MERKSPLAS AND TURNHOUTS FEN AREA

To kick off the cycling season of 2025, a short, relaxing ride of about 30 kilometers in the countryside is recommended. We head to the Noorderkempen in Antwerp province. We cycle from Merksplas to the Turnhout Fen Area for a fun ride where agriculture and nature alternate.

We start from the free parking lot at the Church Square by the St. Willibrordus Church in the center of Merksplas. From there, we look for the junctions for a rural route.

At junction 3, we reach the Bels Lijntje. It is car-free cycling on the bed of this former railway line. This leads us into the Turnhout Fen Area, a nature reserve.

We approach the border with the Netherlands and come across several information boards referring to the Death Wire. It was an electric barrier (2,000 volts) put in place by the Germans during World War I along the border line between Belgium and the Netherlands. At Weelde Station, we notice two reconstructed trusses of the former train station.

We briefly cross into the Netherlands to Zondereigen, which belongs to the Belgian municipality of Baarle-Hertog. We stop for a moment at a reconstruction of the Death Wire with Switching House. Then we arrive at the White Stone at the junction point of the municipalities of Baarle-Hertog, Hoogstraten (Wortel), and Merksplas.

Wooded and rural areas alternate on the way towards Wortel-Colony, where you can take a break at the Visitor Center De Klapekster of Natuurpunt. After that, we roll back to the center of Merksplas.

Signposting: cycle from the Church Square to Kerkstraat, then after a while turn right onto Looiweg and follow the junctions: 13-3-5-87-8-99-10-31-7-13 to Kerkstraat and then again towards the center of Merksplas.

Read the detailed report in ‘Fietsen Moet Kunnen’ issue 150 (March 2025).