With a view of Zoutleeuw

Zoutleeuw in itself is worth the trip: the Cloth Hall (16th century, now a tourist office and atmospheric eatery), the town hall (1530) and especially the beautiful St. Leonard's Church with sacrament tower (13th-16th centuries) elevate the Grote Markt (V) to gothic art shrine of the Hageland. During the opening hours of the information office you can visit the town hall freely. In addition to the Markt, with a variety of restaurants, you will also find parking at the sports and culture center De Passant, 200 m behind the town hall (www.zoutleeuw.be). You leave the center on the other side of the church, via the Groenplaats and the Vleesstraat. At the OCMW - formerly Hopital van de Grauwzusters - you cross the Kleine Gete and turn left into the Paardenbrugstraat. Also past the second bridge, with lock and waterfall, you stay on the left bank, along the 3-Sluizenweg. This way you come to a third, metal bridge, which you do cross, to now follow the Kleine Gete further on the right bank. The riverbank path takes you to a slow road, on which you turn left. From 1878 to 1957 the railway Tienen - Sint-Truiden - Tongeren ran here. At the first intersection, leave it again, turning right into a cobblestone road, along with two GR routes (red and white). Behind you you occasionally have beautiful views of the skyline of Zoutleeuw. You keep walking those cobblestones, following the curves. You ignore all the side roads. At the converted farm no. 10 you come to the Kleine Gete hiking trail. That river here winds peacefully along bushes, orchards and meadows of the southern Hageland. You immediately cross them and walk through the rural hamlet of Helen. Right view of the tableau of church 1 and old farm, a protected village view. At the intersection with roundabout go straight ahead, into the Jan van Heelustraat. At the next intersection with the Kruidveldstraat go straight ahead again, the Galerijstraat. At the fork, just on the border with Melkwezer, choose moesbeekstraat on the right. Red and white is still participating. Turn right at the fork. At the young orchard, the concrete stops and you walk straight between the red and white concrete posts. You end up on the Iron Road again from earlier. Follow it to the left and immediately cross the road. On the border with Drieslinter you cross the Grote Gete. The concrete ribbon then swings with a wide bend to the left and then merges with another slow road: the old Tienen - Diest railway line. Just before the split, the construction of those lines messed up an old fishing pond, Het Viskot. Of these, only a few pools remain to the left and right, where the rare crested salamander (or Getedraak) still lives. A mini reserve, managed by Natuurpunt. Another 200 m further towards Drieslinter, on the same slow road, is a well-known cycling junction: the Stationsplein vanDrieslinter 2 with two taverns (both closed on Thursdays), summer terraces and playground. At the time, there was a marshalling yard here. However, you don't have to walk that far, unless for a pit stop halfway through. You now walk the slow road in the other direction (to Budingen). After 1.5 km you will come to a crossroads with a few houses: here on the right into the Getestraat. At the branch at the forest turn left (to junction 48). The path then turns to the right, through a wet forest, towards Bos, hamlet of Zoutleeuw. On the way you first cross the Grote Gete and then 's Hertogengracht. Turn left at the first house of Bos. You walk past the chapel of Our Lady. van de Zeven Sorrowen 3 , remnant of a 16th century Augustinian monastery and afterwards rebuilt so often that it looks almost ridiculous. At the fork go straight ahead, into the Leeuwerweg. Dra beckons the proud Gothic towers of Zoutleeuw again on the horizon. At the Vloedgracht you only have to cross the water to the right and then walk to the Tiensestraat. It leads you (left) back to the warm heart of Zoutleeuw.