The best running trails around Waasmunster

give gas on a narrow lane

De Bezenkoek is nowadays mainly known as a hiking and cycling area. The name refers to a legendary inn that offered every customer a currant cake upon opening. That inn made way for a villa. Thanks to the wind during the last phase of the ice age, you will find a unique landscape here. This area lies on a ridge of windblown sand. This is a remnant from the late ice age (around 12,000 to 14,000 years ago) where sand from the Durme valley was blown up into a large dune. It is no coincidence that this area is forested. It is less fertile ground for agriculture, but suitable for forestry. It is also no coincidence that so many pines grow here. The wood was used for a long time for mining and for the production of matches. People especially wanted straight tree trunks. That is why they usually stand very close together. Nowadays, more native deciduous trees are systematically planted in the area. Parts of the area along the Ransbeek are often marshy. Therefore, 'knuppelpaden' (log paths): a path over logs, appeared in a number of places. source: ontdeksintniklaas.be

The Weduwe Voswegel, also called the Gouden Leeuwpad, is a surprisingly beautiful slow connecting path. The path is 1650 m long and runs zig-zag from Gouden Leeuwstraat to the church of Puivelde in Kruisstraat. The zig-zag pattern that characterizes the path has to do with the forest plots along it. The path mostly has a side ditch along its length and is bordered by meadows and especially forest. The path is quite well maintained. The path is only quite narrow in the forests (0.5 m to 1.5 m). On the side of Gouden Leeuwstraat you will find an old hedge with no less than 14 different types of hedge plants. (Hornbeam, Hawthorn, Beech, Holly, Elder, Elderberry, Hop, Blackberry, Pedunculate Oak, Privet, Ivy, Bindweed, Cotoneaster, Hazel) The name of the path is said to refer to a lady who tricked rich people to later give their possessions to the poor; a kind of local, female version of Robin Hood :-) source: De Raaklijn

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.

Open every day except Monday from 11:00 AM; on Mondays only from 5:00 PM.

uh, what are they doing on the Durme

Layered wells

this is the former station, not the Steengelaag