The New Prison 14.9 km

Walk new prison 14.5 km Dendermonde

START: MERELSTRAAT PARKING SPOOR (5 min from Sint Gillis station near Dendermonde)

ARRIVAL: MERELSTRAAT PARKING SPOOR

TOTAL DISTANCE: 14.9 KM BREATHTAKING WALK 90% unpaved roads - forest - and water

Departure at Merelstraat left towards Hullekenstraat, we will go left here and first street right = Baleunisstraat, keep left until Blijdorp.

There take a small path next to the track and continue to follow the railway line right to the little bridge under the railway line (Dendermonde-Lokeren)

Follow this road (asphalt) past the ponds on the right of the road to the apartment building on the left “Kruidmagazijn” at the ruins of Mechelsepoort (bat-friendly restored)

Here we turn left to the next intersection, then right and the first path (footbridge over) along the ponds behind the Olympia swimming pool, we come to the parking and follow this road to the other side and take the first path left Kalendijk. Follow these ponds along Kalendijk and walk to the end of the road.

Here we turn right into the park, we walk around and come out at the Brusselsepoort.

Here we cross via the pedestrian path to Brusselsestraat, follow this to Heldenplein and walk left into Molenstraat until the first right = Molenstraat or back of the Begijnhof to Begijnhoflaan to the right via St Jorisgilde to Sas van Dendermonde.

We keep following the left side of the Sas or (Oude Dender) path until the first road left to Nieuw Kwartier (Dendermondse Forten) completely walk until Burgemeester Portmanslaan, we turn right and take the next path right along the pond.

Follow this to the second road on the left into walking until the end and then to the right (Galeidestraat), from here we continue to the Tragel “Oude Dender” left.

Follow along the Oude Dender until the new bridge, we turn left to the Old Monastery. There right and cross to the bike path next to the forest towards the new prison until the first path to the right behind the fence. Here right into the thicket completely around and walk back to the Old Monastery.

We walk past the new bridge and Tragel to the first field path right behind the fence.

Here we walk past the Scout site (Tragel 7) and return towards Oude Dender on the Tragel until the rest footpath left (Horse junction 1) through the forest Tragelweg until the end we arrive right at the Genstesteenweg, we take the Genstesteenweg past the house with the turret and there to the right through the gardens of Dendermonde we come back on the Tragel “Oude Dender”

Afterwards, we come to the end of the Tragel and walk left and then the second right past the Library of Dendermonde to Kerkstraat, we cross this to O.L.vrouw Kerkplein walking completely around the church and return to Kerkstraat.

Here we go left to the great market of Dendermonde, walking along the great market and turn right at the corner of Belford to the old Dender and there to the left along the water towards Franz Courtensstraat until the Bogaerdbrug, cross this and turn left = Papiermolenstraat, we walk down and come to the Oude vest and take a turn to the left to the lights of Noorlaan-Martelarenlaan. Cross via Mechelsesteenweg to the first right = Kroonveldlaan, follow this to the first path to the right and at the fork continue left until the end of the road and then left, here we walk a little back (from the outbound route) to the bridge under the Dendermonde-Lokeren railway, from the bridge we continue towards Kroonveldlaan along the daycare “De Kroon” and at the end turn right past the Az Sint Blasius, follow this road until the end and come back into Hullekensstraat to the right and immediately (cross) to the left = Elsbosstraat, there to the right and we arrive at Spoorwegstraat, continue following this until before the railway line Dendermonde-Mechelen-Leuven and the end of the walk at the parking Merelstraat.

SIGHTS:

BLIJDORP BALEUNISSTRAAT    https://blijdorp.be

PEACE WOOD    https://www.bosplus.be/l/library/download/urn:uuid:2c674dac-338f-400b-8fec-e0fb57a6d8ec/vademecum_vredesbossen.pdf?format&ext=.pdf

KRUITMAGAZIJN DENDERMONDE

https://www.hln.be/in-de-buurt/dendermonde/voormalig-kruitmagazijn-in-oude-glorie-hersteld-met-bijzonder-onderkomen-voor-vleermuizen~af553f83

MECHELSEPOORT   https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mechelsepoort

Kalendijk   https://www.toerismedendermonde.be/product/669/kalendijkgebied

BRUSSELSEPOORT   https://www.toerismedendermonde.be/product/650/brusselse-poort

BEGIJNHOF  https://www.toerismedendermonde.be/product/546/sint-alexiusbegijnhof-met-begijnhofmuseum-en-museum-voor-volkskunde

NATURE EDUCATION CENTER BASTION VIII  https://www.toerismedendermonde.be/product/667/natuureducatief-centrum-bastion-viii

SAS DENDERMONDE  https://www.toerismedendermonde.be/product/1076/sas

BRUSSEL FORTS  https://www.toerismedendermonde.be/product/668/brusselse-forten

OLD MONASTERY   https://inventaris.onroerenderfgoed.be/themas/15227

NEW PRISON  https://www.dendermonde.be/product/3398/nieuwe-gevangenis-en-brug

COMMUNITY GARDENERS  https://www.hln.be/in-de-buurt/dendermonde/volkstuinders-vieren-110-jarig-bestaan~af03f5e8

TRAGEL  https://www.detragel.be

OUR LADY CHURCH   https://www.parochiedendermonde.be/onze-lieve-vrouwekerk-dekenale-kerk

GREAT MARKET  https://www.toerismedendermonde.be/product/902/grote-markt

BELFORT OF DENDERMONDE  https://www.toerismedendermonde.be/product/689/stadhuis-belfort-en-prachtige-lakenhalle

JUSTICE PALACE  https://www.toerismedendermonde.be/product/736/justitiepaleis

BOGAERDBRIDGE DENDERMONDE  https://www.hln.be/in-de-buurt/dendermonde/vroeger-en-nu-gedaanteverwisseling-voor-bogaerdbrug~ae68f978

THE HOUSE OF THE CHILD “DE KROON”   https://huisvanhetkind-dekroon.be

AZ SINT BLASIUS   https://www.azsintblasius.be/startpagina

This walk is brought to you by Emiel Peeters

LINK TO THE PHOTOS: https://photos.app.goo.gl/5zi3vNkZk3jBfny39