Through the fens north of Turnhout

Appointment at Bridge 2 (V) over the Dessel-Schoten canal on the steenweg on Merksplas. You start towards 01, with tavern Klaverhof on your left and the canal on your right. On the other side of the canal the Nieuwe Kaai and the skyline of Turnhout. At junction 01 you choose direction 02, over the old railway bed of 't Bels Lijntje, direction the Netherlands. You cycle among the greenery, cross Heizijde and reach junction 02. Continue cycling towards 03. Cross the N119 from Turnhout to Baarle-Hertog carefully and continue to follow the Bels Lijntje. Little England is called this region. On the Dombergstraat you are at junction 03. Continue cycling towards 05. A little further on you come through the beautiful fen area that stretches north of Turnhout. You pass a watchtower 1 and it is worthwhile to climb it. You will be rewarded with a unique view of the beautiful nature reserve with the Grote and kleine Klotteraard and the Zwart Water. Then cross another road and you will come back to the N119 and to junction 05. The Bels Lijntje goes straight ahead, direction Tilburg. You follow the busy traffic road, direction 52, and then turn right onto the first road, past the NATO airfield of Weelde and the room of the Belgian Aircadets. Turn left at the first intersection; The other roads are closed with a barrier. Again into the forest and at a crossroads, with an access road to the airport on the left, you cycle straight ahead. To the left of the road a large clog with a story in it, part of the Smugglers' Route. Soon you will come across two more clogs of this tourist cycle route of the province of Antwerp. Past a chicken farm you come to junction 52. Turn left twice. The road winds towards junction 83. In the distance you can see the windmill Arbeid adelt (1850) 2 and the church of Weelde. Crossing the border to Groot Bedaf Don't worry about side roads on the MerksplasWeelde road. Turn right and then left into Koningsstraat. Ignore all side roads and keep following the Koningsstraat until the Belgian-Dutch border. In the Netherlands, the road is getting narrower and is now called Kievit. You will pass Parc De Kievit, where you can camp or stay in a bungalow or chalet. A little further on you can see the church towers of Baarle-Hertog and Baarle-Nassau almost next to each other. You reach junction 83 and choose 84, almost straight ahead. On the left the street is called Reth, straight ahead it remains De Kievit. At the T-junction turn right, direction Poppel and Groot Bedaf. It continues through an agricultural landscape and the road becomes Veldbraak. You cycle past some farms and mini campsite Veldrust. At the fork, choose left, direction Poppel and Groot-Bedaf. Junction 84 is 100 metres away. Continue cycling straight ahead, towards 85, through an open landscape on a narrow road with cobblestones, flanked on the right by native oaks. You cycle over some speed bumps in the middle of the fields and turn left at a crossroads, with straight ahead and unpaved roads on the right. At the next intersection, continue to follow the road with pavers to the right. Don't worry about side roads anymore and keep following the narrow asphalt road until you reach the Baarle-HertogPoppel road. This is junction 85, in the hamlet of Groot Bedaf. Turn right, direction 51. Along the Aa Fiets 200 m further across the border and just on Belgian soil is junction 51. Continue straight ahead, direction 53. 300 m further right into a gravel road, next to the domain of Castle De Schrieken. Further on it goes completely through the forest and again in the open landscape you can see the church tower of Poppel on the left. From the first farm, the gravel road turns into an asphalt road. At the end, at the T-junction, you are on the stone road at Weelde. Follow it to the right and then turn left onto the Connection Road. You arrive at the Heesdijk and follow it to the right. Beyond 't Hegs Stalleke, a bicycle-friendly catering business, the street is called Hegge. Past a beautiful chapel and loose buildings, turn left into De Hoek. At junction 53 continue straight ahead, direction 54, on a winding, narrow concrete road for local traffic. You go into the forest and arrive at junction 54. Choose 57 and follow the Schootseweg to the right. You cross the Aa, bend along with the road past a farm and make a sharp left turn between the buildings of a farm and then make a right-angled turn. Continue along fields and a forest strip on a road with two concrete strips and a grass strip in between. You will arrive at the crossroads with the picturesque chapel of the Mosdijk 3. Turn left and 100 m further right, on a path especially for cyclists, with a beautiful picnic area at the end. Turn right, still towards 57. Turn left at the next intersection. You enter the Broekstraat and follow it to the right until you reach the Ravels-Weelde road. Just left and then immediately right, past the water tower of Eel and further on a narrow asphalt road through the open landscape. Ignore a road on the right, cross the Aa and immediately turn right. On the left you see the church of Eel. At the end of the road turn right until junction 57. Take a left here, the road for local traffic, direction 55, winding through the open countryside and past a beautiful picnic area. Through the Regional Forests of Ravels On the T turn left and past a bend to the right you can see the church and the windmill of Ravels in the distance. On the next T, follow the Mottelstraat to the right. Just before a chicken farm (with a vending machine with fresh free-range eggs) turn left and direction the windmill of Ravels. At the end of the road turn left. You cycle past windmill Nachtegaal der Maatvennen (1869) 4 . Then turn right into Molenzicht. Via Gilseinde and the Jachtweg you come to the intersection with the visitor center Boshuis 5 on the left. Continue cycling straight ahead. The road is unpaved and forbidden for cars. You now cycle through the Regional Forests of Ravels to junction 55. Continue cycling through the forest and along the Kesseven, hidden between the trees, to junction 58 on the DesselSchoten canal. Follow the channel to the right, towards junction 32. It is located on the bridge of the Turnhout-Ravels road. Keep following the canal, direction 04, through an area of old clay pits and past campsite De Baalse Hei. At junction 04, with a pedestrian bridge, you cycle further along the canal, towards 01. Under the ring of Turnhout. On the other side is the Oude Kaai and you come to seesaw bridge 1 and a little further at junction 01. From here you know the way. Another kilometer of cycling and you are back at the Klaverhof.