Roots Rails & Rambles

April 16 – 24, 2025

BARGING THROUGH BELGIUM (and a little bit of train time through the Netherlands)
Amsterdam- Ghent – Bruges – Oudenaade – Mons – Brussels - Amsterdam

With Jon Langford and special guest Alice Spencer

We’ve been wanting to do this for a long time (some might say threatening), and now we have finally found the perfect vessel on which to do it! This trip is going to be the ultimate in “Slow Travel”, cruising along a dense network of waterways crossing Flanders and Wallonia from east to west and north to south. With the abundance of cultural riches concentrated on the canal banks, we’ll discover the characteristic cities, exciting sites, and unique flavors only Belgium can offer. We’ll indulge in local specialties such as chocolate, beer, wine, and other delicacies.

With us we’ll have the irrepressible Jon Langford and special guest Alice Spencer as our evening’s entertainment! Those of you who haven’t traveled with Jon are in for a treat – great songs and story-telling and a uncanny knack for sniffing out the best pub wherever we go. Bring your instruments for informal jam sessions on board – the boat has lovely gathering spaces perfect for such occasions.

We’ll be traveling aboard canal barge, Raymonde – a 22 passenger vessel featuring:

- Comfortable cabins, all with windows, en-suite bathroom and shower facilities
- Delicious meals on board are included, prepared by our own chef and featuring local specialties.
- A well-stocked bar onboard featuring wines and beers of the region and specialty cocktails.
- Bicycles – for those who wish to ride along the tow paths or nip into surrounding villages and catch up with the boat down the line.
- Hot tub
- Daily guided excursions to explore the natural, cultural, and historic highlights of the region.

This is a less-visited area of Belgium, and we’ll be going before the peak of the summer travel season, when things tend to be quieter and more laid-back. And did we mention that we’ll be in Amsterdam at the height of the Tulip Festival???? It promises to be stunningly colorful. The pace of this trip is relaxed and unhurried and offers a chance to more deeply appreciate our beautiful surroundings.

We’re starting and ending this trip in Amsterdam, and will be arranging rail transfer for everyone to get to and from the embarkation and debarkation points. If it makes more sense for you to fly in/out of a different European city, it’s likely there are easy and affordable rail connections, so let us help you figure that out.

ACTIVITY LEVEL: RELAXED

- MUST BE ABLE TO HANDLE YOUR OWN LUGGAGE -- LOADING ON AND OFF TRAINS, LIFTING ONTO OVERHEAD RACKS
- MUST BE ABLE TO WALK THE EQUIVALENT OF A FEW CITY BLOCKS WITH LUGGAGE
- MUST BE ABLE TO NEGOTIATE A FLIGHT OF STAIRS
(For those looking for a more energetic level of activity this trip offers the opportunity to hike/bike/jog the footpaths along the canal, so you can get in a daily workout if you choose.)

ITINERARY:

April 16: Arrive in Amsterdam. Hotel overnight

April 17: For those interested, we can organize an optional morning visit to Keukenhof Gardens to see the impressive tulip displays. Then we’ll take the afternoon Eurostar to Antwerp, transfer to Ghent, and board our boat, for welcome cocktails and a boat tour of Ghent. Evening musical festivities with Jon Langford.

April18: This morning, join us for a guided tour of Bruges and a visit to a local brewery. The city has meticulously preserved the elegance and class it exuded during its golden age as a maritime trade center. We'll then visit a brewery for a taste of ale. This brewery was founded in 1856. Six generations later, it is a dynamic brewery still attached to its origins and the authentic Brugse Zot. After returning to the boat we'll glide along the Scheldt from Ghent to Oudenaarde, surrounded by the magnificent scenery of several natural parks. We'll arrive in Oudenaarde in the early evening, tie up and remain in port overnight

April 19: This morning we’ll take a guided tour of Oudenaarde and a distillery. Oudenaarde is a picturesque city full of historic monuments, with the most notable being the town hall and its two main churches. Other memorable sites include the lovely beguinage, the house where Margaret of Parma was born, the Boudewijnstoren, and the 18th-century meat market. Enjoy some free time on your own to see what the city has to offer. We’ll then head over to a distillery. This will be the time to learn about how jenever, gin, and whiskey are distilled. Of course, we'll have a taste! After we return on board, our ship will continue cruising to Péronnes-lez-Antoing. Take advantage of some downtime to relax on the Sun Deck and watch the scenery roll by. We'll cross through the city of Tournai before arriving in Péronnes-lez-Antoing in the early evening. If you'd like, you can work off dinner during an evening stroll. We'll remain in port overnight.

