Haspengouws Wintershoven

When you say Haspengouw, you think of orchards. Especially the standard trees such as the Rabbit Orchard add value to the undulating landscape. The low stems arouse less admiration, but only fruit pickers are allowed to get involved in this discussion. Limburgers can also have a hearty say about castles, from Ridderborn Castle to Hardelingen Castle with its remarkable English garden to Schalckhoven Castle.

1. Appointment at the St. Peter's Church in Wintershoven (V). With the church on your left, direction Pieter Geert Buckinxroute, you leave towards the forest. Cross the bridge and turn left. At the next bridge the path splits. Climb right onto the roadside and follow the asphalt path to the right, cycle junction 123. Step through a grove and take the first path on the left. You follow this soaring gravel path, next to a tall orchard, to the end. You stand at a crossroads with a crucifix on a pole in the right corner in a meadow. Choose the wide gravel road diagonally to the left, so go almost straight ahead.
2. At the crossroads with the chapel you step across the Baron A. de Heuschstraat. You walk past Ridderborn Castle (1), as Loon's fief first mentioned in 1361. As it stands today, it dates from the early 19th century. Continue walking up to the T with the crucifix. Follow the Gulmerstraat to the right. Then take the first street on the left. You walk between orchards and fields until you reach a T. Turn right, towards cycle junction 123. You step past some houses and ignore the St.-Janstraat on the left. Continue onto Sitsingenstraat. You walk between orchards, ignore a concrete road that turns into a field road on the left and turn left just after, on the T. Enjoy the 360° panorama.
3. Then you continue between orchards until you reach a T. Turn right towards local walk red triangle and Chapel Route. You walk past a large fruit company and come on a T. Left into the Bruggestraat until the junction with the Calvary (2). Turn right and follow Romershovenstraat. 100 m further turn left. Ignore the field road on the right and step past No. 7, also on the right, into the narrow road for agricultural vehicles. You walk between fruit trees to a wide cross road. Cross it and continue on the other side. Ignore a small road on the left. On the T with the cobblestone strip, turn left with the concrete road. There is an information board about small landscape elements with picnic area. You climb gently, ignore a field road on the left and walk through a hollow road to a fork. Turn right here and keep at the crossroads with the cobblestone lane on the right at cycle junction 123. Two crosses (3) is called this point. On the left a cross from 1592, a memory of a man who died here. On the right a cross from 1567. A murder cross. Ghijs Ponwels or Pauwels was murdered here. The perpetrator was obliged to erect this reconciliation cross.
4. Continue between the two crosses. You step through a grove and walk to the crossroads with a chapel and a boundary stone (4) from 1683. Here Hoeselt, Werm and Hardelingen bordered each other. Right. Turn left along the asphalt road and walk past the 19th-century Castle of Hardelingen (5), with English garden. Walk on and turn right into Steenbergstraat. It goes gently uphill. In the distance you can see the castle of Schalkhoven (6). Anno 1588, rebuilt in 1770 in classicist style. On the T turn right, direction Kapelletjesroute. Just before the cemetery, turn left into Lindenhofstraat. With this road, turn right, ignore the road to cycle junction 123 and Klikstraat on the left and follow a road for agricultural vehicles straight ahead. Then, immediately after the bend, take the road with limited traffic on the left, towards junction 122. Continue walking and turn left onto the first side road. At the end turn right. Ignore a street on the left, step past a pigeon room and a few football fields and descend into the center of Vliermaal.
5. Ignore another street on the left and turn right on the T. Immediately afterwards, turn left, towards cycle junction 122, into the Oude Tramstraat. Ignore the Koning Boudewijnlaan on the left and cross the Kerkveldweg. Now you walk on the old tram bed. At the next cross road, turn left. At the end, follow the Loostraat to the right. Ignore another street on the left, step past a chapel and walk into the field road. You step into the forest and follow the Mombeek to the bridge. Straight ahead, that's how you get to the starting point.