Home - Belleave

“LEAVE – PERCEIVE – EXPLORE – INSPIRE”

Who are we?

We are Lisa and Glenn, two passionated ‘outdoor people’ who love adventure. Whether it is short or long, in winter or summer, by bike or on foot… Being outdoors and discovering new places makes us happy!

In the past, we have already made many adventures together. However, our biggest challenge starts now: a long journey by bicycle through various beautiful pieces of landscape that our Earth is rich. On top, we want to immerse ourselves in different cultures and enrich ourselves with experiences that you can only experience when you travel slowly, consciously and on your own power!

belleave.be

10 days ago, the owners of our Huskylodge left wit

10 days ago, the owners of our Huskylodge left with 50 dogs and 5 guests. Since then, we have 24/7 responsibility about everything what’s going on the farm. Busy days, exciting times and nice moments. Time to share a short update!

Winterwalk in style 🎿🥾🐾❄️ 🇳🇴 W

Winterwalk in style 🎿🥾🐾❄️ 🇳🇴

We went out for some fun. Just started at the gate of our farm, and took some time to discover a tiny piece of the area around us. With the snow, you can just go everywhere which is very nice to explore but can also be challenging since we are still in mountainous Norway.

And we were in a good company of Atlas the (little) huskydog who kept us going, even trough the deep snow. Little puppies are becoming big boys!

9 pups and a yard full of snow to explore ❄️

9 pups and a yard full of snow to explore ❄️

Running and playing time for the dogs, workout for us. Lots of fun to work with them! 🐾

The last 4 weeks, we have been on a holiday to Bel

The last 4 weeks, we have been on a holiday to Belgium. Our agenda was full of meetings with friends and family which was exhausting and warming at the same time. Thank you all for the support, nice talks, delicious meals, refreshing walks and warmth! 🥰

Who let the dog’s out?! This time it was us. 🐾

Staying at the Huskylodge already gave us the opportunity to go out with these amazingly strong dogs. The preparation and start caused an adrenaline rush we had never felt before, but standing on the cart and cruising trough this beautiful valley made us relaxed again. Steering a cart with the power of only 7 dogs is an amazing feeling! 💪 🐕

We reached our winterbreak destination! ❄️🐾

We reached our winterbreak destination! ❄️🐾 🛷 🇳🇴

Exactly 17 months ago we left Belgium on the bike heading south, to arrive now at our winter break destination up north. Definitely not the shortest and most direct way but a great adventure!

The last 950km were a real challenge but the reward all the greater. In the north, winter starts a bit earlier and we clearly felt it. While the daily temperature remained below freezing, with an extreme of -16°C on the bike, the landscape and surroundings also turned into a winter wonderland with plenty of new discoveries. It became a physical and mental challenge, where being on the road was no longer always pleasant, but where neither of us wanted to give up. Long live the stubbornness of wanting to achieve as much as possible on human power!

We are now at the start of a different type of lifestyle and experience on the husky farm in Norway. During the coming winter months, we will swap our trusty two-wheelers for enthusiastic four-legged friends and will help to take care of and handle the dogs and guide husky tours. We will already get a brief introduction in the coming days, but before we really start working, it is time for a few weeks of unwinding while visiting Belgium.

Keep following us to find out how we experienced travelling through Scandinavia the last months, how we will experience life as husky handlers and to find out what's coming next spring, because we are not done yet! 😘

Fast forward to where we woke up this morning ⏩❄️

Since we crossed the arctic circle last week, the temperatures dropped immensely and winter really arrived up north. To be honest, a little bit earlier than we expected. Though this frozen world looks incredibly beautiful and peaceful!

Waking up with temperatures of -12°C and day temperatures that barely reach dew point asks a lot of energy. We have to make sure we keep ourselves warm, that we drink and eat enough, make sure we have a water supply now and then before everything gots frozen, to look after each other.. We are busy and moving the whole day. The sleeping bag is mostly the only moment when we can really sit and rest.

Fulfilling our basic needs and make sure we feel as comfortable as possible asks so much energy and time, that we will shut down our socials for a while so we can focus on our own bodies. But we both feel nice and fine with our current situation!

It’s two more weeks till we will reach our destination in Norway for our winterbreak, and we are both convinced that we can make it. So see you there! 💪

Visiting Finland’s northernmost rock paintings a

Visiting Finland’s northernmost rock paintings and largest canyon on a two-day hike in Hossa National Park.

