Knesselare is located in the lovely Meetjesland. This district of Aalter was once known for its cigar production and the laughing Indian in its advertisements.

The rural Knesselare has a population of 8,000. Alongside forests, you can find the military domain with an airfield. You walk through the hamlets of Driepikkel and Westvoorde, with the Drongengoed forest in the background. Enjoy the cuesta landscape along the way. Following slow roads and lovely shortcuts, you will reach the village center again. Here, the Cogétama cigars were made, with a Native American as the advertising mascot. You can read more about it on the information panels at De Plaats, where the walking tour starts. Also, take a moment to enter the Sint-Willibrordus parish church nearby. Knesselare owes its name to 'clesse' or clover, a moisture-loving plant. Once, it was a marshy, inhospitable area.

The route 

Start at café-restaurant 'De Litanie' and then turn right towards Hellestraat (direction Beernem). Cross the street at X De Plaats/Hellestraat. Then go right until X Hellestraat/Kwadamstraat. Continue through Kwadamstraat. At the next X, turn left onto Hemelrijkstraat. Follow this until you see the playground 'Hemelrijk' on your right. Just before that, you will see cycling junction 93 on your right. Along the path in the playground, walk until you reach a wall where you see several information panels. Be sure to take the time to look at them; you will read more about Knesselare.

Continue along the path towards the daycare center (former offices of the cigar factory). At the gate, cross the street (zebra crossing) and then turn left towards the church. At X Kerkstraat/Looierijstraat, turn right. Follow Looierijstraat until the next X. There you will see (on the left) in the street the remains of a mill tower.

At X Looierijstraat/Aalterseweg, turn left towards the Klavertje Vier school. Cross the zebra crossing, continue left towards X Aalterseweg/Urselseweg (N337). Here turn right (footpath). Follow until the next X Urselseweg/Knokkebaan (N44), cross the N44 at the traffic lights and immediately turn right, follow the footpath for 200 m, then take the next exit to Kleine Kapellestraat until the next X (Chapel OLV Voorspraak). Cross X and then take the Driesstraat. Walk one km further to Driepikkel (left of the road). At the end of Driepikkel, turn left and follow the Aardenburgse Heerweg. You will see the Koningsbos in the distance. At the end, cross Urselseweg (N461). Continue along Westvoordestraat (junction 5) until you reach a lane (left side), Zandekensstraat with a view of Drongengoed forest, which you take left. Follow this until T-junction. Continue along Zandekensstraat until the next X. Here, take Waterstraat left and follow it to the traffic lights. Cross N44, then left and immediately turn into Maldegemseweg. Follow this until the first street on the right, Heilige