Rozendaal

The Rozendaal path is open year-round for walkers and is marked with signposts. The path runs partly over unpaved roads and is therefore less suitable for wheelchair users.

The Rozendaal path largely runs through a historic heath and forest area that is marked on the Ferraris map from the late 18th century as "the Warande." This Warande then spanned from the historic Oosthof in Koekelare to the main road Ostend - Torhout. Due to the poor sandy soil, this area was little suited for agriculture until the 19th century. Large areas were covered with forest, heath, or marshy ponds. On the walk, many elements will still remind you of these long-gone times.

The walking path starts at the market in Ichtegem where one can easily park the car. The market square is dominated on the north side by the "Huis Dekeyser." On the south side, the stout tower of the Saint Michael's Church rises above the rooftops. The tower, the old choir, and the transept are protected as monuments and are a beautiful example of Romanesque architecture from the 11th century. In the church, the pulpit and several beautifully sculpted confessionals are worth admiring.

We now step left of the church in the direction of the brewery with its tall chimney. The Strubbe brewery is a family business where Ichtegem regional beers are brewed in an artisanal way. We go straight into Swolstraat. Through this Swolstraat, a connection can be made to the mountain walk in Koekelare.

However, we turn right into Brouwerijstraat and after a hundred meters arrive at Koekelarestraat. We follow this to the left to turn directly onto Sint Bertinuslaan at the roundabout with a statue by local sculptor Duriez. After fifty meters, we arrive at Rozendaalweg and turn left. This is the old connection road to Rozendaal Castle.

We soon leave the village and enter the open area of the former "Warande." After a few bends, we reach the Blekerijbeek, which we follow for a while even though we leave the paved road.

When we cross the brook, we enter the park area around Rozendaal Castle. We approach a farm but turn left before the gate and follow a field path. This runs through a beautiful landscape to the north, and after 500 meters, we cross the Blekerijbeek again.

For the first time, we catch a glimpse of the castle estate on our right side. We now follow a beautiful row of old poplars until we come to an old gate with a small pedestrian door on the left side. The historic Rozendaalweg runs straight ahead here, but we turn right.

Here we walk along the beautiful avenues that are so typical of the estate. Rare plants grow in the roadside ditches reminding us of the time when this was still a heathland.

Thanks to the help of the municipality of Ichtegem, tailored management can be implemented to preserve this rare treasure. In summer, knapweed, heather, sand violet, goldenrod, and many other flowers color the edge of the road.

We now walk straight ahead to Moerdijkstraat where we turn right. After about 100 meters, we take the monumental driveway towards the castle on the right. Before the gate, we turn left. The castle estate itself is private.

We now follow the beautiful beech avenue to a small grove. Here we turn right and take a narrow path through the grove. Back at the previous avenue, we follow it to the right until we reach the Vijver district. This name recalls the many ponds that were scattered over the former forest and heathland.

Here, we follow the walking path that leads further into Moerdijkstraat. After about 300 meters, we turn right into Rubenslaan and walk through this villa district to Abdijstraat. We cross Sint Bertinuslaan to return via Kasteelwegel along Huis Dekeyser back to the market.