Round Wechelderzande

You cycle through the open Kempen landscape, forest and forest edge until you finally tour the Lilse Bergen domain. The park owes its popularity to a swimming pond, a well that filled up after the extraction of sand. Along car-free roads you will pass meadows and fields to the Slagmolen and Pulderbos.

Meet at the parking lot (V) opposite the former town hall of Vlimmeren, borough of Beerse. Cycle past the Gothic St. Quirinus church, direction Wechelderzande and then turn left into the first street, direction junction 81. You reach that a few hundred meters away. Continue straight ahead, direction 80. At the next fork, follow Wetschot to the right. You bolt through an open agricultural landscape with the church of Vlimmeren on the right. The asphalt gives way to a gravel road, which takes you into the forest. Then you cycle along the edge of the forest with a meadow landscape on the left, separated from the road by a wood wall. Then you take a forest path on the right and cycle along a dolomite cycle path to junction 80. A real hub of forest cycle paths. Turn left here, direction 79. After more than a kilometer on a dolomite path you arrive at the Strandweg. Follow it to the right, over the Haarlebeek bridge, direction Lilse Bergen. Junction 79 is located at a junction. From here follow direction 77. Ignore the side road Konijnenpad and cycle past the entrance of recreation park and camping Lilse Bergen (1), the parking and part of the domain until you can cross the bridge over the E34 on the right. Just over the bridge you take the first road on the right. You cycle past farm 't Korenveld' and arrive in the hamlet of Hemeldonk. At a fork you follow the Goordreef straight ahead, through a patchwork of meadows, fields and forest plots. At the end of the Goordreef there is a small triangular square with a picnic area. Here starts on the left, the Oude Lillebaan. Direction junction 77. But, to avoid the busy N140 (Gierle–Lille), it is best to choose the unpaved variant, as indicated on the cycling map. It does not go to node 77, but to node 86.
2. Those who choose safe and unpaved therefore cycle straight ahead on the triangular square. An unpaved path. There will also be a green mountain bike path. You end up on another dirt road and follow it to the right, through a landscape with meadows and forest plots. Where the mountain bike path turns right, you continue to follow the wide dirt road straight ahead, until you reach a concrete road. You follow it straight ahead. On a quiet road through an agricultural landscape and past some farms you reach junction 86. Keep the triangular square on your right and follow diagonally left, direction 16. Leave Karredongen on the right and, at the T-junction, follow Kauwenberg on the left. At the end of Kauwenberg, turn right and continue cycling on the N153 from Oostmalle to Herentals. Cross it carefully and continue your way, towards 16. At a tree chapel, turn right, direction Achtersten Hoek. A little further on you cycle past the Slagmolen (1465) (2). At the fork after the mill, choose left. You now cycle through some residential streets, some more modest than others, and then arrive at junction 16. Here you choose 01 and cycle along a wide, red cycle path, separated from the narrow roadway by a deep canal. You bolt again through an agricultural landscape and past the sign Vorselaar. After a few bends you cycle past 'Brasserie De Wingerd' and 'Gasthof De Roskam' and you reach junction 01. Cycle right into Vispluk, direction Plein en 03. At the sign Plein, with the 'Zwaluwenhoeve' on the left, keep right and continue cycling between meadows and fields and through the forest to junction 03. Now follow the Heirbaan to the left, direction 05. This concrete road turns into an unpaved road and at the intersection with Pallaaraard, you reach junction 05. Continue straight ahead on Heirbaan, direction 06. Now there is another blissful strip through the forest, on a separate cycle path, next to a dirt road. If you fancy a picnic in an idyllic spot, you can turn left into Lovenhoek and cycle up to the Chapel of the Lovenhoek (1900) (3) with picnic area. However, our tour goes straight ahead. At the Pulderdijk, you reach junction 06.
3. Continue straight ahead on Heirbaan, direction 17. On the right, hidden in the greenery, is castle 'Krabbelshof' in the middle of an impressive nature reserve, but unfortunately private. You come out of the forest, cycle along the edge of the forest and then reach junction 17. Turn right onto the gravel road – which is also called Heirbaan – towards 97. The road surface turns into asphalt and you cycle into Pulle. Carefully cross the priority road and continue cycling through a residential area on the other side. When the buildings stop, you drive further through an agricultural landscape. At junction 97, choose 96 and pedal further through this calming area. When the road splits, follow Blauwhoef on the right. You cross the Kleine Beek and the Molenbeek successively and then pass the Pulderbos water treatment plant. Between the meadows you cycle past the Blauwhoef to junction 96. Follow direction 04 through the picturesque center with triangular village square of Pulderbos. At junction 04, follow direction junction 95. There you have to turn right, direction 07. But, it is worthwhile to cycle fifty meters further to take a closer look at the mill (4) of Pulderbos. The former mill house is now an eatery. On the way now to 07. Past the sign indicating the end of the Pulderbos conurbation, you cycle back through an open agricultural landscape with a farm here and there. After a few farms and a riding school, you reach junction 07. On the corner hangs a tree chapel. Here you follow left, direction 91. It now winds to the bridge over the highway. Take direction 54 at junction 91. At the triangular square Einhoven, keep left, cross an intersection and follow the side of another triangular square. All streets around the triangles are called Einhoven. At the end of the second square, turn right. You now follow the unpaved variant of 54, over a wide gravel road. With beautiful views. You cross the Visbeek, cycle past a chapel and drive past a military domain. It is hidden behind a grove. But after a few turns, it's suddenly there: a NATO reserve airfield, surrounded by forests. The runway is three km long. All NATO aircraft can land and take off there. Continue cycling through the beautiful surroundings, along the edge of the forest and then back into the forest, away from the airport. Along a meadow, you come to the 'Sint-Antoniushoeve'.
4. If you want to combine this tour with 'Rondje Zoersel', cycle straight ahead, towards junction 54 and follow the route description on that sheet. Together the two bike tours are 90 km long. This tour turns right here to junction 52. There you choose right, direction 81. If you have started 'Rondje Zoersel' in Zoersel and want to cycle the combination tour, come from the other direction at junction 52 and then turn left, direction 81. You cycle on a wide concrete road through the forest with military domain on the right and the buildings of the 'Belgian Air Cadets'. Carefully cross the Oostmalle – Wechelderzande road and continue on the cycle path through the beautiful lane. The dirt road turns into asphalt and the bike path ends. Continue cycling through the forest and then through open agricultural landscape to the Vlimmeren–Wechelderzande road. Follow it to the left for a while and then cycle, almost straight ahead, into the Lepelstraat. It takes you past a chapel to the old rectory, now a library. Turn right and you cycle straight towards the church.