By the Faluintjes

The Faluintjesstreek is the gently sloping country around Aalst. You will not visit the printing city during this tour. After all, you leave at the famous abbey of Affligem and then cycle via Moorsel to the Leireken. This is a pleasant and safe cycle route on a former railway route. Afterwards, in the surroundings of Droeshout and Merchtem, you can marvel at the vast open area that you will find there. A stone's throw from the capital! Enjoy the 360° panoramas and then cycle back to the abbey (and its famous abbey beer...).

1. Appointment at the Benedictine abbey of Affligem. Leave with the abbey on your right. Ignore a street on the right and, just past the affligem grocery store, turn left. Descend until you can turn right, just before the church, into the Waverstraat towards Moorsel. During the descent you will see the Benedictine abbey Maria Mediatrix right in front of you. Follow Moorsel (cyclists) to a fork in the village. Here you cycle straight ahead and on the T you turn right. You bolt past the water castle of Moorsel (late Renaissance). Just past the castle domain, take the cobblestone road on the left. Ignore a street on the right and continue along a narrow path. At the crossroads of narrow paths, you cycle straight ahead. You enter a street, cross it and follow the arrow Leirekensroute 2X.
2. At the intersection with the old railway bed, turn right. Cross a street and cycle further, direction Baardegem. You cycle on a hollow road through an open landscape. You cross a field road and pass the old station of Baardegem, now tavern. Cross another road and continue cycling over the Leireken on the route of the disappeared Aalst-Londerzeel railway line. Cross the Dendermonde-Brussels road. On the other side, a sign welcomes you to Opwijk. Continue towards Londerzeel. Cross the Coenstraat and then another road. Now you cycle through a barge drive and at KP 50 you turn right. Ignore a street on the right and turn left with the road. Ignore a street on the left for a moment.
3. Turn right at a white chapel. Turn right again at T. Cycle straight ahead at a roundabout. Follow Karenveldstraat to the end. After the triangular square, turn right. You bolt past a square with a beautiful chapel and the name plate Droeshout. Then take the Guldenboomstraat on the left and cross the busy Vilvoordsesteenweg at the end. Cycle across the road into a narrow path. Through the yard of a farm (in rainy weather a real mud puddle) you drive to a street. Left. On your left you will see the church of Droeshout. At the end, turn right. Ignore a street on the left and follow the gently rising road to the end. On the T, follow Waaienberg to the left. With this road, turn right and choose left at the next fork. Ignore Waaienberg 58-68 on the right and cycle to the next street at the sign that literally says: "Waaienberg 91-tot einde". Right.
4. Cycle along a row of pollard willows. Keep right at the fork. You are now following Weyenberg. Enjoy the 360° panorama and cycle up to a brick chapel. Turn left and immediately afterwards sharp right turn. Paddebroeken is called the road. Then take the first road on the left, Koereit. You are now in Asse. You cycle along the Verbrandhof and then you start a steep climb. At the top (in clear weather you can see the Atomium, about 15 km away), you drive past some farms. At the end of Koereit turn right and on the next T, turn right again. Then turn left into Kelestraat. Cross the Dendermonde-Brussels road again and continue to follow the Kelestraat on the other side. Follow junction 3 for a while, and turn left until you reach the busy stone road, which you follow to the right. At a red chapel, on the right into the Groenstraat.
5. At the blue and white chapel, follow the Heuvelstraat to the left. At the T, take the descending Lepelstraat on the right. At the end, follow Dorpsveld to the right. Past café Den Bos you cycle on a bicycle and footpath. On the left is Hof ter Putte (1637) and on the right a chapel under a weeping willow, behind it the protected Kravaalbos. At the Gothic Walburga church in Meldert, take the rising street on the right. Then the first links. Where the street bends to the right, you drive straight ahead into a dead end street. By bike, you can continue, on a narrow path. At the end turn left and at the fork straight ahead.
6. You cycle between the Mooie Molen (almost nothing remains of the mill) and the Molenvijver and follow the Molenstraat to the fork at tavern Kozakkeshof. Turn right to the end and then left.