Between the orchards at Herk-de-stad

1. Appointment at the town hall/V.V.V. (V) in the Pikkeleerstraat in Herk-de-Stad. Start with the town hall and the Olmenhof on your left, direction junction 543. At the first intersection, turn right into Rummenweg, a wide concrete road, until you can turn right into a road for agricultural vehicles and cyclists. Now you cycle along an orchard and between fields and meadows to junction 543. Cross an intersection and turn right further into Bommerstraat and turn left at the fork. The Bommerstraat becomes the Vennestraat and at the intersection you follow the Bampsstraat to the left. You are now in Donk and after a few bends you arrive at junction 353. Choose the narrow concrete strip on the left, direction junction 352. Curve with the path to the right and then to the left. Cross the bridge over the Gete and continue cycling to the T-junction on the road. Follow it to the right on a dotted cycle path. After the agglomeration sign of Halen, turn left at the T-junction with a mandatory stop, direction Diest, until junction 352 a little further.

Over the old railway bed
Turn left here and follow the old railway bed between fields and orchards and past backyards towards junction 354. You cross a street with a kiosk and continue cycling between orchards to junction 354. Continue straight ahead on the former iron road towards 356. Cross the Betserbeek and cross the Hulsbeekstraat. Here is a nice picnic area. There is no longer any signage of the bicycle network. Keep following the iron road until you arrive in Geetbets at the Statieplein with the chip shop of the same name at junction 356. Cross the street and continue cycling along the old railway bed, towards 49. On the right orchards, on the left the church of Geetbets. You cross a road again and from now on the signage is done with white-green signs, you are in Flemish Brabant. At the intersection with two picnic areas always go straight ahead, just like on the next cross road. Still on the iron road, next to an orchard and between three concrete columns that keep the path car-free. On the left you get a nice view of the church of Budingen and then you come to the old station building of Budingen with junction 49. Here you choose 192 and continue cycling with a right-left nod on the former Tienen-Diest railway. You drive another 2 km on the straight iron road, until junction 192, at a white chapel and a picnic area. Turn left here, direction 48. Where the road seemingly runs dead, you make a right-left nod and continue cycling on a dolomite path, first along the edge of the forest, then through the forest and over the Grote Gete and the 's Hertogengracht.
After the canal, the path widens and you enter the Bosstraat. You drive past the Gothic Church of Our Lady, formerly the chapel of Our Lady. der 7 Contractions from 1510, rebuilt in 1735 and 1765. In the bend with the field chapel you take the Leeuwerstraat on the left, first residential and then forbidden to motorized traffic, through an open agricultural landscape. At the edge of the forest turn right into the Milky Way. The concrete gives way to a dirt road and you cycle past an orchard to junction 48. Turn left for 191 and follow the winding Vloedgracht on a dirt road. In front of a meadow, the path goes with a bridge over the Vloedgracht, further along a forest and briefly along the Kleine Gete.

Along the Vinne
You cross it over to a modern picnic area. On the other side of the Budingenweg you will pass the second part of the picnic area. Continue on a narrow concrete road along a deep moat to a cross road. On the other side is Provincial Domain and nature reserve Het Vinne. Cycle left, past the parking of the domain and bistro Het Vinne until junction 19 Now you choose junction 545. You will pass the late Gothic chapel of Our Lady. of the Ossenweg (16th century) and ignores all side roads until you can turn right into Runkelingen-Dorp at the intersection with Café Moonlight-Bij den Haspel. Then turn left into Gemeenteweg. At the end turn left and past nature reserve Op d'Hei until the Binderveldseweg. Follow it to the right. You cross the Metsterbeek and on the right you see the Bindermolen (1), a water mill, and oo junction 545. Now on to junction 190. Immediately afterwards, take the narrow asphalt road on the right, between orchards, meadows and meadows, until you reach a wider asphalt road. The road is dead on the left, so you cycle to the right. You pass a closed farm with a battlement entrance gate and the road becomes half hollow. Further on you cycle past the impressive, white Sint-Niklaashoeve (2) with the patron saint above the entrance gate and gently climb into civilization. At a crossroads with a playground turn right and past the Metsterenmolen (1837) (3) on the Metsterbeek. At the end of the street, at junction 190, turn left, direction 147. You immediately turn right onto a cobblestone road and cycle past the castle farm (1686) of Castle Nonnenmielen (4), which you see in the back. At the end of the cobblestone road you come to the N716. Follow the cycle path to the right, cycle around the roundabout, leave 'all directions' on the right and enter the Bornedries. Past tennis club De Born and farm Borndries you reach junction 147. Turn left over Engelbamp, direction 150. You pass the orange-red Mother Lambic, cross the Kelsbeek and can see the castle of Nieuwenhoven (13th century) (5) on the right past the domain wall. On the left a beautiful chapel, which will also belong to the castle.

Between the orchards
At the next quadrangle you are at junction 150. Continue straight on the path for cyclists, direction 175, uphill until you reach a covered picnic area with a beautiful view of Nieuwerkerken and an information board. Then you can go down. Without giving a staircase, you skim down between the orchards. Back in civilization at the fork straight ahead. At the end of the square, take the dead end path on the right, but that does not apply to cyclists. Again between the orchards and after 4 concrete columns you come to junction 175. Turn left, direction 176. At a curious 'column chapel' turn right and then left until you reach a cross road. Cross over and take the Bleukenstraat. At junction 176 continue towards 194 until the T-junction on Tegelrijstraat. Turn right, leave the road to Rummen and Herk-de-Stad and then cycle left into the Terbermenweg. At the T-junction turn left and then right into Dennenbosstraat. You enter the Smoldersstraat and follow it to the right through a residential area. The road widens and you cycle past the nameplate of Rummen until you reach the bend, with the chapel of Our Lady on the left. van Troost (1872), on the right into the Schopstraat. Then take Schopstraat 20-22 on the left and continue cycling between orchards. Leave the Klein-Grootveldweg on the right, cross a stream and cycle left at the T-junction with greenhouses on the right. You enter the Smoldersstraat again and follow it to the right until you can turn right into the Jodestraat. Where the Jodestraat bends to the left, you drive straight ahead into the Sleersenveldweg, a narrow path for cyclists. At the end you cross the Kleine Kruisstraat and you come to junction 194. Continue cycling straight ahead, towards 195. At the T-junction turn left until the roundabout with junction 195. Take the second exit, direction 353. Then turn left into Pikkeleerstraat and continue cycling to the starting point.