Erpe-Mere, at the gateway to the Flemish Ardennes, is more than an exit on the E40. The eight districts offer a treasure of diversity in the landscape. Explore the district of Aaigem on this hike.

The local walking network allows the walker to discover beautiful and lesser-known spots. The network consists of 10 walks supplemented with a '10,000 steps walk', and you can freely combine them. Walk 9, which is described here, mainly runs through the territory of Aaigem, a district of Erpe-Mere.
The rural village, lovingly sung and praised for its beauty and simplicity by resident Jan De Wilde, deserves a prominent place as a walking destination. Some celebrities have come to enjoy its tranquility, and singer Rocco Granata found his bride there in 1977.
The collection folder with all 11 walking brochures and a handy overview map as well as a Slow Paths map is available at the Leisure and Tourism Department of the municipality of Erpe-Mere.
Tip: The paths can be muddy, so wear appropriate footwear.

The route

The walk starts at the St. Nicholas and St. Leonard churches in Aaigemdorp. With your back to the entrance of the church, go straight on Aaigemdorp. Take the path straight ahead next to the WZC St. Vincentius. At Vijverage, turn right towards a chapel where you turn left into Populierenstraat. Follow that to number 12, where you take a footpath on your left. Before the small woods, turn right at a right angle and follow the path to the end (Wijngaardbos). There, at the T-junction, turn left (ignore the path to the right further on). A bit further on, turn left into a narrow path and follow that through a few right-angle turns to Damkouter. From there, go straight towards Griet, which you follow on the left. A bit further on, go right down a renewed path to Ratstraat. There, turn right. Take the old side road to Ratmolen, where you cross Ratmolenstraat straight ahead and enter Hofveldweg. At a T-junction, turn right. Until you reach Aaigembergstraat, ignore the side streets. At the T-junction, turn left. Continue down Aaigembergstraat. Ignore the side streets until you can turn left into Delestraat and then further right into Driepikkel. The path straight ahead ends. Turn right at a right angle and further left and again left towards D'Hoeve. (The path runs there along the border of Aaigem and Heldergem, veering slightly left for a meadow and after a few meters to the right to end up at a dilapidated house.) There, go straight ahead. Where the road turns left, go straight onto the tiled path over the little bridge that is locally called ‘de Plank’, further towards Kosterweg. Before the first house, turn right and follow an unpaved path until Frankrot where you turn right. Cross Hollestraat (straight ahead) and go into Landries until you reach Aaigemdries where you go diagonally left towards Kalvaar (at the top of this Dries). There, turn at a right angle to the left until you reach Halleweg, and turn right into that. At the chapel, go straight to Langemunt. There, we turn left and at the football field, go right into a pathway. This leads to Opaaigem that you cross straight ahead. In Vijverage, turn immediately left onto a path that crosses Aaigemdorp straight ahead, at the end turn right, and that brings you back to the church.