Diverse ride through the Hageland, over sunken paths and rural trails for cyclists and agricultural vehicles with magnificent views.

Text and photo Stan Verelst

The route

Start with the church of Bierbeek on your right (V) towards KP 97. Turn left immediately into Bergstraße, ignore all side streets and pass by Schotteshof (1) until KP 97, across from which lies an OLV Lourdesgrotto. Turn right towards KP 92. Ascend until the T intersection. ● Turn left into Keibergstraße. Just before the end of the agglomeration sign of Bierbeek, turn right into Poelblokstraße. Follow this road for agricultural vehicles, along the high-speed track, until you reach another road. Go left under HSL2 and the E40 highway. Continue until the roundabout with KP 92 and the Bremtkapel. Go straight on the third exit, towards KP 94. ● Ignore all side streets and turn left into Groenstraat after AD Delhaize from Lovenjoel. At the end of this street, you are at KP 94, left towards KP 86. Follow Rijsmortelstraße, parallel to the train tracks until the end at the T intersection. ● Go right under the railway bridge. Continue over a dotted bike path, ignore the side streets and ride until KP 86 at the church of Korbeek-Lo. Turn right past café ‘t Buurthuis, towards KP 85. Continue to the traffic lights at the busy Tiensesteenweg (N3). Go straight into the road for local traffic. Gently descend through the open landscape and along the agglomeration sign of Korbeek-Lo until the intersection with Bieststraße and the chapel from 1903. Turn right and soon after left, which is also Bieststraße. At the next intersection, drive diagonally left into the fields. At the sign for local traffic, turn left into Onze-Lieve-Vrouwestraat. Cross a small intersection straight ahead and start to ascend to KP 85, just after the agglomeration sign of Pellenberg. Turn left into Slijkstraat, towards KP 84.

The Gulden Gehucht

At the intersection with a priority road, go straight into Meistraat and continue between the fields, along the tavern forest and through a beautiful sunken path with an information panel of Het Gulden Gehucht with a kind of sales booth and a nice tree chapel at a side path. ● At KP 84, at an intersection of sunken paths, turn right towards KP 20. At the intersection, when leaving the forest, turn right into Molenstraat. This is also a sunken path. After a bend, you leave the sunken path and roll past Het Gasthuishof (17th-18th century) (2). Continue through the open landscape until the mandatory stop. ● Go straight into Lubbeekstraat. Follow this until the first small intersection. Turn left into Korte Herendaalstraat. Where it ends straight ahead, turn right into Parkdreef. A peculiar name, as you see no trees along the way. ● Then turn left into the first street and enjoy the beautiful views. At the T intersection, follow Ledigheidweg to the right. At the end, turn right through Ledigheid and a residential area to KP 20 at the intersection with the chapel. Go right through Driesstraat until the T intersection with KP 66. Turn left towards KP 22, through Paashofweg. At the end, turn left through the residential street Kwadeschuurstraat. At the T intersection, turn right into the narrow Konneminweg. At first, the path is sunken and at a white house, you turn right into the forest. You come to an asphalted path, shortly right and then immediately left into the narrow Veldstraat. ● Ignore a road on the left and follow the Broekstraat left at the intersection shortly after. Ignore the side streets and continue until the T intersection. Right.

Cycling through the fields

You ride over Spicht, along the nature reserve of the same name. Leave Waaibergweg on the right and continue until the T intersection with KP 22. Follow Wauwerdries to the right, towards KP 21. At the intersection with a dead end on the left, keep right and continue along a small woods and through the open landscape until the end of the road. ● Follow Molendries to the left. Don’t worry about the side roads and ride until the T intersection. Right over a dotted bike path next to a wide concrete road. The bike path becomes a red pavement and you ride until the roundabout with the church of Lubbeek. ● Left around the roundabout and continue past the church. At the intersection with the road to Boutersem on the right, go straight into Heurbeek. You pass the end of the agglomeration sign of Lubbeek, ignore the side streets and continue until KP 21. Right towards KP 19, through Paardsweideweg, a narrow concrete path through the open landscape. ● At the intersection, keep right and continue until the mandatory stop. Left and then immediately right into Vogelzangweg. Continue between the fields and enjoy the panorama. At the T intersection, in the middle of the fields, take the left and then the first side road to the right. ● Follow this until the intersection at Rozemarijnhoeve with the mirror at KP 19. Right towards KP 68 and at the T intersection to the left uphill over Heike until KP 68. Straight towards KP 24. Dip a bit further right into Aardebrug between the posts, ignore the Pijpenveldstraat on the left and continue over the narrow concrete path between the fields until KP 24. Left into the road for local traffic, towards KP 95.

Football field of Verbroedering

Ignore a dead end on the right and turn right at the intersection at the end of the road. Ignore the side streets and continue straight ahead at the place sign of Boutersem until you reach Leuvensesteenweg. Cross this straight ahead and continue through Kromme Herentstraat. ● At the end, go right past the football field of Verbroedering Boutersem and past Bost Paardenservice until a T intersection. Go left and continue through a sunken path to KP 95. Straight towards KP 37. You ride briefly alongside the railway and then continue through the open landscape, passing the agglomeration sign of Boutersem. ● You will come to another road and follow this straight through the center of Boutersem. At the square with the church of Boutersem, turn right into Brugstraat, past the church and continue past the place sign of Vertrijk and under the railway bridge. Keep going straight and where Brugstraat turns left, go straight onto the path for cyclists and pedestrians, next to Camerveld. At the end of the path, turn left and immediately after the T intersection, turn right towards Willebringen. ● Cross the Velp and you come to KP 37. Right through Dorpstraat, towards KP 91. At the intersection, turn left into Dreefstraat, past the town hall. Go under the E40 highway and HSL 2 and turn left at the T intersection on the other side.

Jezuïetenhof

After the curve, turn left onto the path for agricultural vehicles (before KP 91, it goes straight) and follow this along HSL 2 until the end. There, go right and at the first intersection again right, into Hertenstraße. You are now heading towards KP 34 and past a brick chapel. After a left turn, you reach KP 34. Right towards KP 91. Ignore Molenhoek on the left, go past a tractor barrier and at the intersection choose diagonally right until KP 91. ● After the curve, ignore the path for agricultural vehicles on the left and go straight along a farm until the T intersection right over cobblestones and diagonally left at the intersection over an unpaved road until KP 91. Right towards KP 98. ● At the white farm, turn right into Klein-Heidestraat. Leave the first path for agricultural vehicles and cyclists on the left and turn left at the curve at KP 98 into a second path for agricultural vehicles towards KP 93. ● You pass by a farm and continue through the fields on a path with two concrete strips and grass in between. The path turns into cobblestones and you turn right with the path. You roll past a tractor barrier and the agglomeration sign of Opvelp until you reach Hoegaardsesteenweg. Go right past the church of Opvelp. ● At the next intersection, go left past Jezuïetenhof (3). Go straight at the intersection. Follow Culostraat until the end. Go right through Perrestraat until KP 93, at the priority road. Go straight towards KP 90, continuing on Perrestraat. You cycle through agricultural landscapes over a cobbled path that becomes sunken. ● Ignore the side roads and continue straight through Zwartehoekstraat after the first houses. At the end, turn right through Bevekomsestraat until KP 90. Right towards Bierbeek until you reach KP 96. Right to the starting point with Eet-Staminee In de Molen (anno 1873).