Trappers and Trappists in Westvleteren

Meet at the parking lot of the Sint-Sixtus Abbey in Westvleteren. With the abbey on your left you start, towards junction 70. You cycle past the Sint-Sixtusschool, turn left at the Tjunction and follow the Pottestraat to the crossroads. Turn right towards Woesten and continue until you reach the N321. Turn left towards Oostvleteren and immediately after that into the first street on the right. Cross the Poperingse Vaart and continue cycling through the Kruisboomstraat to junction 70. Continue cycling straight ahead, past eatery 't Vleterhof until junction 71. There too you cycle straight ahead, towards junction 73.

Cross the N8 and continue through the open agricultural landscape. Ignore the Keiweg on the left and turn right at the T-junction and turn left immediately afterwards. You now cycle on a narrow concrete road, ignore the Sperlakenstraat on the right and the Bulskampstraat on the left, and continue between meadows and fields. Leave the Sint-Corynstraat on the left and turn left at junction 73. Follow the Woestenstraat to junction 91. There, choose direction node 5. This street is also called Woestenstraat. Follow the winding road until you reach a priority road. Cross it and cycle via the picturesque Peperstraat to the church of Reninge. Turn right before the church and then left along it until the T-junction.

Turn right, over the dotted line cycle path along a wide road, direction Noordschote. Cross the Landdijkgracht and continue cycling to the center of Noordschote. You drive over the Noordschoteplein, leave the road to Ypres on the right and the church on the left and keep left at the Y-junction. Continue cycling along the dotted line cycle path, along a wide canal to the Driegrachtenbrug. Cross the bridge and turn left until junction 5 on the Ypres to Yser canal. Follow the canal to the right and cycle along De Boot, specialized in ecotourism, to junction 22 at the Knokkebrug. Cross them and you're already at junction 58. Turn left and follow the IJzer, direction junction 59.

Say Margriet

You now cycle along the Yser for a long time and ignore all the side roads that lead to it. Drive under the Reninge bridge and keep following the river. When the Vaartdijk turns away from the IJzer, you slowly cycle away from the water. You cycle past a 'Graag traag' sign, café Den Witten and inn De Hooipiete and arrive at the Lovaart, which flows into the IJzer on the left. Cross the Fintelesluis via the seesaw bridge and you are at junction 59. Turn right, direction junction 55, on the towpath along the Lovaart.

On the left, between the trees, you get a beautiful view of the Machuutmolen of Pollinkhove, popularly called Margrietmolen and on the staff map. This windmill from 1870 is protected as a monument, but is in urgent need of restoration. Ignore the pedestrian bridge on the right and the path on the left and continue cycling to junction 55 at the Kellenaarsbrug. Turn left towards junction 76. You cycle past the agglomeration sign and the church of Pollinkhove and arrive at the end of the Vaartstraat at junction 76. Turn left, direction junction 75. You drive through the Burgweg, ignore all side streets and where the Burgweg turns left, you cycle straight into the Tommestraat. It now continues winding and gently undulating between fields and meadows with here and there a farm and beautiful views. Ignore the side roads. The Tommestraat becomes the Collaertshillestraat and further on you come to the N8. Cross it and continue cycling through the Clepstraat. Then take the first street on the right, still called Clepstraat.

Continue to enjoy the beautiful views in the beautiful rural décor. Ignore the Elzendammestraat on the left and continue cycling to the crossroads with the chapel and junction 75. Behind the chapel, turn left into Ekestraat, direction junction 77. At the intersection you cycle straight ahead and at the T-junction you follow the IJzerstraat to the left. Ignore the Ekestraat on the right and bulb along In den Eik, a picturesque white house from 1864. Continue cycling to the intersection with the chapel with a stepped gable and junction 77. Cross the intersection and continue cycling through the IJzerstraat, towards junction 62. Cross the Yser via the seesaw bridge. On the other side is 't Hof van Commerce, a rural inn and eatery, where Jean Blaute and Ray Cokes, among others, already came along for their TV show Tournée Generale. It is a popular stopping place for cyclists, hikers and other bon vivants.

Continue cycling until junction 62 at the crossroads with the church of Stavele on the left. Turn right, direction junction 71. Ignore the side streets and cycle past restaurant De Nachtegaal into the West-sluisstraat. Enjoy the beautiful view, with the white Brouckmolen from 1872 of Beveren-aan-de-IJzer. You can see the mill in the landscape for a long time. In contrast to the Machuutmolen, it is well maintained and grinding.

And then: time to taste

Continue winding until you reach junction 71. Keep diagonally left following Westsluisstraat, direction junction 70. At the T-junction, follow the Hondspootstraat to the right. Cross the intersection with Waaienburgstraat and continue cycling through Bromstraat. Then take the first street on the left. It is also called Bromstraat. Ignore the Witsoonestraat on the right and follow the Bromstraat to the end, at junction 70. Turn right, direction junction 2. You now cycle along the Blasiusstraat, a wider asphalt road, and ignore all side roads until you can turn left-right into Barlebuize street. At junction 2, at the intersection with Legerstraat, cycle straight ahead, towards junction 66. Cross the intersection with the Reningestraat and continue your way past a few farms and through a forest until you come to junction 66 next to tavern-restaurant 't Jagershof. Cross the priority road and continue cycling through the Nonnenstraat until junction 67 at a farm. Continue straight ahead, direction junction 68. An arrow to St. Sixtus Abbey provides additional signage.

At the junction at junction 68, turn right, towards junction 70, and cycle to the abbey. You can now taste a Trappist from Westvleteren in De Vrede. You have the Westvleteren Blond 6, the dark Westvleteren 8 and the Westvleteren XII. The latter is also called the Flemish Burgundy and has been voted the best beer in the world several times. Whether you agree with that, you can test here.