Scheldt River Path at Outrijve – IJzerweg Bridge loop from Avelgem

Bike touring routes & trails

Scheldt River Path at Outrijve – IJzerweg Bridge loop from Avelgem

Easy

4.6

(5)

riders

Scheldt River Path at Outrijve – IJzerweg Bridge loop from Avelgem

01:11

20.8km

50m

Cycling

Easy bike ride. Mostly paved surfaces. The starting point of the route is right next to a parking lot.

Last updated: August 20, 2026

Waypoints

Start point

Parking

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1.41 km

Old Avelgem Station

Highlight • Monument

beautiful building, now used as a bus station.

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3.58 km

Scheldt River Path at Outrijve

Highlight (Segment) • Cycleway

The Scheldt originates in Northern France north of Saint-Quentin, approximately 95 meters above sea level. It is a small spring that only forms a stream in its first kilometers. As it flows, the stream is fed by other side streams and grows into a real river, eventually flowing into the North Sea as a mighty stream.

The Scheldt can be divided into three zones. From its source to the tidal lock of Merelbeke, near Ghent, it is called the Upper Scheldt.

In several places the Upper Scheldt forms the border between Wallonia and Flanders. Over the centuries, weirs and locks were built to improve the navigability of the Upper Scheldt. On the banks of the Upper Scheldt you will discover the typical lakes, industrial areas and many cut-off Scheldt arms. Despite all the adjustments, the Scheldt Valley has still retained much of its original character.

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6.69 km

Old Pumping Station Bossuit

Highlight • Monument

The Old Pump Building of Bossuit (Avelgem) dates from 1860 and is located in Avelgem. The building was originally responsible for pumping water from the Scheldt to the Bossuit-Kortrijk Canal, which was to serve as a water transport route from Wallonia to Flanders and Northern France. The building has now been renovated and has been given a new tourist-recreational destination. It is now home to Spirits by Design, a craft distillery that has moved there. It is still possible to visit the old pumps freely during the weekdays. In the summer months there is an aperitif bar De stokerie.

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9.95 km

St. John the Baptist Church Helkijn

Highlight • Religious Site

The Sint-Jan Baptist Church is the parish church of Helkijn, a sub-municipality of Spiere-Helkijn in the Belgian province of West Flanders. The church is located on Gemeenteplein and has a rich history. According to some, there was a small church in Helkijn as early as 650, which was founded by Saint Eligius. The first written indication of a church in Helkijn dates from 988. The right of patronage belongs to the Saint Martin's Abbey of Tournai and the church is owned by the Bishop of Tournai, as is the village lordship. A Romanesque church was built around 1200 and was enlarged in the 17th century. A three-sided choir was added. In 1686 a sacristy was built against the choir on the south side. However, on September 8, 1686, the church was destroyed by fire.

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15.1 km

Outrijve Village and Church

Highlight • Settlement

Language border route: protected village center, on a dead arm of the Scheldt (0.6 km)

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17.9 km

Steenbakkerstraat Gravel Road

Highlight • Trail

first 100m riverside can be muddy

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18.1 km

Avelgem Scheldt Meadows

Highlight • Natural

On the banks of the Scheldt, on the border between West Flanders, East Flanders and Hainaut, you will find the Avelgemse Scheldemeersen: flowery grasslands, reed beds and wooded edges along cut-off Scheldt bends.

The lakes were created when the Scheldt was straightened. The most famous and perhaps also the most beautiful cut-off Scheldt arm is denomination Marcel Deweer, but they all have a very high natural value and a rich fauna and flora. In some lakes you can walk on the trails, others can only be seen from the towpath.

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18.3 km

IJzerweg Bridge

Highlight • Bridge

The bicycle bridge not only connects the two opposite banks, it also connects the three bicycle networks of the Leie, Picardy-Wallonia and Flemish Ardennes regions. It is also a link in the international cross-border route Eurovélo 5 (from London, via Lille, Brussels, Strasbourg, Milan and Rome to Brindisi). In this way, the bridge provides a direct link between the Leie region and the long-distance route between Lille and Brussels.

Where the bicycle bridge over the Scheldt is today, the Kortrijk-Ronse railway line connected both banks. Therefore it was obvious to name the bridge "IJzerwegbrug".

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20.8 km

End point

Parking

Way Types & Surfaces

Way Types