Cycling in the land of Rode

Appointment at the Market Square in SintLievens-Houtem (V). Leave the church and the town hall behind and cycle into the Edgard Tinelstraat, direction Aalst. Follow it up to FP 21. Turn left into Fabriekstraat, direction KP 89. Ignore all side streets until you can turn right into Dries. Dries merges into Balei. Climb up to KP 89 and turn left behind the square with the petanque courts and the Roman (1), towards KP 87. You now cycle over Rot, a narrow concrete road between the meadows. At the crossroads with a dirt road on the right, you continue to follow Rot straight ahead until you reach a T-junction. Turn left, past a chapel and chirolokaal 't Rotje to a wide concrete road. Turn left again and then right into Kerkstraat. Leave the church of Letterhoutem and continue to follow the Kerkstraat until kp 87. Turn right into Groenestraat, direction KP 85. • At the fork, keep right and continue to follow Groenestraat almost straight ahead. At the end, turn right on2 and follow Letterbroek. You bolt through a grove and then between the meadows. Cross an intersection with dead ends and continue cycling to the T-junction. Turn left, past a chapel, on a wider concrete road. Ignore a side road on the right and continue cycling to KP 85. Continue cycling straight on a narrow asphalt road between meadows and fields, towards KP 71. At the T-junction with a dirt road on the right, follow the road to the left until you reach KP 71. Turn left, direction KP 88. You cycle between the meadows and can enjoy beautiful views. At the junction with the centuries-old, imposing Spooklinde (2) keep left and cycle through the Hoogkouterstraat between the fields until you return to civilization. Past churches and hamlets Then cycle a little further between meadows. At the end of the Hoogkouterstraat turn left, through the Benedenstraat to the church of Bavegem. Cycle almost straight ahead into Sint-Antoniusstraat and follow it to the T-junction. A little further to the left is the dairy company Inex and right in front of you a chapel. Turn right here and continue cycling until the mandatory stop. Cross the road with a left-right nod and cycle through the Hoogbavegemstraat to KP 88. Continue cycling straight ahead, towards KP 76. Cross two intersections and cycle past the Sint-Ansgariuskerk of Anker, a district of Oosterzele, until the next fork. Turn right there.• You actually make a big left turn and bolt along the Moortelbos. Ignore a road on the right and cycle past a white riding school to KP 76. Turn right, direction KP 75. After a few twists and turns you arrive at the busy Wettersesteenweg. Cross it carefully, towards Gijzenzele. You cycle along the Molenbunker (3). On an information board with drawings and photos you can read everything about the bunker. Cycle past the agglomeration sign of Gijzenzele and choose left at the first fork. Then ignore two streets on the left that lead to the church of Gijzenzele and choose the next crossroads on the left, the Bosstraat. It now continues winding and gently undulating through the open agricultural landscape up to FP 75. Turn left, direction KP 77. At the fork, keep right and swap the asphalt for concrete. You drive on a road for agricultural vehicles, through a grove, cross the railway and continue cycling to the T-junction next to the church of Gontrode. • Turn left and then right into the Kapellendries. Follow it to the junction with the brick chapel on KP 77. Turn left, direction KP 80. Ignore a dead end street on the right and left and cycle on to a T-junction. Turn right there, along the edge of the forest. Then follows a wonderful, winding piece through the open landscape. At the T-junction, on KP 80, turn right, direction KP 81, Bottelare and Lemberge for cyclists. You now cycle along the Landskoutersesteenweg, a wide concrete road, lined with trees. After the agglomeration sign of Lemberge you will arrive at a mandatory stop. Turn right, immediately after turn left and then right into Burgemeester Maenhautstraat. You bolt past the church of Lemberge and turn left at the next intersection into the Vatestraat. You immediately get a beautiful view of the Castle of Lemberge (4). You cycle along it and turn left at the T-junction and then right into Driesstraat. Follow this winding asphalt road between the fields to the end. Open landscape Turn right, over a red tiled bike path. Then turn left into Wafelstraat, a narrow lane that has been made car-free with tractor locks. At the fork, on KP 81, turn left and follow another path that has also been made car-free with tractor locks, towards KP 82. At the T-junction turn left until KP 82. Continue cycling straight ahead, towards KP 84 and at the next fork turn left into the narrow Molenhoekstraat, for more car-free cycling fun between the meadows and along the 22-hectare Gentbos. • At the first intersection, continue straight along the Bottelare agglomeration sign. Then keep following Molenhoekstraat to the end and turn left into Sint-Annastraat. Continue cycling to the T-junction. Then turn left again, past the church of Bottelare and then right, into the Diepestraat. Follow this winding road and cycle between the former Carmelite monastery (5) from 1763 and a large ornamental vase, until the junction with KP 84. Take Boterhoek on the left towards KP 83. Enjoy the winding road through the open countryside and cycle right at the T-junction until you reach KP 83. Turn right, direction KP 97 and immediately after left into Rattepas. Continue cycling through the open landscape, ignore the Kasteelstraat on the left and continue cycling to the crossroads with KP 97. Turn left, direction KP 95. Immediately after the level crossing turn right and at the junction afterwards turn left. The signage now leads you past a residential area until you reach a T-junction with a chapel across the street. Follow Spiegel to the left and then turn right into Meerstraat. • You cycle on a cycle path that is separated from the roadway by hedges. At the crossroads with the modern, walled chapel you are on KP 95. Turn right, into Achterdries, direction KP 94. Ignore all side roads until you reach the bend of the N415. Straight. Leave the church of Oosterzele on the right and on KP 94 turn left, the Groenweg, direction KP 92. At the traffic lights you are there. Turn right, direction KP 91, over the Geraardsbergsesteenweg until the mandatory stop. Follow the busy N415 in the direction of Sint-Lievens-Houtem. Ignore all side streets and continue cycling until the traffic lights of the N42 (Geraardsbergen - Wetteren). Cross it and continue cycling towards SintLievens-Houtem. Ignore all side streets until KP 91. Continue straight towards KP 17 until you can take a narrow concrete road on the right. After the busier, less interesting parts, you can finally enjoy quiet roads in a pleasant agricultural landscape again. At a crossroads you keep right and at the T-junction you cycle right. You bolt past the nameplate of Balegem and turn left into Leeg Bracht. • On a fork, choose left. You cycle through a forest and the hamlet of Bokstale. At the crossroads, choose right and follow Blareveld to a T-junction. Turn right and with a big bend until you reach an intersection. On the other side, take the agricultural road where cyclists, walkers and horse riders are also allowed. Follow it over one of the concrete strips to the end. You are then on FP 17. Cross the road, towards KP 21, and cycle past a brick chapel and through a landscape of pollard willows until, just before a Grotto of Our Lady, you can turn left. Continue cycling to the road you just crossed and follow it to the right. Then take the first street on the right and follow it until you can turn left into Kloosterstraat. Turn left, past the football fields of VC Eendracht Houtem to the starting point.