Through nature around Houthalen-Helchteren

Appointment at the parking of Bungalowpark Molenheide in Helchteren (V). You leave towards junction 309 with the parking on your right. Turn left, cycle straight between the poles at the intersection and turn left at the T-junction. Then turn right and follow Wildparkstraat to the end. There you turn right and follow the Eikelbosstraat through a residential area and a forest strip to the first intersection. Turn right here again. In the first bend is castle brewery Ter Dolen 1. Then turn right with the Eikendreef and take the Bosstraat just before the Grote Baan on the left. Keep following them without worrying about side streets until you can turn right into a one-way street. Carefully cross the Grote Baan and continue cycling through the Overwegstraat to the T-junction. Now follow the Broekstraat to the left until you reach a triangular square. Keep right and turn right onto Spikkelspade. Where it crosses the old railway bed, you are at junction 309. The start was certainly not the most beautiful part of this tour, but it does provide a safe way to cross the busy and dangerous Grote Baan. From junction 309, follow the old railway bed towards 308. You reach that junction on the Loerstraat, with a picnic area on the corner. Continue towards 316, under the Vijfeindestraat, the Ramp and the Helzoldstraat and then cross the busy Guldensporenlaan via a central axis. Keep following the old railway embankment and cross the Winterebeek with a bridge. Continue cycling through the forest and between fields and meadows to junction 316. There, choose direction 300. You cross the Stationsstraat right next to the railway and pass café Postiljon. Continue cycling between meadows and bushes and with the railway under the E314.

The ponds of De Teut A little further on you reach junction 300 and cross the Kolverenstraat, direction 305. You cross the Hortweidenweg and dive under the N74. At junction 305 you carefully cross the Houthalenseweg and continue cycling towards 79. At the intersection of the Waardstraat continue straight ahead, the same on the Teutseweg. Here you enter the Flemish Nature Reserve Teut 2. Enjoy the beautiful nature reserve with some beautiful ponds and cross the Roosterbeek. You can see them walking on your left side for a while. On the right are the Holstein spring and a campsite of the same name in the nature reserve Molenheide 3. You reach junction 79 and cross the busy Wagemanskeel via a central axis. Turn left now, direction 74, on the busy road until you can turn right into the Transportlaan. Immediately past the bend cross the avenue and into the forest. Along an industrial zone you come to the E314 and junction 74. Here you choose direction 75, again under the E314 and continue through the Hengelhoefdreef, first on a separate cycle path, then through the drive itself. You cycle between a sasje and then just next to a meadow with an orchard and along recreation area Hengelhoef 4. Through Tenhaagdoornheide At the crossroads you can go 200 m further to the right in café-restaurant De Bosrand. After a bit between the meadows you go back into the forest and you arrive at the end of the busy Donderslagweg. You cross the road via a central axis and follow it 300 m to the left. Then turn into nature reserve Tenhaagdoornheide 5, still towards junction 75. You make a big bend on a wide asphalt road through the beautiful heathland and through the forest and you then come back to the Donderslagweg. On the other side is a large concrete factory on the corner. Cross the road and cycle left through the forest to the roundabout with junction 75. Here you choose junction 317 and cycle straight to the restored abbey farm 6 from 1228. On the left is the recreation area Bosberg, on the right the nature reserve Kelchterhoef. The signage leads you through the forest to the Binnenvaartstraat, which you follow to the left for a while, and then turn right into the Hoevestraatje. If you are unlucky here, you will be treated to 'Apocalypse now – live' by the Belgian Air Force. The shooting range is nearby and the planes cause a lot of noise pollution. Fortunately, they don't practice every day. You now cycle on a wider concrete road for cyclists and past the Paintball Arena and a large pond, which is simply called De Plas. Then you go into the forest and when you get out, turn right again into the forest. You turn left twice and end up in Europark. Follow this industrial road on the mandatory cycle path on the other side to the right until junction 317 and continue cycling straight ahead, towards 76. You cycle for a while parallel to the industrial road through the forest until you can turn right into the Kruisvenstraat (only for cyclists). Make a right-angled left turn with this road and you will arrive at a T-junction. This road is also called Kruisvenstraat. Turn right and at the end turn left. You now cycle through the Eynderweg with a military domain on the right and separate buildings on the left. Ignore the Damstraat on the left and then turn right into the Verloren weg (cyclists only). At the end you will arrive in the Sonnisstraat. Just left and then immediately right, so almost straight ahead. At the Osseven farm turn right into the Ossevenstraat, past a farm building with a balloon in mirrors. This clearly has something to do with ballooning. 500 m further you can go to sheep farm Sonnisheide for traditionally prepared farm ice cream. At the end of the Ossevenstraat follow the Oude Postbaan to the left. Ignore the Larestraat on the left, cycle further through the open agricultural landscape, cross the Kazernelaan and continue to follow the Oude Postbaan until junction 76. Continue cycling towards 309 and take the Kanonstraat on the left at a farm. Ignore the Kapelstraat on the left and then turn left with the Kanonstraat and then right through the agricultural landscape. You come back to the Sonnisstraat and follow it to the right. Leave the Eikelbosstraat on the left and at the end of the Sonnisstraat follow the Peersedijk to the right and then follow the Molenheidestraat on the left until the Molenheide car park.