This bike tour takes you to the Sas 4 Tower: a must to climb up once, as the view is breathtaking. Lovers of sweets can stop at the pancake boat, where you can choose from 285 types of pancakes.

Text and photos Stan Verelst

The route

Start with the entrance of the Abbey Postel on your left side, heading towards KP 22. At the fork, take the path to Reusel and the Tavern De Klothoeve on the left, and ride right, towards Steenhoven Country Club, on a concrete path along a parallel road with some houses. Then you ride over a paved bike path behind bollards, alongside a gravel path through the forest and past some open areas with fields and the golf course of the Steenhoven Country Club. Turn left at the end of the road. You are now cycling directly at the border. Belgium on the left, the Netherlands on the right. ● The signage of the cycling network here is from ANWB Region Eindhoven. You pass the minicamping Het Ven and continue with the bike path into the first side street on the right. Turn right at KP 22, over the Postelseheideweg, towards KP 23. You pass the main entrance of the minicamping Het Ven and continue along the edge of the forest until KP 23. ● Turn right towards KP 76. You reach this at the T-junction, shortly after the Kapellerhof. Turn left towards KP 232, over the bike path, next to a gravel path, past border marker 195. Usually, the route continues straight to KP 232 at the canal Bocholt - Herentals, and from there follow the canal right until the bridge at the Blauwe Kei. There turn left over the canal until KP 260. Due to works on the canal bank, there is a temporary detour that you can also use later.

Dicke Lowie

Right before border marker 194, right over the paved bike path next to the gravel path. Left pine forest, right fields. Continue until you can take a narrow asphalt path on the left, where only pedestrians and cyclists are allowed. The regional path GR Mol Om also leads here. Now you enjoy a lovely piece through the forest, over a winding asphalt path. Don't go too fast, as in some places the roots of the trees grow through the asphalt. However, the path is so beautiful that the 'detour' is more interesting than the original route. ● Finally, you come to an asphalt path. Here it is called Russendorp. Turn left with the asphalt path and continue a bit further right over the bridge over the canal. From the bridge, you have a nice view of the farm De Blauwe Kei. On the other side, turn right again, over the next bridge to KP 260. On the left, there is a picnic area and an information board of the Limburg cycling network. The signage was then briefly blue again. ● Straight ahead towards KP 10, past the Tavern Dikke Lowie and the Brasserie De Blauwe Kei. The signage turns green again, you are back in the province of Antwerp. Turn left with the wide concrete road and ride through the sand pits of Sibelco. The pit on the left is still being extracted, while on the right it's a nice hiking area between two lakes, adjacent to the nature reserve De Maat, and here you also have the interactive museum Quartz Experience. At the T-junction, turn right. On the left is the place name sign of Stevensvennen (Limburg), on the right that of Mol Rauw (Antwerp).

Along the Port Aventura marina

You ride past the restaurant Incontri and continue over the bike path next to the busy Kiezelweg, past the agglomeration sign of Rauw and the soccer field of Hemelboys. At KP 10 at the farm of 't Rauw, turn right towards KP 14. You come to the square with the church of Rauw. Turn left and at the end turn right around the square and directly left into the Middenstraat. At the end turn right and shortly after left into the first street. You enter the grounds of Sunparks Kempense Meren (1) through a gate. ● Ride between the holiday homes, turn right before the mini-golf course, and continue along the large pond and the playground, and out through a gate again. Left over a plate path to the busy priority road. A short right. Then cross the busy road opposite the entrance of the Ecocentrum De Goren with the entrance to the campsite Zilvermeer (2) and continue on the other side right until KP 14. Ignore the path to Dessel here and go straight towards KP 75 over the separately located bike path. ● On the left is the canal lake with the Port Aventura marina. You ride past the restaurant boat De Kleppende Klipper and come to the Bailey bridge. Cross this left with the help of the traffic lights and on the other side you are at KP 75. Left along the canal Bocholt - Herentals, towards KP 74. On the other side of the canal, you can see the Kleppende Klipper.

Free panoramic window

After you have passed the building of MOKKA (Mol Canoeing and Kayaking Club), you reach KP 74, at a junction of canals and at the pancake boat (3), where you get more than 285 types of pancakes. Turn right towards KP 73, cross the bridge. After a curve, you pass by the Sas 4 Tower (4) and reach KP 73. Make sure to climb the 37 m high tower. The view is breathtaking and you get a good impression of how many lakes have remained here after the sand extraction. There is also a strong panoramic window with a rotating view of 360°. You can look inside for free. ● Turn right towards 43. At the T-junction, go diagonally left and at the first junction left into Blokstraat. Turn right at the T-junction. Ignore the side streets and continue to the church of Witgoor-Dessel. Turn left and right immediately after that, next to Café De Koerel, into the Eersels. Leave the Kerkstraat on the right and turn into Nieuwstraat at the first small junction on the right. ● You ride between the various developments and turn left at the T-junction. Turn right a little later into Wouwerstraat, towards FC Witgoor B - C. At the junction by the soccer fields, turn left. Don't worry about side streets and ride between meadows and along the edge of the forest until the first junction. ● Right over a wider asphalt path with a red bike path on either side, behind bollards. At the fork on the square with the beautiful tree continue straight ahead. You continue along the ponds of the Goor with a nice picnic area, and between the entrance of the campsite Campinastrand (5) and Tavern Vijverzicht, you reach KP 43. Left towards KP 42.

Charming tilt bridge

Ignore the side streets and first ride between individual developments, then past the fishing association De Goudkarper and continue through the open landscape until you arrive at a triangular square with three weeping willows and a picnic area at KP 42. Turn right until KP 07. There go straight once more to KP 07. ● You ride past Café Hanenberg and reach the square for the second KP 07. Turn right and immediately after that left into Grachtstraat, towards KP 72 and Postel for cyclists. Where the road ends, continue straight over one of the two concrete strips. You enter the forest and carefully cross straight ahead a priority road and continue through the Violierlaan. ● Where it becomes unpaved straight ahead, turn left into Papaverlaan. Ignore a side road on the left and turn right at the T-junction. Follow Prinsenlaan, without worrying about side roads, to the end. Cross a small bridge and follow the canal from Dessel to Schoten on the left along a swing basin to bridge 2, a charming tilt bridge. ● Cross the canal on the right and on the other bank, at KP 72, turn right again. You cross the Ronde Put run, which disappears here under the shipping and continues flowing on the other side, and then you arrive again at KP 72. Left, towards KP 77, next to a wide ditch until a T-junction. On the other side is the family beach (6). Turn right and shortly before the ice cream parlor De Boomgaard, turn left. Now you ride over a paved bike path next to an earth path. Afterwards, these merge into a narrow concrete path, which you follow straight until the end, at KP 77. Left, towards KP 22. Leave the path to Retie on the left and continue until the Abbey of Postel.