On our outward travel day we make a mid-morning crossing by Eurotunnel and get in the celebratory mood with a lunch stop at the Micro-Brewery Thiriez, about 45 minutes outside Calais. From here it’s about another two hours in the coach to our hotel in La Louvière where we can relax over supper.

Next morning we make the short transfer to Ronquières where we board our cruiser and begin our waterway adventure by taking the 1km inclined plane which lifts the canal by 63m. We then follow the Brussels-Charleroi Canal southwards to its junction with the Belgian Canal du Centre where we moor just before reaching the great boat lift at Strépy-Thieu, which we can look forward to tackling next year! After lunch aboard we return to our hotel where Cheryl will offer an afternoon sampling of some of the finest regional beers. Then at 6pm we board the coach to spend a free evening enjoying all the festivities in Mons, where the Christmas Market will still be in full swing and we can join the city in celebrating the arrival of the New Year. The coach will remain in Mons for a 00:30 departure back to the hotel. Mons is home to one of the finest of the great European Christmas Markets. “Mons Coeur en Neige” includes a Christmas village, a giant ice rink, a craftsmen’s market, parades and entertainment all centred in the spectacularly lit Grand Place, and of course there is a wide choice of restaurants, bars and food stands to make sure no-one goes hungry or thirsty .

Come New Year’s Day morning we allow ourselves a late breakfast and then we depart at 10:30 for the wonderful Pairi Daiza “Gardens of the World”. Set in 150 acres of sheltered grounds surrounding the site of an old Cistercian Abbey, Pairi Daiza offers an endless wander through the gardens and wildlife of Australia, Indonesia, the Tropics, China, Africa and the far North. The Giant Pandas and White Tigers may be the crowd pullers, but they are just some of the highlights of a great day out. The gardens and parkland setting are no less spectacular, highlighted by a collection of 300 year-old London Plane trees. Our day will begin with a guided introduction and a ride across the park on its full-scale steam train before we enjoy lunch in the Park’s own micro-brewery!

For the rest of the day we are free to explore, and aside from the micro-brewery there are many other places on site where you can find refreshments, including an authentic Shanghai tea house and the Oasis Restaurant which offers the novel experience of savouring a coffee in the company of the animals and birds! From Pairi Daiza we return to the hotel for our supper, with more local beers to whet the appetite.

Next morning it’s back to Strépy where the great boat lift lowers us by 73m for our onward cruise through to Mons. We then make a visit to a local micro-brewery before returning to hotel for a celebration supper with more local beers to sample under Cheryl’s expert guidance!

For travel home day there is time to enjoy a leisurely breakfast before we set-off for Calais, where we will break for a couple of hours at the Cite-Europe complex before our late-afternoon Eurotunnel crossing.

Cruising Mons-Ronquières staying at the Hotel Orange La Louvière

Coach pick-ups code B for Eurotunnel crossing at 10:20 for arrival in Calais 12:00 local time.

Lunch at Micro-brewery Thiriez, Esquelbecq, onwards for hotel check-in by 17:30.

Dinner in hotel

EMBARK: Ronquières 10:00

DISEMBARK: Asçenseur Strépy-Thieu 13:30

KM/LOCKS: 13/2 & boat lift

LUNCH: On board

EXCURSION: Afternoon presentation of local beers in hotel.  Transfer into Mons for free evening and to see in the New Year

DINNER: Not included today

HOTEL ETD/ETA: 09:30/14:00, 18:00/01:00

Late breakfast followed by day visit to Pairi Daiza Park 11:00-16:30.

Guided tour and steam train on arrival. Lunch in the Micro-Brewery restaurant and free afternoon to view the animals and birds.

DINNER: Hotel

HOTEL ETD/ETA: 10:30-17:00

EMBARK: Strépy-Thieu 09:30

DISEMBARK: Mons 13:30

KM/LOCKS: 21/0 & inclined plane

LUNCH: On Board

EXCURSION: Micro-Brewery visit in Mons

DINNER: Hotel

HOTEL ETD/ETA: 09:00/17:00

Coach departs hotel at 10:00. Lunch-break at Cite-Europe Calais 13:00-15:00.

