Cycle Routes- it’s time for an adventure!
Cycling in the streets of Belgium does have different enjoyment. While we have a completely new route for you for your long and most awaited cycling wish. Canteclaer the rooster from the medieval animal verse ‘Van den Vos Reynaerde’ is your mentor on this ride through the forests and farmlands between Stekene, Lokeren and Moerbeke. Reynaert’s backyard, as it were because it was here in Waasland. So let’s discover the new routes of Belgium, the Canteclaer route will make everything possible for you. With all the recent discoveries you can admire the landscapes and modern lands.
From the starting point to the endpoint you will just simply enjoy this loop and uncover the unknown:
Polenlaan Stekene
Polenlaan Stekene at The Centrumzone Car Park is the point where your thrilling adventure begins. The route starts in the centre of Stekene, near the Church of the Holy Cross. Here you can find the Canteclaer sign which marks the beginning of 46km of your cycling route. You can reach this point by bus or train as per your time schedule. Moreover, personal vehicles are more convenient. Parking spaces are available at this spot. You can park at Parking Centrumzone (Polenlaan, 9190 Stekene). Before starting your excursion you can fill your tummies with some exotic refreshments at De Meet it’s just a walking distance from your car park.
Stone Layer
Your first point after the start is the Het Steengelaag. It is a nature reserve in the Belgian municipality of Stekene. It is located near the centre of Stekene and the old station. The main entrance is located behind the former station building. The nature reserve has been managed by Natuurpunt Waasland Noord since 1992. For more than a hundred years, humans left their mark on this landscape, but now it has been returned to nature. It is an assorted nature reserve with a past of clay extraction.
Where in the past clay was pulled out of the soil with diligent work for the neighbouring brickyards, today you will find wide puddles jamming with water birds. The area is 31ha with a vivid form of nature. This great variation looks very attractive to the walker. A walking path of about 2 km in length runs through the area, at the back of the large pond there is a bird-watching wall. Be sure to check the information boards along the way: they will provide you with information about the place you are visiting. This variation in landscapes guarantees a great richness of nature.
Stitch Sailing
Heading further your bikes reaches the next level of your excursion which is Stekense Vaart. Via the Spoorwegwegel, you shortly arrive at the towpath along the Stekense Vaart or the Kanaal van Stekene, both banks of which are recognized as a sanctuary. The Stekense Vaart or the Canal of Stekene is a 4.6 km canal that connects the Moervaart with Stekene in the north of the province of East Flanders. Here the landscape proposes enormous and exceedingly gorgeous views.
Sifted in 1315, the canal played a significant part in the transport of stones and bricks in the 16th and 17th centuries. In the past, the canal continued to Hulst and had an important economic function. Surrounded by quiet areas along both banks. A walking path guides you along with ponds, coppices, mixed deciduous forests, hay meadows, an orchard, ditches, field paths, and many pollard trees. The Stekense Vaart now forms the backdrop for gentle recreation. Cycling near this vart is a heartwarming experience.
Foundation Of Boudelo
Passing further from the Stekense Vaart you will reach the next destination on the Canteclaer route that is Fondatie van Boudelo. The ‘Foundation van Boudelo‘ is a precious nature reserve and ‘quiet area’ located on the territory of the borough of Sinaai. The name of the nature reserve is derived from the Abbey of Boudelo. This valuable nature reserve belonged to the stately Abbey of Boudelo. The grounds were part of the donation on which the abbey was founded about 800 years ago.
Here the monk Willem van Boudelo is said to have written the story of Reynaert de Vos. Nothing remains of that abbey, but the nature that replaced it – a progression of attractive pools and huge pastures. the ‘Fondatie van Boudelo’ has become a haven for dragonflies. The oxygen-rich forests – is possibly even more monumental. Your cycling excursion will reach the next level from this spot.
Moervaartmeersen And Daknamse Meersen
Moving further your next destination awaits you which is the Moervaartmeersen. The Moervaartmeersen is situated as a narrow strip, with an average width of 200 m, from the mouth of the Leebeek and towards Daknam. A place full of flowery meersen grazed areas, bushes and ponds. The lakes along the Moervaart and their surroundings are perhaps the least known in Lokeren. This is understandable because it is actually an amalgamation of eight different areas, all separated by roads or waterways and with their own landscape diversity. It is therefore a nature reserve with a lot of variety.
A little further on, in the Durme valley between Daknam and Lokeren, you can put your bike aside and dive into the Daknamse Meersen: another beautiful piece of greenery, crossed with footpaths along flowery meadows, scattered groves, pollard willow rows, and numerous ditches. From the old railway bed, today a prominent cycling and walking path, you have a promising view of the hay fields, which are bustling with life.
Daknam
Here you arrive at the most prominent destination of your cycling excursion, Daknam village. If there is one village in the Waasland that has the right to the title of postcard-perfect, it could well be Daknam. The best time to visit this place is during the annual Trappist festival. Settle down on one of the porches on the village square under its lime trees, the Romanesque church with its whitewashed cemetery wall and the Reynaert Bank with a verse from the animal epic.
If you walk through the Catharinastraatje, you will bang into iron imitations of all protagonists from the Reynaert tale. If you are walking that street all the way, Then you can even serve the picnic on King Nobel’s throne. You can co suder it as the best part of your journey.
Cafe Den Reynaert
Dear cyclist, it’s now time for a break. You can have a relaxing time from all your tough and adventurous voyage at the Cafe Den Reynaert. This cosy little cafe set in the centre of the village square is an excellent stopover from the nearby cycling routes. It not only pays tribute to the Reynaert Epos with its name but the house beer is also called ‘t Vosken – an absolute must, by the way! When the weather allows, the large outside drinking area can get very busy.
Take time to look at the extensive range of album covers that decorate one wall of the bar. A good range of beers is supplemented with snacks or full meals served from the adjoining restaurant. Check opening times before visiting.
The Line And The Chapel Of Cross
Moving further via the old railway line – ‘the route’ in the vernacular – you cycle from Daknam in the direction of Eksaarde, parallel to the river Zuidlede. Waasland really has beautiful rivers and it is super easy to explore with their different pontoons and pathways. You can also have a break at the ‘t Veldcafé on Eksaarde Dam and take a detour a little further on the Fondegracht towards the Kruiskapel.
A ‘miraculous’ pilgrimage location in the heart of the fields and surrounded by elegant red beeches, there are 14 field chapels that adjoin the chapel to the parish church of Eksaarde. A virtually enchanted place, and another glorious nature reserve that is extremely prominent with hikers, cyclists, and calm petitioners from all over the country.
Cave Olv Of The Cyclists
Moving towards the end of your voyage.
Subsequently a quick cycle along the Moervaart you cross the water via the Coudenborm bridge towards Klein-Sinaai and so on back to the starting point.
If you proceed cycling via the Heirweg and prefer the Koebrugstraat on the right, you will arrive at another outstanding point on this route: the Cave of the Cyclists, a substantial pilgrimage location for cyclists from all over Flanders. Over the years, next to the cave, the church has compiled more than 100 jerseys from outstanding cyclists. On the first Sunday of March, around 700 cyclists commemorate their bikes here every year. A true happening in the otherwise quiet Klein-Sinaai! Hence you end up your cycling excursion with a remarkable experience you would never have on the streets of Belgium.
