Cycling through the Laak and Nete valleys

Meet in Zammel at the parking lot in front of the church on the Zammelseweg (V). With the church on your left and primary school De Bollenboom on your right, you cycle to the T. Right. At the first intersection continue straight ahead, direction KP 47. You bolt past the Sint-Dimpnakapel (1) and the street turns into a narrow path. Cross a street with a left-right nod and continue cycling along the narrow path, which runs through a forest. At the end you end up in the bend of an asphalt road. Straight. Don't worry about side streets until you can turn right into the Kloosterpad. Then take the first left and keep following the church path until you reach the bend of an asphalt road. Turn right, past the cemetery and the church of Oosterlo. • At the fork, keep right. Further on you cycle over the Grote Nete and past chalet park Netevallei. At the junction next you keep right and then turn right into Huisbroek. Then take the Huisbroekstraat on the right and follow on2 which becomes unpaved until the road surface. Turn left into Stuykstraat. Keep following this narrow road until you reach the T on Molenstraat, which becomes Schuurstraat. Turn right and at the first intersection continue straight until KP 47. Continue straight ahead, direction KP 89. • You cycle on a narrow asphalt road with a swerving lane for cars until you can turn right into a dead end road for local traffic at a fork. You bolt past a horse dairy to the bend of the Sint-Bavostraat. Straight ahead, past the Saint Bavo Chapel (2). At an antique signpost you ignore a road on the left and a little further on you turn left into Trichelhoek. You meander through a beautiful agricultural landscape, bolt past the name sign of Varendonk, cross the Grote Laak and arrive at KP 89, on the busy N127. Our tour turns left, direction KP 13. Cycle along the cycle path past garden centre Bloemenland until you can turn right into the Varendonksebaan. • You drive past a Red Cross post with a covered picnic area and turn right at the fork at a white house. On FP 13, turn left, towards KP 39. It winds through meadows and fields. Ignore the side roads, cross the Herseltseweg and continue cycling through the Peirenstraat. At the fork keep right and at the T follow the Rode Laakstraat to the left. Leave the Palmboomstraat and continue cycling to KP 39. Turn right, direction KP 14. You cross the Rode Laak, bolt past the agglomeration sign of VeerleHeide and arrive at KP 14. Continue straight ahead, direction KP 15. Ignore the road to Veerle-Heide center and continue cycling towards Averbode. Immediately afterwards you turn left into the gravel road and cycle around a football field. Then you go into the forest. Right through the tree nursery Back in civilization you cycle again on asphalt and further to a priority road. Cross it and choose on the fork on the other side on the left. Then make a right-left nod and continue cycling until the N127. On the left is a sign of the province of Antwerp, on the right one of the province of Limburg. Cross the road and cycle through Schoterheide, a bit across the provincial border. Cross a crossroads and continue cycling towards Gerhagen. Ignore a side road on the left and continue cycling until the next quadrangle. Left. At the fork, keep right and cycle past a sign of Fietsparadijs Limburg. A little further you get to FP 15. In blue, because you are now in Limburg. • Continue straight ahead, direction FP 20. Cross an intersection, still towards FP 20, but back in green. You are back in the province of Antwerp. You bolt between fields and turn at the edge of the forest with the asphalt road to the right. At a rest bench you cycle left along a large pond. Then you meander through the forest and cross the Grote Laak via a bridge. It continues past the library, a covered picnic area and the imposing St. Gertrude's Church of Forest up to KP 20. Continue straight ahead, direction KP 21. • At the end of the Kerkstraat you cycle along the Markt and turn further on, right, onto the Langedijk, direction Eindhout. You bolt past the end of the forest agglomeration sign and continue cycling along the cycle path on the left side of the roadway to KP 21. Turn right into De Beemden, direction KP 51. It continues on a quiet, rural road. Ignore a side road on the left and then cross a priority road. Continue cycling along the Veedijkstraat, right through the impressive Houtmeyers tree nursery. It is 10 football fields and you can discover and buy 2,600 plants and trees along 7 km of paths. • Turn right on the T. You bolt over Vogelspoel, a wide dirt road that only tractors, cyclists and walkers are allowed to cross. Cross the Kleine Laak and cycle into the forest. At the fork, turn left in front of a rest bench and continue cycling through the forest until you reach the bend of a narrow asphalt road. Straight. Leave the Gijperstraat on the right and continue cycling to KP 51. Continue straight ahead, direction KP 45. You will arrive at the N126. Turn left and cross the E313 and the Albert Canal. Now something curious follows: you get to KP 45 and cycle straight ahead, towards KP 44. Then you come to a (different time) KP 45 twice and you have to go straight each time, towards KP 44. Third time good time, surely? A little further on you can turn right into the Lindestraat and drive past the Haenvense mill (3) and the Sint-Bavokerk of Zittaart. The stream, the canal and the river turn right into Steenheuvel. Where it becomes unpaved straight ahead, turn left into the Oude Molenstraat. Follow it up to FP 44. Turn left, direction KP 42. You cycle through a grove and arrive at a priority road. Cross it and continue cycling through the Speeltuinstraat. You will notice why it is called that further on, when you cycle past the Kinderweelde playground. Just past it you come to the picturesque white chapel of Our Lady with the bunch of grapes (4). Continue cycling through a grove and cross an intersection. It now continues over the Alvinnenberg. Ignore the Wipstraat on the right and at the junction afterwards choose diagonally left and continue cycling on a dirt road until you reach KP 42. Our tour turns right, direction KP 08. If you feel like it, you can get off in tavern Luihoeve (19th century), which is located just next to the junction. You will immediately be warned about 300 m of dirt road. • Ignore De Biezen on the right and cycle straight ahead at the hill with the 'cross of the Huts' (5). You cross the Scherpenbergloop and the Grote Nete and arrive at KP 08. Follow the asphalt road to the left until KP 09. Turn left, direction KP 16. Cross the Grote Nete and follow it to the right. You cycle past the Malesbroek nature reserve and fish ponds and then arrive at the N126. Cross the bridge with the inscription 'Grote Neet' and continue cycling on the other bank until KP 16, at the next bridge. Turn right, direction KP 10. You cycle past the Breugelhut (6), where everyone is welcome and which is beautifully situated between ponds. On the T turn left until KP 10 and then turn right, direction KP 49. 600 m further you are already there. • Turn left, direction KP 40, cross the Albert Canal and turn right at the traffic lights. At the church of Stealing you reach KP 40. Continue straight and immediately turn left into Klavet, direction KP 82. At the end you cross a busy road with a right-left nod and cycle next to the E313. Then cross it and turn right at the intersection after the highway. Enjoy the panorama with the E313 and a number of wind turbines on the right. At the end turn left over Hazenhout. Then turn left into Wimpebrug. On the T turn right, past the agglomeration sign of Zammel until kp 82. Turn left, direction KP 47. At the end of the street turn right until the departure point.