April 20: We'll spend the morning cruising on the Nimy-Blaton-Péronnes Canal, a strategic waterway in the center of Belgium. We'll arrive in Mons at the beginning of the afternoon. We'll head over to the Château de Beloeil—nicknamed the Belgian Versailles—which contains a valuable collection of 15th- to 19th-century art, including a library with more than 20,000 books and precious manuscripts. We'll continue on to the Chant d’Éole estate vineyard where they use the best modern techniques to guarantee a sparkling wine that adheres to Belgian tradition. We'll take a guided tour recounting the vineyard's history and finish up with a tasting of three signature spirits—the Brut Blanc de Blancs, the Rosé Brut, and the Elixir Saint-Georges. We'll return to Mons and remain in port overnight.

April 21: Join us for a food tour in Mons this morning. Few cities can boast about their heritage like Mons can. Our guide will take us to the center of Mons to learn about the city's history and edible delights. This stroll is a combination of history, culture, and anecdotes accented by a tasting of four local specialties. We'll return to the ship for lunch. This afternoon, we'll cruise on Canal du Centre to Strépy-Thieu. We'll remain in port overnight.

April 22: Get ready for a once-in-a-lifetime experience as our barge takes a boat lift. Using two independent caissons, the lift allows a crossing in less than 35 minutes with a 240-foot height difference (75 m) and single-handedly replaced four former boat lifts and two locks. We'll continue our trip on the Brussels-Charleroi Canal to the monumental Ronquières Inclined Plane, built between 1960 and 1968. Construction of the plane reduced delays caused by the 14 previous locks. In the afternoon, we'll take a coach to Brussels for a guided tour of the city and a Belgian chocolate maker's workshop. We'll set off for the Belgian capital. In the city center, we'll see the Grand-Place with its. We’ll return on board the ship in Halle. Tonight is our festive gala evening.

April 23: In the morning we disembark the boat and take the Eurostar back to Amsterdam. Hotel overnight.

April 24: Departure Day

Accommodations on board: Cabins on board are all doubles – 2 single beds, so no climbing into upper bunks. Each cabin has its own toilet and shower facilities. Because space on board is so limited, we will have only a few opportunities for solo occupancy at a premium. Solo travelers will be paired with a similarly-gendered roommate (you’re welcome to recruit a travel buddy to be your roommate).

Accommodations in Amsterdam: All hotel rooms will be either double occupancy for couples, single occupancy for solo traveler, or double occupancy/2 beds for those traveling with a friend.

What’s included:

- 2 hotel overnights in Amsterdam
- Rail fare Amsterdam to Ghent and Brussels to Amsterdam
- All meals on board the boat
- Off-boat excursions (unless noted otherwise)
- Access to all boat facilities – hot tub, bicycles, sun chairs etc.

What’s not included:

- Flights to and from Amsterdam
- Meals off the boat
- Airport transfers
- Gratuities for hotel and boat crew (we’ll provide suggested guidelines)

Pricing:
$4789: Per person, double occupancy on boat, solo occupancy in Paris hotels
$5789: Per person, solo occupancy on boat and in hotels

TO PURCHASE:

Pay in full for maximum savings! 2% discount! It makes our life much easier if trips are paid in full, and we pass the savings in time and bookkeeping on to you.

Per person Pay In Full: $4693.22

Per person solo occupancy Pay in Full: $5673.22  SOLD OUT

OR

If you'd rather pay a deposit to hold your space(s): $500.00 per person deposit
THEN, Within 30 days of deposit, settle your remaining balance or set up a convenient interest-free monthly credit card draw by contacting Sarah at sarah@rootsontherails.com or 802-258-1397.

Credit cards (Visa, MC, Amex, Discover) and checks accepted. Payment plans at no additional charge are happily accommodated. Payment plan must be agreed upon and set up within 30 days of sign-up. Deposits, whether paid separately or as part of a full payment up front, are non-refundable. Liability release signature required.

