The best traffic-free bike rides around Lokeren

nice a quiet ride

From the info hut, you have a beautiful view of the Mirabrug over the Durme.

give gas on a narrow lane

On an information board on site, the history of the Stekense Vaart can be read. It began as early as 1315. Count Robrecht III of Béthune then gave the order to dig a canal from Ghent to Hulst. In Stekene, this new 'waterway' turned marshes into arable land and increased export opportunities. In 1556, many fields in Stekene were submerged for a long time. King Philip II of Spain therefore granted a charter for a direct connection to the Durme. In 1628, King Philip IV gave permission to extend the Stekense Vaart by 1300 meters to Hulst. This connected the Vaart to the Westerschelde, which was advantageous for trade. Hulst could thus also be supplied with war materials. South of Moerbeke, between 1637 and 1643, a new canal was dug connecting the Stekense Vaart with the Moervaart. Ships sailing between Ghent and Stekene no longer had to make a detour via the Spelonckvaart. After the Eighty Years' War ended in 1648, the connection with the Westerschelde was broken. The economic benefit of the Vaart was lost. The Vaart was dammed at Tromp in 1691. In 1853, the municipality of Stekene became the owner of the Vaart on the condition that it also be responsible for maintenance. In 1950, the Vaart was declared unnavigable. Wastewater from Sint-Niklaas caused pollution and a strong stench, here at the Quay. In 1953, a cross dam was built in the Durme in Lokeren. The tidal effect on the Stekense Vaart was thus a thing of the past. In 1964, a water treatment plant was commissioned in Sint-Niklaas. This significantly improved the water quality in the Stekense Vaart. In 1995, a water treatment plant was also built in Stekene. In 1998, the area around the Vaart was classified as a quiet area.

The former station of Klein-Sinaai was located on line 77, which ran from Sint-Gillis-Waas to Zelzate. In 1974, the Kemzeke - Moerbeke section was dismantled and shortly thereafter converted into an asphalted walking and cycling path, an early example, as recreational cycling was still relatively rare around 1980. In 1981, the former station was converted into the hamlet's post office and from 2011 onwards into a youth center, as is still the case. sources: Inventaris Onroerend Erfgoed & Wikipedia

The wooden arch bridge over the Stekense Vaart, named after Frans Coppens, was receiver-clerk in the municipality of Sinaai for almost a quarter of a century. He played an important role in "de Groote Watering van Sinay", the name given to the project launched by the Boerenbond in 1926. This project was initiated after repeated floods and aimed to make the polders 'dry'. The construction of the pumping station near Hondsnest was one of the first achievements within this project. During the Second World War, the unemployed were employed to clean or widen ditches. Under the impetus of dike reeve Jozef "meester" Maes and... receiver-clerk Frans Coppens (!), major reclamation works were carried out in the 60s, continuing into the following decades. Thus, Hondsnest got a new pumping station in 1975. In the meantime, the watering area had been converted into a polder, pursuant to the polder law of June 3, 1957. source: info file "Polder Daknam-Sinaai"

The Dambrug bridge dates from the interwar period and was restored and partially renewed around 1945 after war damage. Originally, the bridge was manually operated, but it now has hydraulic operation. Source: Inventaris Onroerend Erfgoed

On Friday, April 5, 1867, the Spletterenbrug was officially opened. Between Moerbeke and Lokeren, trains stopped in Daknam and Eksaarde. In Moerbeke, travelers could transfer to railway line 77 towards Zelzate or towards Sint-Gillis-Waas. That the intention was to one day double the 9-kilometer railway line to two tracks is still visible on the Spletterenbrug. Both bridge abutments are indeed twice as wide as the bridge deck itself. It never came to that. On the contrary. The railway line suffered during both world wars, causing traffic to be suspended for months. For example, retreating German soldiers blew up the bridge at the end of World War I. Less than a year after the armistice, in September 1919, the line was already restored and trains could run on the route again. In 1940, the Belgian army, in turn, tried to slow down the German advance by destroying the bridge. The bridge was repaired again. In 1971, the last train chugged along the route. After more than a century of train traffic, the tracks were dismantled and the route was redeveloped as a cycling and walking path from Lokeren to Moerbeke. The Spletterenbrug itself was preserved and restored in 2017. The seven layers of paint were removed, and the bridge regained its original, dark gray color. Source: industriecultuur.be