Cycle path de l'Attert (PC 12)

Visit Luxembourg

Description

Refreshment stops available

The Attert cycle route (PC 12) starts off at Pétange, and follows the tracks of the old Attert line, the railway branch that used to connect Pétange and Ettelbruck.

The Attert cycle route is the perfect course for family expeditions. This exciting group adventure starts off at Pétange, and then for most of the journey it follows the tracks of the old Attert line, the railway branch that used to connect Pétange and Ettelbruck.

Now you literally ride on the border between Belgium and Luxembourg. Soon the tour adventure takes a new turn. Follow the tracks of the famous Charly, an old, narrow-gauge railway line heading in the direction of the sept châteaux (seven castles). Now intrepid cyclists pass through a valley of mighty fortresses and castles – this is where the nobles of old used to build their strongholds, such as the château-fort de Hollenfels (Hollenfels stronghold), or the baroque château d’Ansembourg.

Further on, things take a surprising and interesting turn as you encounter another mighty man-made construction - a 700 metre-long lit tunnel through the Luxembourg sandstone.

for tour routing

GPX

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Directions

The Attert cycle path follows the former route of the "ligne de l'Attert" railway (Pétange-Ettelbruck) for most of its length, which starts in Pétange, PC6 and PC8, (275m NN) at the intersection of the "rue de Luxembourg" (N5) with the "rue de Linger". It goes up to the North by crossing the South collector by a bridge. After Linger, the track turns eastwards past Hautcharage to the north towards Clemency. It goes around the "Lamerbierg" (highest point at 374m) by a slight climb (highest point at 346m "op der Boufferdanger Muer"). After about 7 kilometres of running, the old railway station of Clemency is reached.The road leaves Clemency in the direction of Grass, after crossing the road to Grass (CR110) in the direction of "Schockmillen" and the Belgian-Luxembourg border. In the meadows on the edge of the track, boundary stones mark the border.At the entrance to Grass, after having constantly followed the Belgian border in the "Rommebësch" forest, the track crosses the CR110 again in the direction of Kahler. In Kahler, the track follows the main road (CR106), i.e. you have to turn right, towards the centre for a few hundred metres. After crossing the Eisch, the CP turns left at the first intersection into the "Rue des Champs.[Sports route :The cycle path thus bypassed the "Rébierg", the highest point of the region with 400m NN, by a wide loop, which can be crossed by following the "main street" in Kahler. After climbing the "Rébierg", turn left at the first crossroads (CR101) towards Fingig at the entrance to Hivange to return to the cycle path in Clemency].At the exit of Kahler, it continues parallel to the Arlon motorway (A6) through the fields and along the "Ierwebësch" to the "Buchholzerbësch", where it joins the PC13 towards Garnich.The PC12 turns northwards across the A6 motorway towards Hagen, which it crosses to reach the entrance of Steinfort at the "route d'Arlon" N6. Steinfort is bypassed from the east to follow the old "Charly" (former narrow gauge railway) towards the valley of the seven castles.

Once in Eischen, the trail crosses the Eisch again to go up slightly in the direction of the "Rommebierg", which it avoids by crossing it through an illuminated tunnel dug in the Luxembourg sandstone over a length of 700m. At the end of the tunnel, it gently descends to pass the villages of Hovelange and Noerdange.[Cross-border route "Le Belarel":From Eischen it is possible to do a 54km tour around Arlon, called "boucle cyclable récréactive - Le Belarel", which follows picturesque byways, but sometimes with poor road surfaces. In the centre of Eischen you can follow the direction of Clairefontaine towards the Belgian border. The whole route is fully signposted from the centre of Clairefontaine].After passing the old station in Noerdange, the track turns right towards Useldange. At the exit of Noerdange, the PC17 "PC de l'Ouest" starts and follows the old narrow-gauge line Noerdange-Martelange towards Martelange.The PC12 passes through Useldange on the N24 at the foot of the 12th century castle ruins. In the centre of Useldange, it takes the "rue de la Gare" (CR116 and CR305C) to follow the course of the Attert river.In the centre of Boevange, it takes state and municipal roads ["rue de Buschdorf" (CR112), and "rue Helpert" (partly on CR114)] to continue on its own footing towards Bissen. The track arrives in Bissen via the "Rue du Finsterthal" and turns into the "Rue Merelbach" to pass the railway level crossing at the exit of Bissen. Following the Attert valley again, the PC12 de l'Attert ends at Colmar-Berg (205m NN) where it joins the PC15 "PC de l'Alzette".