TRAVEL INSURANCE 

Since the advent of Covid-19, and its impact upon travel, we feel purchasing travel insurance has gone from wise precaution to fiscal necessity. Going forward, we are strongly suggesting that all patrons carry trip insurance that provides, at a minimum, coverage for the following:

 Cancellation for Covid-19 illness

 Trip Cancellation

 Trip Interruption

 Cancel for Medical Reasons

 Medical Coverage for Covid-19 (often included under Emergency Medical Care)

 Emergency medical care

 Medical Evacuation

You may purchase travel insurance through any company you choose, and we advise checking the coverage on the credit card you used to secure your booking with us -- often there are travel protections built in to your user agreement. If you're unclear on where to begin your travel insurance search, we can suggest looking at products such as AXA USA Assistance Silver or Nationwide Essential which provide robust coverage for all those items at a very fair price. Both of those products (and many more) can be purchased through our affiliate, Squaremouth. Because travel insurance is such a highly personalized product, when you click on the link and are directed to the Squaremouth landing page and the "Compare and Buy Travel Insurance" calculator, you’ll have to enter your own demographic information – age, state of residence etc. -- after which you'll be presented with a number of options to consider. Among them will be the AXA and the Nationwide products. You are certainly not limited to those two products – we are merely outlining the elements of coverage that we are strongly suggesting going forward and a convenient way to access them. If you purchase the policy through that link to Squaremouth it does not cost you anything more than purchasing the product directly from the vendor, but we do receive a small commission.

THE FINE PRINT

Our customers are extremely important to us, and when travel disruptions occur, we are committed to working with you to minimize the financial impact. In the event that you need to cancel a trip for whatever reason, we will work with you to try and find a buyer for the space you are needing to give up. Often this works out well for all: the person needing to cancel recovers most, if not all, of their investment, and a person who might have been on a waiting list gets to go on the trip - however, there are no guarantees.

We understand that the new realities of travel are such that we need to be more flexible than ever before. We are also an extremely small business with many fixed costs that can't always be recovered if a trip needs to be postponed or cancelled due to health and safety concerns. We will be completely transparent if a scheduled trip looks like it needs to be adjusted in any way that might impact your enjoyment of the experience. Please read through our cancellation policy carefully and feel free to reach out to us with any questions or concerns.

Cancellation policy: Deposits, whether paid separately or as part of a full payment up front, are non-refundable. Outside of deposit and credit card fees, full refund will be given up until 90 days prior to start of trip. 50% refund 60-89 days. No refund less than 60 days prior to start of trip. Reservations are fully transferable to another person.The payment of a deposit or any part or full payment for a reservation shall constitute consent to all the provisions contained herein.

Roots, Rails, and Rambles shall not be held responsible for property loss or damage and/or any damages resulting from illness, personal injuries or death which may be sustained by reason of, or while engaged on, any trip or tour whether due to the ownership, maintenance, use, operation or control of any vehicle, hotel, common carrier or any other conveyance used in carrying out these tours. We can assume no liability due to any cause whatsoever whether caused by failure or delay or other irregularity, acts or omissions occurring during a tour under which the means of transportation or other service thereby is offered or supplied by owners, operators or public carriers for whom Roots, Rails, and Rambles acts only as agent. Roots, Rails, and Rambles reserves the right (at its discretion) to alter or omit any part of the itinerary, or change any reservation, feature and/or means of conveyance without notice or for any reason whatsoever and without allowance or refund and with extra costs, if any, resulting therefrom paid by the passengers. We reserve the right to cancel any tour prior to departure, in which case payment will be refunded without further obligation on our part. Roots, Rails, and Rambles shall not be responsible for any injury to person (whether or not resulting in death) or damage to property.

Baggage is at the owner's risk entirely. The transportation companies concerned are not to be held responsible for any act, omission or event during the time passengers are not aboard their carriers or conveyances. The passenger contract in use by the carriers concerned (when issued) shall constitute the sole contract between the transportation companies and the purchaser of these tours and/or passage. By accepting the ticket the passenger also agrees to its terms and conditions. By forwarding of deposit, the passenger certifies that he/she does not have any mental, physical or other condition or disability that would create a hazard for him/herself or other passengers. Roots, Rails, and Rambles reserves the right to cancel or withdraw any person as a member of the tour at any time. Roots, Rails, and Rambles reserves the right to refuse service to anyone whom it considers incompatible with the best interests of its services or its guests.