Surprising exploration along quiet roads, church paths, and old neighborhood roads. You cycle past four castles, a lookout tower, a river without a source, and some nice eateries.

Text and photos Stan Verelst

The route

Depart from KP 98 at the Church Square in Edegem-Elsdonk, next to café Elzenhof (V), heading towards KP 09 and cycle along the Heilige Familiekerk to the traffic lights. Continue straight. You pass by the OLVE Familiaschool, ignore all side streets, and cycle straight on the roundabout with KP 09 towards KP 14. At the end of the street, you turn right into the tunnel under the E19. When you come out, take the first path left. This path between the community gardens leads you to the Wilsonweg. Turn left. Where the street stops, turn right onto a dolomite path and cycle over two bridges across the Kleine Struisbeek to KP 14. Turn left, heading towards KP 25. On your right, you see the buildings of the UZA. ● You arrive at Drie Eikenstraat, cross it with a slight left-right bend and cycle left along the bike path to KP 25, just before the E19. Turn right into Aartselaarstraat, heading towards KP 15. You cycle between the E19 and the grounds of golf club Drie Eycken and past Bella & Rosita, where you can get farm ice cream. You cross the Edegemse brook and arrive at Groeningenlei. Cross that and follow the bike path on the opposite side to the right. ● You ride past the entrance of castle Groeningenhof (1) and then turn left into Kontichhof. Continue along the drive until you reach KP 15. Continue straight ahead, towards KP 08. At the T-junction, turn right and opposite the entrance of the sports hall of Aartselaar, turn left into Solhofdreef. At the end, turn right and then left into Lindelei. You cycle past the cemetery of Aartselaar to KP 08. Continue straight towards KP 16. At the small intersection by the church, go straight and immediately afterwards turn right onto the sidewalk next to the church. At the end, turn left through Carillolei. ● After the parochial kindergarten, turn right into Della Faillelaan. You cycle past cultural center ‘t Aambeeld and turn left into Pater Pirelaan. At the end, cross the street and cycle straight into a path for pedestrians and cyclists.

The Wullebeek

You cycle past residential care center Zonnetij and arrive at KP 16. Turn left, heading towards KP 07. Further along, turn right into Leeuwerikenlaan, bend left with the road and then turn right onto the asphalt path for cyclists and walkers, between the meadows. At the end, turn right and immediately after, at a traffic light, turn left onto the gravel road next to the nature reserve De Reukens. ● The road narrows, and you cross the Wullebeek straight over via a small bridge. At the fork, turn right between the posts and further ahead cross over another small bridge until you reach an asphalt road. Turn left to the priority road. Again left until you can turn right into Buurtweg 15 Predikherenvelden. You cycle past Alpha Green and a soccer field until KP 07. Continue straight towards KP 23. ● You cycle through Rozenlaan, past BO School Groenlaar and Sint-Jozefschool until the split at restaurant Pedregala. Turn slightly left, through Gladiolenlaan until KP 23. Turn left, through Monnikenhofstraat, heading towards KP 22. Leave a dead-end street on your right and continue along a bike path behind hedges. ● At the end of Monnikenhofstraat, turn left through Clemenshoek. At the fork, continue straight into Schensbossen. Where the road ends, turn left into Buurtweg 26. At the end of the path, turn right. You cycle again through Clemenshoek. At the fork with a dead-end road, keep cycling straight until you can turn right into Donkerstraat. At the end turn right and immediately after left into Keulshaagweg. Follow right at the fork to Begijnenbossen, along residential area Wilgenvelden. ● Ignore the side roads and cycle around herb nursery Hanaplant. Here the road ends, but with a bike, you can continue on Buurtweg 41 Borzestraat between the fields.

Shortening possible

After a white house, turn right. You enter Schranshoeveweg. Follow it until KP 22. Turn right, heading towards KP 50. You cycle through Varenbroekstraat, along greenhouses, briefly parallel to the E19, and then arrive at the highway in Waarloos.

Shortening: Left over the E19 and continue straight to KP 93.