2 days, 50km hiking, lots of lakes, lots of forest, beautiful views, wetland, reindeer, sleeping in the shelter, solitude and serenity... and so much more!
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#Belleave #TripleC #visitfinland #hiking #microadventures #hossa #hossakansallispuisto #hossanationalpark #julmaölkky #visithossa #landofnationalparks #luontoonfi #finnishparks #wildtaiga

How a day of cycling through ‘Alutaguse National

How a day of cycling through ‘Alutaguse National Park’ in Estonia looks like?
We’d love to take you on a kick and share our day! 🚴‍♂️🚴🏼‍♀️
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#Belleave #TripleC #visitestonia #natureofestonia #adventurebybike #worldbycycling #cyclingeurope #worldbybike34 #mysantos #bikewander @santosbikesnl

Only one husky dog is pictured with Glenn, but for

Only one husky dog is pictured with Glenn, but for this coming winter we will be accompanied by as many as 63 husky dogs!

Cycling in the north has its limitations during the winter months, and we like to turn that limitation into a new challenge: spending the winter above the Arctic Circle, while working at the Bardu Huskylodge. A husky farm specialised in multi-day husky treks. A completely new challenge on several levels!

From December, you can find us in arctic Norway among all the dogs and snow. We have no experience with dogs, mushing and the Scandinavian winter yet, but we will gradually learn that by doing. The cold, snow and darkness will be a big challenge, but we really look forward to it!

#Belleave #TripleC #barduhuskylodge #ursaminoradventures #mushinglife #doghandling #alaskanhuskies #dogsledding #dogsleddingnorway #lifeabovethearticcircle #bardufoss #winteradventure #scandinavianwinter #adventureneverends #adventurelife #friluftsliv #huskyfarm @ursaminoradventures

A final mini-photo drop of Estonia. A country of

A final mini-photo drop of Estonia.

A country of which we had no expectations ourselves, but which was stimulated by stories of other travellers we met on the road. A country that surprised us in its own way, that gave us the feeling of being a little bit in Scandinavia already, that taught us to try to travel even slower and discover more, a country where the people are nevertheless slightly more reserved but helpful and friendly when you need them, a country with a rich 'nature culture'. In short, a country we like!

🗓 Total: 2️⃣7️⃣ days
🚲 By bike: 1️⃣3️⃣ days
👣 On foot: 6️⃣ days
🔨 Volunteering: 6️⃣ days
🌆 City trip Tallinn: 2️⃣ days

🚲 ➡️ 777 km
👣 ➡️ 117 km

☔️ Number of rainy days on bike: 7️⃣
👙 Number of jumps in a lake or bog: 🔟
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#Belleave #TripleC #Visitestonia #Travelestonia #Natureofestonia #cyclingestonia #hikingestonia #worldbybike34 #veloweltweit #adventurelife #travelbybike #cyclingadventures #pedalforever #cyclingeurope #longdistancecycling

Hiking once again gave us time to look around more

Hiking once again gave us time to look around more closely and appreciate the richness of nature even more. We learnt to recognise different edible mushrooms such as chanterelles, porcini mushrooms and yellow birch rusulla. We also tried, successfully, to make fire with our firesteel and test using different natural materials. The feeling of being able to make a campfire with a small spark is powerful and gives us even more connection to the natural world around us.

There is still so much to learn about the nature around us and how we can see and use it in different ways. A tip of the iceberg we are eager to explore deeper in the coming months!
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#Belleave #TripleC #visitestonia #RMK #RMKhiking #Matkatee #hikinglife #exploringonfoot #humanpower #mushroompicking #berrypicking #natureprovides #porcini #lifeisgoodoutside #friluftsliv

Ouanda-Aegvidu-Ikla trail, a mouthful of sounds to

Ouanda-Aegvidu-Ikla trail, a mouthful of sounds to describe a long-distance route connecting the north and west coasts of Estonia. The ideal place to head out on foot!

We walked a section of this route, from Ardu to Võsu. While we were regularly treated to some rain showers on the bike, it remained almost dry and even surprisingly warm during these 6 days.

The trail runs through a succession of natural areas, right through different types of forests, heathland, bogs and lakes. Not all connection sections were equally beautiful but the diverse Estonian nature made it worthwhile every time.
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#Belleave #TripleC #rmk #matkatee #hikingestonia #visitestonia #hikinglife #trekking #lifeonfoot #friluftsliv #outsideisfree #iklaoandu

Visiting the northernmost tip of Estonia, that sou

Visiting the northernmost tip of Estonia, that sounds like a fun challenge!

If you look at the map, you will see that in north-eastern Estonia there are several peninsulas with the northernmost point being Purekarri cape. We not only visited this cape, but also took a short diversions to visit the two neighbouring peninsulas.