Planned return Eurotunnel crossing at 17:20 for 17:00 UK time disembarkation in Folkestone

HOTEL ETD/ETA: ETD 10:00

• Executive Coach Travel
• Eurotunnel Crossings
• Lunch at the Micro-Brewery Thiriez on outward travel day
• Hotel stay (4 nights) at the 3* Hotel Orange La Louvière with continental breakfast
• Two days of cruising the 34km of waterway between Mons and Ronquières
• Passage through the Strépy-Thieu Boat-Lift, and Ronquières Inclined Plane
• Lunch on board on the two cruise days, with complimentary bar
• Evening Meals in hotel (except on one evening when seeing in New Year)
• Beer tastings and presentations, and beer/wine with all hotel dinners
• Day excursion to Pairi Daiza Park, including lunch and micro-brewery visit
• Free Time in Mons for the Christmas market
• Visit to Cite-Europe in Calais on travel-home day
• Tour Manager Services

Guests Should Please Budget separately for:

• Travel to or from their chosen coach pick-up point
• Any overnight accommodation required in UK preceding or following our coach transfer
• Dinner on the New Year’s Eve when we are free at the Mons Christmas Market.
• Lunch at Cite-Europe on return travel day
• Travel and Health Insurance

Our guide and companion throughout the trip, Cheryl is a qualified Beer Sommelier, a Beer Professional Education Trainer (BPET) and CAMRA trainer. Cheryl’s love of food & drink has also led to her recently qualifying with the Academy of Cheese as a full Member. Cheryl’s talents do not end there, she is a qualified tutor in Art, History, Food Technology & British Sign Language.

Cheryl’s passion for history, food and drink has attracted awards for her tours which makes her the ideal partner for backwaters’ own award-winning model of tour & cruise. Cheryl has also been a judge for CAMRA, SIBA, International Beer Competition (IBC), London Beer Competition (LBC) and World Beer Awards (WBA).

The planned pick-up sequence for this departure is:

O2 Arena (North Greenwich Station) 06:20

Medway Services 07:00

Maidstone Services 07:20

Ashford International Station 07:50

Stop 24 Services Folkestone 08:30

Eurotunnel Crossing at or close to 10:20

Guests will be asked to signal their preferred pick-up point on booking and this will be confirmed and subject to detailed instructions when tickets are issued. It may be possible to arrange additional pick-up points for guests travelling as a group of 10 or more. Please raise this on booking for further consideration.

Return journey set-downs will match the outward pick-up sequence.

Guests travelling from distance may wish to book into the Travelodge Ashford Town Centre, which is around 400m from our pick-up point at Ashford International station.

Guests wishing to join the tour in La Louvière will be welcome to do so. There are no changes to the tour price in this event.

The 3* Hotel Orange is a modern convenience hotel situated around 25km from Mons and close to the mid-point of our cruise route. The hotel has all facilities and conveniences to be expected of a mid-range hotel and scores very well on Trip Advisor where of 334 reviews, no less than 327 rate the hotel “excellent” or “very good”.

Guests are assured that both our cruise boat and the hotels and restaurants we use will be compliant with all precautions in force when these tours/cruises take place.

Three months prior to travel, guests will be invited to confirm their booking, at which point a deposit will be requested. Balancing payments will then be requested from guests one month prior to travel.

To make a provisional booking for this or any other departure please call Backwaters on +44 (0)1303 316116 or email carolinep@backwaters.tours

Our boat is hybrid-engined and charges overnight from shore supply so you can expect to cruise-electric throughout your holiday, free of vibration and fumes.

The boat has been designed to comfortably accommodate up to 49 passengers in observation lounge comfort and there is additional seating outside for those wanting to take in the views and fresh air. The boat has two WC/washrooms and a galley serving hot and cold drinks, and there is a free bar serving beers and wines. There is no smoking on board.