Turn right and then left into Morenhoevestraat. At the T-junction with a dead end on the left, turn right between the meadows and at the intersection, turn right into Keelhoevestraat until the end. Across the road stands a water tower (2) from 1938, now converted into a tourist info and viewing point. ● Turn left over the bike path and via the roundabout straight past café De Blauwe Neus until the mandatory stop. Turn right and then left into Nijverheidstraat. Where it bends to the left, cycle straight until you reach KP 50 and then turn left over Rupeldijk, heading towards KP 51. At the former ferry house, you need to go off the dike briefly and then back on immediately after. ● You ride past brasserie 3R4en and along the confluence of the Dijle with the Nete, which forms the Rupel. Therefore, it is also referred to as the river without a source. At the bike bridge over the Nete, you are at KP 51. Continue straight towards KP 04. You cycle under the bridge of the E19 and immediately afterwards turn left onto the path. This leads into Netestraat. ● Turn right and then take the first street on the left and then right until the Mechelse steenweg. Turn right and immediately after left, towards Duffel. Turn right into Lazarusstraat and cycle past Lazaruskapel (3). Bend left with the street and continue until the T-junction. Turn right. Bend left with the road and cycle past the retention basin Eekhoven of Water-Link. At the end of the road, turn left and at the T-junction again turn left.

Castle Tanghof

You ride past the sign for Rumst and turn right into Hoveniersstraat. Ignore the side roads and continue to the mandatory stop. Cross the road straight and follow Herderstraat, ignoring side roads until the split with KP 04 and the sign of Waarloos. ● Turn left, through Potaardestraat, heading towards KP 03. At the traffic lights, cross Antwerpsesteenweg straight and then turn right into Slijkenhoefstraat. ● At the first split, turn slightly left into Kiezelweg and at the next fork turn left. Then ignore a dead-end road on the left and continue straight until KP 03. Continue straight towards KP 93. You cycle between meadows and ride a bit until E19 and then back off it. At the end of the road, follow the highway towards Waarloos to the right. ● Then turn left into Hondstraat. At the intersection, turn right. You are still cycling through Hondstraat. At the junction with Oude Lei, turn left and at the end of the street turn right. You pass castle Tanghof (4) and continue through Reepkenslei until KP 93. Keep following Reepkenslei straight towards KP 92. Ignore the side streets until you can turn left into Kruisschanslei. At KP 92, continue straight towards KP 01. At the T-junction, turn right and immediately afterwards turn left onto the path for cyclists. At the T-junction again turn right and immediately afterwards left into Rubensstraat. At the end, you are at KP 01. Turn right towards KP 02. Further on, turn left into Van Dyckstraat. At the T-junction, turn right until the Molenstraat.

Will-o'-the-wisp path

Turn left and then right into Nieuwstraat. Then take the first street on the left, this is Transvaalstraat. It bends right and runs parallel to the Expresweg. At the traffic lights, go straight through KP 02. Here you follow a variant of Pasar. Cross the Expresweg left and continue through De Villermontstraat until Prins Boudewijnlaan. Right over the bike path until you can turn right into Boerenlegerstraat. ● You ride past castle Arendsnest (5) and where Boerenlegerstraat bends left, continue straight onto the unpaved road. At KP 02, turn left to KP 99. Continue straight towards KP 98, past the town square of Edegem and then turn left into Boerenlegerstraat. Take the first side street right and at the end go straight into the path for cyclists and pedestrians. At the end turn right and at the T-junction again turn right. ● Opposite Sint-Antoniuskerk, turn left into the lovely double linden avenue. Just before castle Hof ter Linden (6), turn right, over a rough cobblestone path with the standing drawbridge of the Royal Crossbow Guild Saint Sebastian on the left, which has existed since 1512, and on the right the castle farm. ● Ignore the Patronaatstraat on the right and turn left into Dwaallichtjespad. You meander around the castle domain and come out on a street. Turn left and immediately after that left onto the bike path between the castle domain and Fort 5. The path continues into Parklaan. Continue straight to the starting point.