Along the Zwalmmolens

You will start at the sports hall (V) in the Sportlaan in Munkzwalm. With the railway on your right, cycle towards 51. At the railway crossing turn left and between Café De Kraai and Café de Wachtzaal. Turn right into the Zwalmlaan, past Primary School De Zonnewijzer and through a residential area. Turn right at the fork. Cross the railway and cycle to junction 51. Turn left, direction 3 and Roborst. You cycle along the railway and turn right at the level crossing and continue past the agglomeration sign of Roborst to junction 3. • Turn right, direction 4. Climb around St. Dionysius Church and past the castle entrance (1799) to the picturesque center of Roborst and junction 4. Turn left, direction 9, through the Machelgemstraat until the N454. Cross it and continue cycling to junction 9. Turn left, direction 11. • On the splitop2 sing at Bostmolen 1 turn right and on the first T into the Slijpstraat to the right. Continue through an open landscape and at junction 11 straight ahead, direction 8. Take the Molenhoek on the left, cross the railway and continue cycling until you reach the N454. Turn right and then left around the church of Strijpen. Turn right before café 't Gemeentehuis in the direction of Velzeke. • Ignore all side streets and follow a dotted line cycle path to junction 8 in Velzeke. Continue straight ahead, past the Roman square until junction 6. Again, straight on until the traffic lights on the N46. Cross and continue on a wide concrete road to junction 2 with parasol chip shop. Turn right, through the Pierkenstraat direction 5. Ignore all side roads and cycle between loose buildings, fields and meadows to the end of this street. In the distance you can see the Klepmolen. Turn left until you reach junction 5. Balegemse jenever Follow the Bottelweg to the right, direction 10, and cycle past the Klepmolen 2 to the T. Turn right, through the Boerestraat, parallel to the railway, and at the end the railway over to Balegem-Zuid station. Turn right further into the Leenstraat and continue cycling on the crossroads with the Grensboom and junction 10. Follow Broek to the left, direction 96. Ignore all side roads and continue straight ahead with Broek. Broek becomes Berg and then Kapelweg. You follow it to the crossroads with the chapel of Issegem (1637) on the other side under a probably equally old linden tree. At this crossroads turn right and a little further left into Issegem. You cycle past the Van Damme gin distillery, where the Balegem jenever has been fired since 1862. • On the T turn left until junction 96. Continue straight ahead, direction 98. You meander between the meadows and see on the left the mill hull of the Guillotinemolen 3 (also called Grote Kucher). Continue to the center of Balegem. Past the church and café De Klokke turn right into Muldershof, past the watermill 4 of Balegem and via a church path to the next street. Turn right, past the Vrije Basisschool and via the Poststraat over the railway, into the Driesstraat. Ignore all the side roads and cycle through the agricultural landscape past chapel Pontslag (1821), the Frankenhoeve and stud farm Ariane to the Lange Munte. Follow this wider road, which soon turns into a cobblestone road, to the left. • At junction 98 you cycle straight ahead towards 49 and the Lange Munte becomes the Staatsbaan. Ignore all side roads up to a busy priority road. Turn left, direction Zwalm and Brakel. On the right is the mill hull of the Tarandusmolen 5. At café Tarandus turn right on2 Saksenboomstraat, direction Gavere and Dikkelvenne. Meadows and pollard willows Take the first road on the right and cycle through the fields to the T. Turn right, past the white chapel under the lime tree. Don't worry about side roads and follow the Heilige Donatusstraat to the fork on the Boomstraat. Follow it to the right. At the yellow house you continue to follow the Boomstraat straight ahead. At the end, follow the Ellevestraat to the left, through the meadow landscape with pollard willows until junction 49. Continue straight ahead, direction 48. Ignore all side streets and enjoy the 360° panorama. • Cycle through the center of Baaigem, past d'Oude Afspanning De Klokke and the church and take the Prinsenmolenstraat diagonally to the right until junction 48. Continue straight ahead, direction 95, along the hull of the Prinsenmolen 6. Further on you bulge over cobblestones and through a hollow road and then on over concrete. At the fork, keep right to junction 95. Turn left, direction 45. With a large arch you come to a T. Right, over a wide concrete road to junction 45. Turn left here, almost straight ahead, direction 44. Then take the Hullestraat on the left, a narrow asphalt road between fields and meadows. • At junction 44 continue straight ahead, direction 46, and follow the Gentweg until you reach a priority road. Cross and continue cycling through the Gentweg, past Vleeswaren De Wulf. The Gentweg becomes the Hukkelgemstraat. Ignore all side roads and cycle to junction 46. Cross the intersection and continue cycling through the Gemeentehuisstraat, towards 47. At the church of Dikkelvenne turn left and then right into the Beekstraat, through a meadow landscape with many canada trees to junction 47. Continue straight ahead, through the Eikenstraat, direction 54. Along the Kaaihoeve At junction 54 turn right, direction 57, through a forest, past the name sign of Meilegem and along an old Scheldt arm. From the Provincial Nature Education Centre de Kaaihoeve it will be one-way traffic, but not for cyclists. Continue along the Oude Scheldearm to junction 57. Turn left, direction 67, until Lindestraat. Follow it to the right on a dotted line cycle path and then turn left into Langemuntstraat. Ignore the Beekmeersstraat on the left, cycle past Hof ter Linde and choose at the fork with the Houtstraat on the left, still through the Langemuntstraat. • Then take the first concrete road on the right, keep left at the fork and cycle along Sportafrichting V.L.P.V. to the N46. Turn right and immediately after left on. You cross the Zwalm and cycle past the Ter Biestmolen 7 into the open landscape. At the fork, choose left. Ignore the side roads and continue cycling to junction 67. Turn left, direction 53. • Turn right just before the Zwalm, until you reach the intersection with the Grootveldhoeve. Follow the Gallery path to the left. Cycle between the IJzerkotmolen 8 and Taverne Ter Swaelm to the quadrangle with the brick chapel. Turn right, via the Gaverbosdreef through the Gaverbos to junction 53. Continue straight ahead, direction 51. Ignore a dead end road on the left and turn right at the fork, still through the Gaverbosdreef, past the agglomeration sign of Munkzwalm and past Gasthof de Zwalmkoets. • Cross the Zwalmbeek and cycle straight ahead into the Zijpgrachtstraat at the intersection with the brick chapel. Turn left at the next fork into Wafelstraat. At the end turn right into the Sportlaan and then along the railway to the starting point.