Cycling through Brabant's Haspengouw allows you to enjoy the gently rolling agricultural landscape with beautiful vistas. We explore the region south of Jodoigne, pedalling past ancient chapels and square farms.

Text and photos Stan Verelst

Meeting at Place de la Gare (V), at the former train station of Ramillies. Cycle into the path until the RAVeL of railway line 147. Turn left towards Jodoigne and KP 91. Cycle under the N279 and turn right at KP 91, towards KP 92. A bit further, turn left and continue along an old railway bed. You cycle past the former station of Autre-Eglise, cross an asphalt road to the right and cycle on KP 92 to the right, towards KP 93. At KP 93 turn right to reach KP 95 in Jauche. Turn left, towards KP 30. ● Cross the Petite Gette and turn left at the mandatory stop and a bit further right, into Rue d’en Bas. Ignore a street to the right and climb until the T-junction. Turn right, towards Centre de Hemptinne. Cross the priority road to the right and cycle at the six-way crossing to the right, on the path for agricultural vehicles and cyclists. Enjoy the 360° panorama and cycle at the intersection with the concrete road to the right. ● You drive past the first houses of Marilles and turn left at the T-junction. Ignore a road to the right and continue through Rue de la Tuilerie. At the fork, where it dead-ends to the right, turn left. At the end of the road, turn right to KP 30, just before the church of Marilles. Turn left, towards KP 52 and Noduwez. ● At the fork with Chapelle Notre-Dame des Affligés, turn left, through a hollow road to an intersection with mirrors. Go right. Where it dead-ends to the left, bend with the road to the right. Ignore a road further ahead to the right and cycle right through Rue de la Croix Saint-Martin. Follow that to the end of the urban area sign of Marilles and climb to the four-way intersection with KP 52. Turn left, towards KP 51.

Open landscape

You cycle through an open landscape with beautiful views, along a small wood and at a crossroads with a few houses, to the right into Rue Brou de Gentissart. Bend further with the concrete road to the left until the four-way intersection, just after the urban area sign of Marilles and the chapel across. Turn right, to KP 51, at the mandatory stop. Go straight through Rue de l’Eglise, towards KP 50. At the four-way intersection, cycle with a slight right-left kink to the right into Rue de L’Enfer and emerge at a bend of another road. ● Keep cycling to the right. At the next bend, turn right into the path for cyclists. You enter the open landscape with a 360° panorama and arrive at a road with the urban area sign of Huppaye. Turn right until you can diagonally turn left into Rue de la Chapelle, a cobbled road. At the end, turn right, along a brick wall and at the small intersection with the church of Molembais-Saint-Pierre on the left, go right. In front of the entrance of the rectory and to the left a road to the church, turn right. ● Cross the Ruisseau des Gotteaux and cycle next to a farm up the dirt road and cycle over the grass to KP 50, on top of the RAVeL L142. Go straight, towards KP 49. On your right, you can see Ferme du Grand Château (1). At the end of the unpaved road, turn right.

Over the Grote Gete

Ignore a road to the left, cycle along Ferme du Grand Château and then turn left into the bike path between the fields, towards the church of Huppaye. You arrive at Rue du Ruisseau Saint-Jean. Go straight. Ignore the side streets until you can turn right onto the road for a maximum of 1.5 tons. At the end, right again, and at the T-junction turn left, onto Rue de Glimes. ● After the last houses, continue on a dotted line bike path. Ignore the road to Bomal on the left and turn right at KP 49 at Chapelle Notre-Dame de Bonne Garde (1652)(2), towards Jauchelette and KP 46. No more dotted line bike paths, but arrows and cyclists painted on the road. ● Ignore all side roads and continue to KP 46, which you encounter twice in a row. Go straight, towards KP 45. Leave the church of Jauchelette on the right, cross la Grande Gette and cycle along the end of the urban area sign of Jauchelette to the priority road. Cross the N29 straight and continue through the rolling landscape, past the urban area sign of Dongelberg to the four-way intersection with KP 45. Turn left into Rue des Carrières, towards KP 44.

