuse you ride partly on a cycling path to the bridge (Pont Roi Baudoin) in the center of Huy with views of the Fort and the Télépherique. After the bridge you ride in the opposite direction, largely on a RAVeL cycling path, to Ahin. Here starts the first climb of the day, the Côte d'Ahin to Saint-Léonard. You directly descend to Huy again on a recently paved road, and then follow the Hoyoux valley upstream to the start of the badly paved Thier de Huy. This is the most difficult climb of the day with an average gradient of more than 10%, a steepest 100 meters of 18.5%. You arrive back to Saint-Léonard. From here you continue towards Solières and then on to Andenne on the Meuse with a short climb in between. Here starts the gradual climb of the Côte de Coutisse into the Condroz region. In this region you have some shorters climbs and descents amidst agricultural scenery. The paving is bad in places, but on the upside you pass some castles and castle-farms. You descend back to the Hoyoux valley at Pont-de-Bonne. Here, you follow RAVeL L126 on a former railroad almost all the way to Huy. Shortly before Huy you choose a quiet minor road east of the Hoyoux towards the center of Huy. In Huy the climb of the famous la Mur de Huy follows. This climb is lined with chapels (remembering you of another ordeal), and takes you to the Notre Dame de la Sarte and the top station of the Télépherique. On the top you descend back to Huy and then cycle towards the nuclear power plant at Tihange where you cross the Meuse to Ampsin. Here you cycle to the Sartage, the last serious climb of the day. After your descent back to the same valley you ascend slightly along the valley to the ancient Abbaye de la Paix Dieu, on the way passing a bit more than 200 meters of semi-paved cycling path. Near the abbey you cross the N684 near the roundabout. Watch out as the Rue de Villers you have to take is on the wrong side of the main road with a concrete lane separator. The road takes you up to the start at Villers-le-Bouillet.