A varied journey with beautiful views, through the beech forest of Silly, past castles, chapels, an impressive old watermill, and Pairi Daiza. After the trip, you can try one of the 16 beers from Brasserie de Silly in the village center.

Text and photo Stan Verelst

The route

Meeting at the Place Communale in Silly, at junction 69 of the cycling network of La Wallonie picarde à vélo (V). With the church and the square on your left, you start heading towards junction 62. You reach it at the first splitting near Brasserie de Silly. Turn right towards junction 63. At junction 63, turn right towards junction 64 and again right on a bike path until you reach junction 65. ● Those arriving by train in Silly can join the route here.●
Turn right along the house towards junction 71. You cycle along a narrow asphalt road through the open agricultural landscape. At the split, turn right and continue winding and gently rolling until you reach a small intersection. Turn left down the Rue du Mitron until the fork with junction 71. Turn right past a building with a chapel in the wall, through the Rue Saint-Marcoult, towards junction 6. ● Ignore the side streets, cycle past the church of Saint-Marcoult, and after exiting the agglomeration signs of Saint-Marcoult, dive into the Bois de Silly. The forest is recognized by the Walloon region as a 'Site of Great Biological Interest'. Next comes a stunning stretch along a narrow, winding asphalt road through the beautiful beech forest. Gently rolling, partly hollow, and with a lovely picnic spot beside the road.

Jam, milk, and eggs

You arrive at the N57. Cross it to the right and continue cycling along the forest edge towards Fouleng. At junction 6, turn left towards junction 84, Fouleng, and Thoricourt. You cycle again through an open landscape with beautiful views. ● At the split, where the road to Fouleng goes right, keep cycling straight. You pass La Croquette Thoricourtoise, a small farm where you can get potatoes, homemade croquettes, jam, milk, and eggs, and then you curve around the castle of Thoricourt (1768)(1) and the castle farm. You are then at junction 84. ● Continue straight through the beautiful castle avenue, towards junction 52. You roll past the agglomeration sign of Thoricourt and a charming square until you reach junction 52. Turn left towards junction 87, through the Rue d’Horrues. At the first small intersection with the brick chapel, you are already there. ● Here, you leave the cycle network of La Wallonie Picarde for a moment. Keep going straight through Rue d’Horrues and descend into the open landscape. At the T-junction, turn right down the Rue de Lombisoeul. After a right turn, you come to a fork with the Farm de Lombiseuil (18th century)(2) on the right, an impressive square farm and two dead-end roads. Turn left towards the little wood.

Castle of Louvignies

The road becomes hollow and at the T-junction, you turn left. The road stays hollow, and you continue until you reach the junction with the beautiful Chapelle Notre-Dame du Cerisier (3). The current chapel dates from 1872. Turn left towards Chaussée N.D. At the T-junction with the unpaved road on the right, turn left. Ignore the Rue de Lombise on the right and immediately afterwards turn right onto the Rue d’Ath. Follow that to the small intersection with an unpaved road straight ahead. Turn right to the castle of Louvignies (4)(1878). ● Turn right into Rue Haute. From here, you again follow the cycling network, heading towards KP 50. At the fork, turn right down the Rue de Cambron. At the split, turn right towards Lombise and shortly after, take the first road to the left. You now cycle through a landscape with a 360° panorama and past a large farm. At the intersection where the Rue d’Enghien is on the left and an unpaved road continues straight, turn right. ● At the end of the road, turn into the second street on the left and continue until the priority road with junction 50. Here you do your own thing again and do not follow the cycling network for a while. Turn left over the dotted cycling path. At the intersection with the road to Soignies, you cycle straight ahead. You pass the agglomeration sign of Cambron-Saint-Vincent and then turn right into the Rue du Parc, towards Cambron-Casteau.

Watermill from 1787

Just ahead, turn left into Rue de la Poste. Ignore a street on the left and turn right at the end. Then turn left into Rue du Moulin. You descend to the Eastern Dender and cycle past the impressive buildings of the moulin de Trieux (5), a former watermill of Cambron-Saint-Vincent from 1787. Now in decline, but you can still see part of a mill wheel at the back. ● Continue cycling along a cobbled path until you reach a priority road and follow it right, almost straight ahead. Gently climb further over a dotted cycling path along a wide concrete road until just before the agglomeration sign of Lens, where you turn right with a sharp bend into Rue de Cambron-Casteau. ● You follow the junction network again, heading towards junction 83, along a narrow asphalt road between the fields. Ignore the side roads and cycle past a white square farm to a priority road with a mandatory stop. Turn right. You now follow a busier road around Pairi Daiza. ● You turn left along the road and just before the entrance of Pairi Daiza, turn right to the T-junction. There, turn left to junction 83. Keep going straight towards junction 82.

Former abbey tower in Pairi Daiza

To avoid the bustle around Pairi Daiza and the center of Cambron-Casteau as much as possible, you take a final detour. Turn right into the beautiful avenue opposite the main entrance of Pairi Daiza. It's called Grand Chemin. The avenue turns into a narrow asphalt road between the fields. ● You cycle past the agglomeration sign of Brugelette and join back into the cycling network. At junction 78, turn right into Chemin du Pire, towards junction 72. After a short climb, you return to the open landscape. On the right, you see la Tour de Saint-Bernard (18th century), the former abbey tower, now in Pairi Daiza. ● At the T-junction, with an unpaved road on the right, turn left. After the agglomeration sign of Gages, the road widens and you cycle on concrete. At the split, turn right. You cross an intersection straight across and continue until you reach junction 72, just before the church of Gages. Turn left into Avenue des Cerisiers, towards junction 61. ● Ignore the side roads and cycle past the end of the agglomeration sign of Gages to the N523. Go right with a little left-right twist through Rue de Silly.

Church behind the fields

You cycle past a castle domain and a farm where you can buy fresh eggs. At the first T-junction, turn left and at the next T, turn right. At the junction with an unpaved road on the right, slightly turn left. You cycle past Bois d’Hérimez and a farm, ignore a side road on the left, and then turn right into Chemin du Bonla, towards Gibecq. ● Continue to the small intersection with junction 61. Go straight towards junction 62. You roll past the agglomeration sign of Gibecq, ignore a road on the right and left, and keep cycling straight. At a chapel, you follow the road left and cycle until you reach the church of Gibecq. Turn right. ● Ignore the side roads and cycle past the end of the agglomeration sign of Gibecq out of the village. At the intersection with Ferme d’Hurtebise, turn right and continue your way through a hollow road until you reach the N57. Turn right and then take the first road on the left. This is Rue de Fellignies. ● Follow this beautiful road through the open landscape. You can already see the church of Silly behind the fields. You roll past the agglomeration sign of Silly, ignore a road on the left, and turn right at the T-junction. Continue cycling past Taverne de la Sille until you reach junction 62. Turn right to junction 69 at the starting point.