Steep climb

Cross the Ruisseau d’Orbais and turn at the T-junction with the mirror to the left with the road. At the small intersection, where the road bends to the right, cycle straight. At the fork, diagonally turn right over cobblestones. At the end, turn left into Rue des Etats. First cobbles, then gently climb over asphalt. ● After the last houses, cycle through the open landscape to KP 44, at the priority road. Cross that, with a right-left kink, straight over and cycle onto the parking lot of the AD Delhaize of Incourt, towards KP 43. Leave the parking lot via Chemin du Manil, turn right at the T-junction and follow the path along the old clay pit and the Ruisseau d’Orbais to KP 43. Go straight, towards KP 42. ● After a steep climb, you arrive at the bend of another road. Go straight, past the village school and the church of Opprebais. At the small intersection go straight into Rue de la Justice. Follow that to KP 42. Turn left, towards KP 83. At the end turn right, through Rue de la Ferme, along a large square farm. Bend with the road to the left, cross a small intersection straight, ignore a road to the left and turn right at the next fork. ● Then take the first road to the left. After the urban area sign of Malèves-Sainte-Marie-Wastinnes, at a fork with a left-right kink turn straight into Rue de Thorembais. You cycle past the church of Wastines and turn at the next fork to the right and immediately after turn left.

Following the beguines

The road widens and you cycle over a dotted line bike path to the N29. Go straight, along the sign of Thorembais-les-Béguines, into Rue du Béguinage. Ignore the side roads and cycle along Ferme du Mont to the intersection with KP 83 and on the left, the church of Thorembais-les-Béguines. Go straight into Rue du Long Pré, towards KP 80. At the fork, you cycle diagonally left into Rue de la Petite Cense and ride past Ferme de la Petite Cense (18th century)(3). ● At the T-junction, with a brick chapel on the right turn left, entering the open landscape past the end urban area sign of Thorembais-les-Béguines. Ignore side roads and continue until the T-junction with KP 80. Turn left, towards KP 81. Cross the Chaussée de Namur straight and continue through Rue du Gestiaux to the four-way intersection with KP 81. Turn right towards KP 85, over a rough, bulging cobblestone road. ● After the first houses, you reach a fork. Diagonally left, still through Rue du Gestiaux. At the end turn right and after the football field of AS Saint-André turn right again, to the T-junction. Turn left to the fork with KP 85 and on the left the church of Mont-Saint-André. Diagonally right, towards KP 86. You descend over a wide concrete road and turn left into Rue de la Montagne, towards Geest-Gérompont. ● You climb past the end urban area sign of Mont-Saint-André, ignore a road to the left and turn left at the small intersection and follow the rising cobbled road. Ignore side roads and continue until the N279. Go right and at KP 86, across, turn right, towards KP 89.

Geest seen

You cycle past a large pond and along the end urban area sign of Geest-Gérompont and under the bridge of RAVeL Line 147. ● Ignore a road to the left and turn right at the next fork and continue through Rue Albert Goossens. Follow this narrow concrete road along the urban area sign of Grand-Rosière to the N91. Go straight, the road for local traffic. At the first small intersection turn left into Rue du Saussois. Follow that to the N243. Cross straight over and follow the bike path left until you reach the N91. Turn left, towards Leuven and immediately after, turn right into Rue de Ramillies. ● You cycle past the end urban area sign of Grand-Rosière and Ferme de Waulsort (4). After a small wood, you ignore the access road to Ferme d’Aubremé (5) on the left and cycle past Chapelle Saint-Donath, under a lonely tree. At the small intersection of field roads, cycle straight. ● Then make a right-left bend with the concrete road and continue until KP 89, with a picnic area. Turn left, over the RAVeL Line 142, towards KP 90. You cross a small bridge, cycle under a bridge and arrive at KP 90. Now you cycle over RAVeL Line 147, towards KP 91. Further on, turn left to the exit for Ramillies Gare and cycle to the starting point.