Flat route through the Moeren. You pass chapels, robust churches, windmills, a cheese farm, the Lovaart, memories of WWI, and a unique café with original interior in an old town hall.

Text and photo Stan Verelst

The route

You start with the church of Leisele on your left (V) and cycle at the small intersection, with the inn Het Vossehol on the corner, RD towards Veurne and junction 48. You pass restaurant De Schreve and ignore all side streets until you reach junction 48. RA towards Stavele and junction 35. ● You ride along a narrow asphalt road between two ditches, through the open agricultural landscape to a small intersection with a mandatory stop. RD into the Stavelestraat and further to the priority road from Veurne to Beveren. ● RD into the IJzerstraat until junction 35. LA into Ekestraat, towards junction 75. You glide past the Eikhoeve, which houses three holiday homes, until you reach the intersection with the old signpost. RD. ● The landscape gently becomes rolling. Ignore the side roads and continue until you reach the five-way intersection with a triangular chapel and junction 75. LA, towards junction 53, through the Elzendammerstraat, past the agglomeration sign of Gijverinkhove until the mandatory stop at the busy N364. Cross that carefully, RD ignore a street to the left and at the next fork turn diagonally RA into the Kasteeldreef. ● From the art gallery De Witte, you continue along a narrow brick bike path until you reach the church of Gijverinkhove. LA and further around the church through a beautiful beech avenue, along the fenced cemetery. Continue past the church parking lot until you reach a small intersection. RA.

Photos about WWI

You cycle between several orchards. At an intersection, turn right and ride past ’t Bloesemhof, a vegetable and fruit shop. Further on, you arrive at junction 53 with an antique signpost. RD towards junction 88, Hoogstade and Alveringem. ● You arrive at the N8 and carefully cross it RD. On the right, you see the church of Hoogstade. Continue through Burgmolenstraat until junction 88. Keep cycling RD until junction 90, 400 m further. ● Even now RD, towards junction 45. At the intersection with the chapel from 1851, keep LA. Then take the first road RA. This becomes a path for cyclists, walkers, and riders. After a left-right curve, you cycle beside some houses and the road becomes accessible again for all traffic. At the T-junction, LA to the priority road with junction 45. RA towards junction 43. ● You glide past the agglomeration sign of Alveringem and the Hof van Wyckhuize, now the town hall. Step through the entrance gate for a moment. Inside, there are several photos about WWI, around a small square. Just after that, you are at junction 43. LA towards junction 63. At the T-junction, RA, left is a dead end. On the right, you get a nice view of the church of Alveringem.

Stopping at De Leute

Cycle winding further until the T-junction. Follow the Oerenstraat LA. At the next intersection, keep LA and you are still cycling through the Oerenstraat. Ignore side roads and continue until junction 63, at the old town hall of Oeren, now café De Leute. Here you are always welcome for a drink or a snack, and the interior alone is worth a stop. ● LA towards junction 97. You cycle past the church of Oeren (1) with a military cemetery from WWI until junction 97. RA through the open landscape until junction 29, at the Millebrug over the Lovaart. Do not cross the drawbridge but follow the canal LA, along the towpath until you reach the Kortewildebrug, also a drawbridge. ● You are now at junction 14. LA towards junction 13. You cycle next to the Steengracht, ignore a road to the right and further on turn LA into the Landbouwersstraat. Continue past a row of Canadian poplars between fields and meadows, ignore a road to the left and turn to RA at the intersection. ● Continue until the N8. Carefully cross that RD and continue towards Bulskamp. You cycle between two ditches and past a white chapel. Ignore the side roads and cycle past a pig farm and an octagonal chapel until junction 13. RA towards junction 12.

The mill of Willem Vermandere

You glide past the agglomeration sign of Bulskamp and turn at junction 12 LA towards Houtem and junction 85. You cycle out of the village and ride briefly alongside the Bergenvaart until the first small bridge. RA and further until junction 85. ● RD towards junction 34. Ignore the side roads and cross the Ringslot via the brick bridge and cycle RA past the name sign of Veurne. To the left, you immediately see the hull of the Sint-Gustaafsmolen (2). It was built between 1814 and 1820 as a polder mill with a screw to drain the Moeren. In 1927, the sail was removed. Now the mill is owned by folk singer Willem Vermandere, who has established his sculpture workshop there. ● Continue past De Barke, a beautiful white house, which was an open-air café until 2011, and leave Kasteellaan to your left. On a sign, you read that further along is Kasteel Sint-Flora, where the Belgian royal family stayed during WWI from the summer of 1917 to the summer of 1918. ● Ignore the road to Bulskamp and Veurne to the right and then turn LA into Noordmoerstraat. On the right, you see the white Sint-Karelsmolen. You cycle past the name sign of De Moeren, through the billiard-flat open landscape until a mandatory stop. ● RD towards the French border, along the Gallovaart and beyond B&B De Moerlogie until junction 34. LA towards junction 36.

The Fat Ox

You cycle along the Seinemolenvaart and past cheese farm De Moerenaar (3), where you can buy artisanal farmhouse cheeses, until junction 36. RD towards junction 22, past the name sign of Houtem and pump station De Seine (4). This is what remains of the polder mill from 1789. In 1801, the sail was removed, and now there is an electric pump in the base. ● Then cross the Ringslot and continue to the Bergenvaart. Cross that and turn left as the road bends. Then, at the first small intersection, turn RA into Schipperiestraat and cycle towards the church of Houtem until junction 22. ● RD towards junction 56. At the first small intersection, RA and at the next fork turn diagonally LA, (almost RD), into Heidenstraat. Follow this winding road along a large agricultural company, through the fields, between two ditches until the end. ● LA, over the bridge and you are at junction 56. LA into Doornstraat, towards junction 20. You cycle along a narrow asphalt road and wind through several agricultural companies until you reach a priority road. Cross that RD and cycle through the Leiselestraat, towards Leisele. ● You now cycle along a wide concrete road until junction 20. RD towards junction 40. In the distance, you can already see the church of Leisele. You ride along the agglomeration sign of Leisele and turn RA at the first four-way intersection. Cycle through Veurnestraat, a one-way street, until junction 40. LA past inn De Vette Os, to the starting point.