A stone's throw from Balegem

This bike tour starts at the village square (V) of Oosterzele. You cycle straight along the Keiberg and cross the Wetterensteenweg to continue cycling in the Houtemstraat. After 200 meters, turn left in Boekhoutstraat. The road narrows and leads you through the fields. Always go straight and ignore side streets. The Boekhoutstraat then becomes the Leenstraat. You will arrive at a Y-junction and follow the Leenstraat on the left. At the Wettersesteenweg turn left. After 300 meters, ignore the first right at the intersection and take the second to the right, Kerkkouterstraat. After 300 meters you will arrive at the church of Bavegem 1. Turn right into Sint-Antoniusstraat, a wider concrete road. The Roman van Houtem At the T-junction with the chapel it turns left into the Meulestraat. op2 Past dairy Inex (left), always straight ahead again through the fields. At the T-junction to the left, you are now in the Hagelkouter and it immediately becomes Keiberg. Straight ahead and when you see the modern church tower 2 of Letterhoutem turn left past Letterhoutem village. At the church is the statue of the Belleman. He recalls the ranger who used a bell after high mass to inform the public of the latest news from the village. Cycle past the church (on your left) and then take the first right (Kerkstraat). After 100 meters turn right past Klein Zottegem and immediately right. Now follow Rot for 1.2 km (after 100 meters it turns right, because straight ahead you end up in a field road). Now always follow this narrower one-lane road. Ignore side roads, continue straight at the intersection. At the end is a statue of a Roman soldier.

This legionary soldier stands at the highest point (82.5 meters) of SintLievens-Houtem, near the old heirbaan that connected Velzeke with Tongeren. • Follow Balei on the left and after 50 meters turn right into the Ouden Heerweg, where you can enjoy a beautiful panorama. Through a piece of forest you reach a crossroads. Follow the Diepestraat (N464) 800 meters and then take the first right, the Kapelleweg. The chapel stands at the end and here it goes left into the wider Kapellekouter. At the end turn left into the Edgard Tinelstraat direction church 3. The current St. Michael's Church of Sint-Lievens-Houtem dates from 1769 and replaced a thirteenth-century Romanesque church. Remarkable is the bone chapel – also called martyrium – that was built in Balegem sandstone. • Then turn right along the Market Square and turn left, direction Zottegem/Wetteren. Then along the Market Square you take the first left, the Kloosterstraat. Past the football field and on the T turn right follow Alms. At the end turn left in Polbroek; There is a cycle path here. Then a little further left follow Cotthem, a winding road. At the fork where the sign 'Restaurant De Boomgaard' is located, turn right. Here you can also see a beautiful Maria grotto 4 from 1954 on the left. Cotthem is a hamlet of Sint-Lievens-Houtem and owes its name to the stream that flows here. • Still Cotthem. The street ends at the Espenhoek, turn left. Now continue straight ahead, Espenhoek then becomes Oombergenstraat and after about 200 meters you take the narrow cycle path on the right, over the Oude Trambaan. You now follow it and you cross the N46 Steenweg on Aalst, continue along the Oude Trambaan, about 500 meters, then cross the Europaweg on the right. Now follow the Gentsesteenweg (watch out here!). Then turn right into Kruisdreef and soon after left into Kasteeldreef. Castle of Leeuwergem At the end of this beautiful drive you will discover an almost quadrangular castle 5 surrounded by water. A fine example of classical architecture in Flanders. Unique in Europe is the lovertheater, an open-air theater surrounded by hornbeams. • Now turn left in the Lovertheaterdreef. You then arrive at the church and cemetery of Leeuwergem and immediately make a sharp right-angled turn in wheels extra on2 de Bosstraat. Follow it for about 700 meters, then you will come to the stone road. Cross it carefully straight and continue your tour along Ter Kameren. After about 200 meters turn right along the Gentsesteenweg. Cross the bridge over the railway and after 500 meters turn right into the Bijlokestraat (just past Colruyt). Immediately left in SintNiklaasstraat and immediately left in Rododendronstraat/Bijlokepark, a path that flows into Vijverstraat after 700 meters. At the T-junction turn right into grotenbergestraat. • You now enter the center of Zottegem, under the railway viaduct you reach the Laurent De Metsstraat. It turns left in the Kapellestraat, straight ahead and follow until the Markt. Now turn right in the Heldenlaan; at the end, take the roundabout and turn left into Graaf van Egmontstraat. Continue straight along the Meersstraat and the Veldstraat. Then cross the road that leads to the center of Strijpen and continue cycling straight along Vollander, a field road. After 1 km at the Y-junction turn right into the Vierschaar and a little later at the chapel it turns left into the Knutsegemstraat. You pass another chapel (right), turn along and ignore side streets to the end and the T-junction. Turn right onto the Paddestraat, famous from the Tour of Flanders, with its cobblestones. At the crossroads, continue straight ahead and follow Ruddershovestraat. Through the fields until after 600 meters you take the Molenweg on the right. Follow it for 1.2 km. At the end, cross the Provinciebaan. Follow the Windmillstraat briefly and then immediately left the Lindebeekstraat. After about 800 meters it turns left into an unpaved field road and after 150 meters turn right into the Lindestraat. Then turn left into the Schoolstraat and left further through the Breistraat. Continue straight along the Stampershaag. Now it's time to watch out. Turn right into Hoeksken and immediately right into Dikkelsebaan, after 190 metres turn left onto Dikkelsebaan and immediately left onto Kuiperstraat, after 200 metres right onto Kuiperstraat and 100 metres further right into Brouwerijstraat, then right into Dikkelsebaan. A round of Dikkele After a round of Dikkele 6 continue left along the Munkbosstraat and Boekhoute, after which you take the Blokstraat on the right. After 250 meters turn right in Munkbosstraat. You now follow it for a long way, then turn right into the Bosmierweg and then turn left (after house no. 26), at the end turn right into the Sonseindestraat and then left into the Verkeerdhofstraat and again – at the intersection – follow the Maaldergemput on the left. Cross the intersection diagonally to the right and continue cycling (left) along the Bottelweg. Just left at the end and then immediately right further along Walzegem. After 400 meters turn left in the Leenstraat. At the crossroads continue on the left past Broek. After 1.4 km you can turn right along a country road to quarry 7 and return on the left via another unpaved country road. Now turn right follow Berg and a little further left still Berg. At the end follow the Molenstraat on the left and then immediately on the right the Kattenberg. Then turn right along the Balegemstraat and left Muldershof and continue 100 meters through the footpath and then right further through the Poststraat. Continue right through Sint-Martensdries and then at the end left – cross carefully – continue past Vrijhem. Then it goes left (carefully crossing!) past Waterrad and right past Mollekens to the center of Scheldewindeke. Continue along the St.-Kristoffelstraat and again left along the Marktwegel and via the Marktplein 8 (turn right). Take a little further right again and continue past Hoeksken. Continue straight through Hettingen (until after house no. 15b), take the footpath on the left to the sports hall, and then turn right along the Kouterweg back to the starting point, the Village in Oosterzele.