The best gravel rides in Vallei Van De Wimp En De Grote Nete Te Herenthout

Good to walk wide path between Bergom and Westerlo.

The Grote Nete, roughly speaking, marks the transition to the Kempen region. This rain-fed river flows through a diverse landscape with vast marshlands, sandy grasslands, and mixed forests. The Grote Nete valley includes the Grote Laak, Kleine Laak, Rode Laak, Wimp, Herselt Loop, and Zaartloop. Source and more (with hiking tips) at https://www.landschapsparkdemerode.be/vallei-van-de-grote-nete

The Liniebrug bicycle and pedestrian bridge is part of the Liniefietsweg (Line Cycle Path), which is approximately 800 meters long and also includes a small bridge over the Steenkesbrug and new bicycle posts. Day trippers, such as hikers, also benefit: Hulshout is located in the Grote Nete valley, where the Sigma Plan is creating "wet nature." No fewer than 850 hectares of flower-rich grasslands and reed beds will be added, the favorite habitat of numerous unique plants and animals. This wet nature also serves a safety function. It acts like a sponge and retains water, so flooding should soon be a thing of the past. Source and more information on the Sigma Plan website: https://www.sigmaplan.be/nl/nieuws/liniebrug-over-grote-nete-feestelijk-ingefietst You can also find more information about the Sigma Plan in the region at the information board of the Paddle Route on Netestraat (the large bridge that forms the border between Westmeerbeek and Heultje), specifically on the back of that information board. See https://www.komoot.com/nl-nl/highlight/8241341 Both the bridge and the road take their names from a nearby large body of water, called "De Linie" (The Line), located west of the other pond, "De Poer."

This isn't the main entrance. This entrance immediately leads you past the old sheepfold (later a cowshed), the old abbey farm (built in 1640), and the old washhouse (built in 1640).

Don't hesitate to enter this abbey. The large courtyard is surrounded by various buildings that you can explore at your leisure. You can also visit a permanent exhibition, open daily from 8:00 AM to 5:30 PM.

good gravelride, a few km's, double-track, in the mid of woods and fields, away from habitation, skimming along an old NATO-airfield (never used, cause sand from nearby dunes could be blow up the runways an damage motors, which is a no-go for a military airfield). To gravelride can be extended by several km's to almost the village of Oostmalle by taking the Salphensebaan once arriving in the smal hamlet of Salphen.

Beautiful view over Tongerlo Abbey, it is certainly worth cycling inside to admire the courtyard.

Generations of castle lords and the village community have cared for the magnificent heritage we have today. We must cherish this legacy with care. Everyone has a responsibility in this regard: the government, the owners, and certainly also the visitors. We all want to safeguard this for future generations. VORSELAAR: Proposal to protect the castle "de Borrekens", the rectory, the immediate surroundings of the castle, and the linden avenue as a village landmark. The castle was built in the thirteenth century as a military fortification for the Duke of Brabant, granted as a fief to the Lord Van Rotselaer. The latter gave the fortification, which had the character of a moated castle, the ground plan that can still largely be seen today. Little is known about its evolution since the thirteenth century. The castle is depicted in a print by Ertinger in the second half of the seventeenth century and published by Jacques Le Roy. This shows that the current castle's core still largely reflects this condition. The building's military character was lost in the eighteenth century, and it was converted into a "house of pleasure." This involved the demolition of several surrounding walls and defensive towers, and the moat separating the forecourt from the castle was filled in. Simultaneously or shortly before, several embellishments were carried out on the castle, with J.P. van Baurscheit as the architect. The buildings in the forecourt were constructed during the same period. In the 1850s and 1860s, restoration work was carried out in keeping with the fashion of the time. Several dormers, stepped gables, fireplaces, turrets, and battlements were added in the Neo-Gothic style. The interior was also altered during this period and in the same style. Although this renovation significantly altered the castle's appearance, the renovation itself is remarkable as a testament to the Neo-Gothic style that emerged in our region around 1850.