The weather was changing very fast, mosquitoes were visiting, the wind was picking up, the sun came out, a sudden heavy downpour... It turned into some challenging days where we were able to enjoy the views of the Bay of Finland and the Baltic Sea, and were happy to take shelter in the forest or in the educational forest museum.
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#Belleave #TripleC #purekkari #visitestonia #natureofestonia #balticsea #cyclingatthesea #laheemanationalpark #laheema #bicycleworldstyle #cycletouring #cyclingcouple #worldbybike34 #santosbikesnl #ridetriple2 #mysantos @santosbikesnl @ortlieb_waterproof @triple2_cycling @komoot

The nice thing about cycling through Estonia is th

The nice thing about cycling through Estonia is that we regularly have the opportunity to give the bike a rest while we use our walking legs on the many 'studytrails' available and explore even a little bit slower.

'Studytrails' are short (800m) to medium (5km) walks that take you into the wonderful world of Estonian nature using information boards. Via small trails and wooden plank through giant bogs, ancient forests, around (peat) lakes and waterfalls. Time after time, it was an enjoyable way to explore a little better and more deeply and learn more about the nature that surrounds us.
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#Belleave #TripleC #visitestonia #RMK #loodusegakoos #studytrail #bogwalking #swamps #bogs #friluftsliv #connectingwithnature

How we prepare our rainjackets for upcoming autumn

How we prepare our rainjackets for upcoming autumn and rainshowers 🌧️🍂

None of the products in the video are sponsored, but we are happy to share our tips and advice.
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@nikwax.benelux @nikwax @mammut_swiss1862 @paramooutdoor

As a guideline for our trip across Estonia, we reg

As a guideline for our trip across Estonia, we regularly cycled on RMK hiking trails. In the far north-east, for instance, we followed a section of the Penijõe-Aegviidu-Kauksi hiking route. Often these routes are on nicely drivable roads while indicating a cycling alternative if needed.

However, it can also happen that you end up on a more challenging stretch, where the heavy rain has completely flooded the sandy ground, you suddenly find yourself in the middle of a bog and have to find a way out along the railway. Fun but quite challenging at times!
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#Belleave #TripleC #bicycleworldstyle #cycletouring #cyclingcouple #worldbybike34 #santosbikesnl #ridetriple2 #veloweltweit #offroadcycling #adventurecycling #mysantos @santosbikesnl @ortlieb_waterproof @triple2_cycling @komoot

Do you dare to jump into a black body of water? I

Do you dare to jump into a black body of water?

In Sooma National Park, we had the chance to swim in a bog. Quite a scary feeling because all you see is a pitch-black surface so you cannot estimate at all how deep the water is. The water itself feels slightly 'heavier' to swim in, but what an environment and experience. All we hear is the sound of the wind and the swamp!

"Soomaa National Park consists of vast bogs surrounded by forests, rivers, floodplains and flower-filled forest meadows. A place where you can enjoy the silence and beauty of pristine nature." We found this description through official channels, and we have to be honest, it's true!
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#Belleave #TripleC #Visitestonia #soomanationalpark #soomaa #bog #wildswimming #bogswimming #outsideisfree #travelbybike #friluftsliv #skinnydipping

Estonia, a country that does not immediately appea

Estonia, a country that does not immediately appear in Belgium's top holiday destinations. However, as much as half of the country is covered by forest, the population is only about 2 million and it has a rich and diverse flora and fauna. Time to explore this unknown gem for ourselves over the next month.

For the first part of our trip, we will follow the Ikla - Ouanda trekking route. You read it right, a walking route but, apart from a few stretches, also perfectly feasible for cycling. There are no crowds here at all and most of the time we cycle all alone on a gravel road through the forest or countryside, through villages as small as a few houses. Spending the night is possible at the RMK camping sites, which often have a fire pit, shelter and dry toilet in addition to space for a tent. What a luxury!
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#Belleave #TripleC #visitestonia #rmk #loodusegakoos #oanduaegviiduikla #natureofestonia #adventurebybike #worldbycycling #cyclingeurope #worldbybike34 #santosbikesnl #bikewander @santosbikesnl @ortlieb_waterproof @triple2_cycling @komoot

Latvia, the middle brother of the Baltic states. F

Latvia, the middle brother of the Baltic states. For us, Latvia was mainly touring through the countryside, spotting a surprising amount of wildlife, avoiding washboard roads, putting on the rain jacket regularly, inaccessible lakes (private signs and dense vegetation) and racing on the Greenways.

In a nutshell:
🗓️ 9 days on the bike
➡️ 🚲 586 km
⬆️ ⛰ 2635 hm
🤑 Average spending of 16,87 euro/day
🤓 Wildlife spotted: cranes, beavers, fox and deer
☔️ Rainy cycling days: 4 out of 9

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Statistics

476

Days on the road

17326

Cycled distance (km)

24

Number of countries

248

Nights in tent

183

Nights with locals

109

Longest day (km)

176776

Total altimeters (m)

1477

Maximum altimeters in 1 day

476

Days on the road

17326

Cycled distance (km)

24

Number of countries