Geraardsbergen / Grammont

Altitude: 14-110m/45-360ft

Population: 30,000

Geraardsbergen (French Grammont) lies in the hilly countryside of the Flemish Ardennes on the Dender, close to the border. The town, which received its charter as early as 1068, had a flourishing textile industry. The highest point of Geraardsberg is the 110m/360ft-high Oudenberg, which, on account of its steep cobblestone incline, is known to cyclists as "The Geraardsberg Wall" and is the most difficult stretch of the Tour de Flandres.