Maagd-van-Gent route

We immediately provide the answer to the first question burning on your tongue: Who was the Virgin of Ghent? No, she was not a genetic Joan of Arc, nor was she a heroic count's daughter or a plague-fighting nun.
The answer is much more prosaic. The Virgin of Ghent is a hamlet in the municipality of Biervliet, which bears the name of a local café. You are free to speculate that a virgin from Ghent operated this drinking establishment at some point, but the real name of the person in question is not known for certain. The cycling route winds in an irregular circle around the hamlet, which is directly on the border between the Netherlands and Flanders. The route mainly runs along polder paths through the border area of Zeeland and East Flanders. The numerous dikes in the region evoke memories of the centuries-long struggle of people against the almost unstoppable sea. In the not-too-distant past, Boekhoute and Biervliet were still fishing villages.

ROUTE MARKING
Hexagonal signs with the name of the route in red letters.

SAFETY
Only slightly busier roads and intersections, mostly quiet paths.

TYPE OF ROAD
Mostly paved roads. 3% traffic-free.

RECOMMENDED STARTING POINT
The Zeeuws-Vlaanderen tourist office lets this route, partly running through East Flanders, start and end in IJzendijke.
The tour described below starts and ends at the market square of East Flanders Boekhoute.

INFORMATION
Provincial Information Office Meetjesland, Town Hall, Market 34, 9900 Eeklo, 09 377 86 00, meetjesland@oost-vlaanderen.be, www.toerismemeetjesland.be.

Municipal House Assenede, Boekhoutedorp 3, 9961 Boekhoute, 0473 56 53 79, toerisme@assenede.be, www.assenede.be.

BIKE RENTAL
Fietsenede, Market 1, 9960 Assenede. Pick up bicycles at WZC Sint-Jozef, Leegstraat 17, 9960 Assenede, 09 341 91 40, M toerisme@assenede.be.

FOOD AND DRINK
Das Moes(ch)tuintje, Meuleken 19, 9988 Watervliet, 0486 76 81 17, M wimdobbelaere@pandora.be.