At the Trappists in Achel

This tour takes you from the Achelse Kluis, a monastery of the Trappists of West-Malle, to Boswachterij Leende, a 2400 ha nature reserve with fens, sand drifts, stream valleys and a real swamp.

1. Appointment at the parking of Achelse Kluis (V). The tour runs largely along cycling junctions. Start with your back to the entrance gate of the abbey. Cycle through the beautiful lane to the traffic road. Cross it. You are at junction 217. Boswachterij van Leende welcomes you. Follow Petrus Van Eijnattenlaan and cycle towards 36. After a few hundred meters you will pass a parking lot with picnic area. Continue cycling through a nice lane up to 36. Continue straight ahead, direction 56. You cycle between the Klein and the Groot Kraanven, through the heath. After a second barrier you get to 56. Turn diagonally left, direction Valkenswaard. Follow 55, on a narrower bike path. After a while you drive again along a beautiful strip with heath and fens. A sign says that an anti-desiccation project is being worked on here. At junction 55 straight ahead, follow '02'. At a parking lot, you leave the Leenderbos. You end up in the bend of a clinker road. Follow it straight ahead. At the fork, at Our Lady of the Three Bridges, turn left. You do that again on the T with traffic plateau. Further, over De Sil and to the Achel–Valkenswaard road. Cross over and continue cycling past a tree nursery and garden center.
2. On the T turn left, the Molenstraat, direction De Malpie and Venbergse watermolen (1). A mill of the underlay type. Cycle past the watermill. A little further you come to 02. Follow left, direction 32 to Schaft and Borkel. There follows a beautiful landscape with many fens. At a picnic area there is an information board about De Malpie. Continue cycling along the Vaarvennen and through the forest. Opposite the Great Malpieven you have a beautiful picnic area. Continue towards Schaft. On the right a beautiful stream in a meadow landscape. On the left a sign tells you that you are in the Dommel valley. Just past the sign Borkel, you come to point '32'. Shortening: turn left until junction 33.
3. For the big tour, follow the Dorpsstraat to the right, direction 31. Through the center and on 31 straight ahead, direction windmill St.-Antonius-Abt (1865) (2) and point '04'. The mill still grinds regularly. Where it turns left to 04 (Bruggerdijk), keep following the Dorpsstraat until the roundabout. On the other side you cycle over the Bergeijkse Dijk. Again towards '04'. You continue to follow the cycle path straight ahead towards Bergeijk (Klein Borkel and junction 04 turn right). You cycle past a parking lot where hiking trails start and bolt over the Beekbrug. The roadway then curves to the right. The cycle path runs straight ahead. Ignore a road on the right and take the cycle path on the left (Tabakspad), direction Bergeijkse Barrière. At the first fork, turn left towards 26 and Hengelvijvers. Just before the fish ponds, turn right into the forest, direction 26. Another beautiful path. Cross another stream, ignore the road to 't Schut and all side paths. At a barrier, follow right, direction 26. Now you cycle next to nature reserve De Maaij. You end up on the Burgemeester Aartslaan. Cross and follow the cycle path to the left. At junction 26, take a right towards '25'. Again forest and still the Grensparkroute. After a while you will be along a clear stream. At a first bridge you keep cycling straight between two canals. You cross the second bridge and then you follow the stream further, on the other bank. On the T (point 25). Turn left and cross the stream again. Direction '226'.
4. Turn right at the Huts. Cross the bridge over the Elzenloop. There is a boundary post and you cycle into Lommel. 'In the Huts' is the name of the road. It meanders along nature reserve De Wateringen. At the fork, follow Kolken straight ahead. At 226, ignore the Grote Fosséstraat on the left and head towards 227, next to a wide canal and through a forest strip to the Herentals–Bocholt canal. Junction 227. Follow the canal to the left, direction 228. On the left is the Heuvelse Heide. The towpath goes up and then you see marina De Meerpaal (3) on the left. At the first bridge you are at 228. Cycle under it, direction 221. On the left it goes to the Colony, on the other side is the Lommel industrial zone. You cycle again under a bridge. At 221 you leave the dike and follow 222. Below the dike you keep left and via the Tussenstraat you reach the N 71. Cross and continue on Tussenstraat, direction 222. On the right a nursery of ornamental fish. At 222, turn right towards 219. You cycle between the fields to Natuurcentrum De Wulp (4). From here you cycle into the nature reserves Hageven and Plateaux. Continue towards 219. You cross the Dommel and at a memorial plaque for a crashed plane, turn left and continue over the Broeseinderdijk. The road bends a number of times, you keep following 219. You bolt past the farms 't Witven and Heikant. At point 219, continue straight ahead, direction 33. You bolt past a boundary post into an oak drive and cross the Peeweg. Continue cycling along the Schafter Ekker and up to junction 33. Then follow the Dorpsstraat to the right, direction 217. The Dorpsstraat becomes the Abdijweg. At the roundabout, cross the Achel–Valkenswaard road and follow the Abijweg, next to tavern Zomerhof. At the junction with cross, turn right until point 217. Your journey is over.