Here we are in Flanders Region, ready to begin a unique adventure: cycling in Limburg.
Ride through enchanting landscapes, works of art, quaint towns and cultural heritage while discovering local gastronomy. How many times have you heard this invitation to discover an area by bike?
But have you ever been invited to ride through trees? What about looking through a church? You read correctly. Not “inside a church,” but “through.”
We bet very few times. For this reason, the time has come to discover Limburg, the eastern region of Flanders, west of the Meuse River. Bordering the Netherlands, it laps the provinces of Liège to the south, Flemish Brabant to the west and Antwerp to the northwest. Its most important city is Hasselt, a creative hub with several museums, eccentric street art and irresistible boutiques in addition to being surrounded by green streets, wide grasslands and river valleys.
What is Limburg like?
Limburg’s landscape is rolling, relaxing, dotted with castles, mining sites converted into attractions and farms. Grasslands, bodies of water and rivers enrich the basket of ingredients that make this region so fascinating.
But not only that. The northern part is characterized by lush forests, while in eastern Limburg, where the Meuse River forms the landscape, ancient villages and water-rich landscapes follow one another. To the south, however, is Haspengouw, the fruit region. When the fruit trees are in bloom, cyclists and hikers are enveloped in clouds of flowers as toward summer the trees are filled with colorful, juicy fruit for picking.
Artistic inspirations and unique places to ride
We said that in Limburg it is possible to look through a church. But what is it all about? We are talking about a work of art that dialogues with the place in which it is placed. A church that allows views through its structure. It’s called Reading between the lines and is located in the Haspengouw region (the fruit region, to be clear), where the architecture plays with the landscape. Created by Gijs Van Vaerenbergh, a duo of Belgian architects (Pieterjan Gijs and Arnout Van Vaerenbergh), Reading between the Lines is a 10-meter-high steel plate structure modeled after the shape of a small church in Loon.
Also in the orchard region, it is possible to encounter several contemporary artworks perfectly integrated into nature.
For example, one can climb an installation created by artist Frits Jeuris with dozens of fruit trees felled after a disease. Helsh(ea)ven is in fact a platform from which there is a privileged view of the surrounding landscape.
These two installations are found along the last stretch of the 459 kilometers of the Hilly Route, the one that engages cyclists among the climbs and descents of the southern part of Flanders.
Then there are three unrivaled experiences that give cyclists the opportunity to ride in enchanting, but most importantly, unexpected places. Let’s find out together.
The three unexpected experiences to have by bike in Limburg
In Bokrijk you pedal across the water. One does not have to ford a river, nor is there any diving involved, because a bicycle footbridge has been built to connect the two banks of Bokrijk Pond. The uniqueness of this route lies in the fact that while you are pedaling the water is at eye level, very close.
Trees, height, beauty of nature. Here are the three elements of Cyling through the trees. But in what sense? You pedal 700 meters at a height of 10 meters, right through the treetops. Safely, you find yourself looking down on nature from above, along a double loop that immerses cyclists in the magic of the forest.
A 4-kilometer bicycle path and a 300-meter-long wooden bicycle and pedestrian bridge allow visitors to admire the splendor of the heathland in Belgium’s Hoge Kempen National Park. From the highest point of the bridge you can admire the surrounding landscape.
The park is located on the Kempen Route, 213 kilometers (213 miles) from Antwerp to Maasmechelen, among forests and wide moors, Sahara-like dunes and lakes.
Along this route you can also learn more about the area’s mining past and explore sites such as C-mine. Once a coal mining site, it is now a multifunctional hub immersed in a unique atmosphere of industrial archaeology, where you can admire works of contemporary art or rediscover mining activities by participating in the C-mine expedition, for example.
The Meuse Route
There are as many as 2,000 km of paved, marked, safe and mostly car-free bicycle routes in Limburg, and in addition to the sections of the two iconic routes described above. Those who enjoy the tranquility and magnetism of river landscapes can experience the Meuse Route.
We are along the river that is the border between Belgium and the Netherlands for about 40 kilometers, from Maastricht in the Netherlands to Kessenich in Belgium. There are no cars along its banks, so you can take your time to visit the square in Maaseik or what is considered the most beautiful town in Flanders-Oud-Rekem.
Pedaling, we cross the Maasvallei River Park, a landscape park with a varied landscape, characterized by an intertwining of old river arms, levees, canals and gravelly sands, connected to a few well-defined residential areas and unique ecosystems.
A route that does not have to remain ineluctably on the Flemish shore, because if you want to cross the river, just take the President Willy Claes Ferry at Ophoven-Ohé en Laak. And with a crossing, one can set foot, or rather, wheel, in the territory of the neighboring Dutch.
The Iconic Routes: to know
All of the routes mentioned are rideable both ways and can be divided into stages to suit your ability and time. At flandersbybike you can see how to cross them together and build your own bike trip in Flanders.
