Half marathon Weerde Nekker Broek Blosodomein (Hofstade Weerde Mechelen Muizen)

This half marathon of 21.1km is worked out in loop form (so you can start anywhere on the loop).

The drawn version starts at the parking lot of the swimming pool in Hofstade (northwest of the Bloso domain Hofstade, direction Weerde) and runs in clockwork style through the Barebeek valley, through De Nekker and the Mechels Broek, and goes back to its starting point via the Bloso domain Hofstade. The loop runs entirely in nature, with occasionally even unpaved strips (Hofstade werfheide to the canal, Nekker), but for a large part paved.
Only the few 100 meters in front of the Mechelen station to the Dijle can be quite busy, everything else is completely immersed in the quiet nature.

The starting direction goes from the parking lot at the Swimming Pool / sports hall via the rear of the building to the Vriezenbroek towards Weerde, but bends via the Barebeek valley to the Leuvensevaart and the Coloma bridge south of Mechelen station. It is no longer possible to walk / cycle via slow roads through the Werfheide fields in Hofstade because they are closed there or stop as an easement road. To complete the 21.1km loop through nature, we have to pass at the front of the train station and take the pedestrian bridge over the Leuvensesteenweg.
We continue to follow the inner ring road for another 50m and at the first parking lot of the HAM (now THOMAS MORE) we dive along with the Dijle under the railway lines and take the right bank of the Dijle (so cross lock over Binnendijle and sas over Dijleverkorting, then turn right onto the towpath). Behind the large lake of the Nekker take the path on the left, which takes us between the two lakes. On the north side we enter the Mechels Broek and a little further we pass the castle Befferhof north of the broek. On the stone road to the right and 100m further back right into the pants.
Walking through the pants is not always perfect (here and there a puddle and some slippery in wet weather, two cow gates and a few narrow bridges. But for the nature and silence lover an incredible breath of fresh air.

In Muizen we cross the Dijle and continue walking straight ahead (do not take the right turn) until the railway line (at the end up the stairs). There we take the Muizenbrug over the railway line and cross the Levensesteenweg diagonally left. Past the sports fields we arrive at the Dijle, where we take left until we reach the Hofstade bridge. Cross the canal there and follow the left bank in the opposite direction (back towards Mechelen). A little further left towards Blosodomein Hofstade.

We take the eastern boundary of the domain, take the most northeastern entrance, and follow the railway bed to the old closing wire of the domain. There we take a left and follow the sealing wire until after the first rectangular pond. Then take a right and follow this pond to the end. Take a left and follow the bottom of the ponds to your left. At the end you come to the crooked moat that you follow on the right. At its end, you follow the closing wire of the payment zone and you return to your starting point between the two largest ponds in a northwesterly direction:
We arrive at the railway bed, take a left and follow it to the exit. We arrive at the stone road, take left to take the footpath a little further, and arrive at the parking of the swimming pool, the starting point.