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Belgium

Brussels

Etterbeek

Hertboom Mill – Dender Towpath loop from Merode

Routes

Bike touring routes & trails

Belgium

Brussels

Etterbeek

Hertboom Mill – Dender Towpath loop from Merode

Hard

riders

Hertboom Mill – Dender Towpath loop from Merode

06:15

100km

830m

Cycling

Hard bike ride. Very good fitness required. Mostly paved surfaces. Suitable for all skill levels. The starting point of the route is accessible with public transport.

Last updated: July 17, 2026

Tips

Includes segments that go up or down a series of steps

You may need to carry your bike.

After 8 m for 14 m

After 100 km for 14 m

Waypoints

Start point

Train Station

Get Directions

29.1 km

Hertboom Mill

Highlight • Monument

The deer tree mill is a standard mill with sails of 22 metres in diameter. In all probability, the mill was built around 1727 and the mill house around 1732. During the following centuries, a few restorations took place and the mill remained in operation until 1940, but was then technologically outdated. The building was already recognised as a monument in 1944 and in 1964 the mill and its surroundings served as the setting for the then BRT serial "Kapitein Zeppos".
However, the mill also experienced tragic times: in the past, two robberies and murders took place there and later a sail dragged away two playing children. One child died on the spot and the other was scarred for life. As a result, the mill was nicknamed the "tragic mill".
After the Second World War, three more restorations took place, but the mill still fell into a very poor state. In 2002 the mill was completely dismantled and thoroughly restored.

Translated by Google •

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42.5 km

Dender Towpath

Highlight (Segment) • Cycleway

Strange that this towpath along the Dender was not yet designated as a highlight in Komoot. This is (at least in my opinion...) one of the most beautiful bicycle lanes in the world. Highly recommended, really beautiful.

Translated by Google •

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45.4 km

Idegem Lock

Highlight • Structure

Manual lock with numerous traces of restoration in concrete, as a result of the dynamitation in 1940. Upstream adjacent to the lock: metal drawbridge from 1942.
inventaris.onroerenderfgoed.be/erfgoedobjecten?typologie=sluizen&pagina=7

If you are lucky you will see the lock keeper operating the lock. How nostalgic in these times.

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49.5 km

Dender

Lake

51.7 km

Geraardsbergen Market

Highlight • Settlement

This square is home to both the St. Bartholomew's Church (19th century), renovated in neo-Gothic style, and the town hall with stepped gables and corner turrets. The statue of Manneken Pis against the town hall is said to be the oldest in Belgium (1455). In the building there is a small museum (in the tourist office) with his costumes. The Gothic fountain (1475) in front of the town hall bears the name Marbol.

Translated by Google •

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55.0 km

Bosberg climb via Kapellestraat

Highlight (Segment) • Climb

Once an icon in the Tour of Flanders, today an icon in the Omloop het Nieuwsblad.

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56.3 km

Bosberg

Peak

61.0 km

Congoberg Climb

Highlight (Segment) • Climb

Congoberg is a climb in the Pajottenland region. It is 1.3 kilometers long and bridges 64 meters of elevation with an average gradient of 5%. The top of the climb is at 96 meters.

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61.7 km

De Ontvoering van Europa Sculpture

Highlight • Monument

The artwork "The Kidnapping of Europa" was installed on Congo Mountain in Vollezele in the summer of 2023. The artist, Koenraad Tinel, has lived in Vollezele for over 25 years and is an honorary citizen of Galmaarden.
It is one of his largest artworks, 8 meters long and 9 meters tall. It weighs 2.5 tons and is made of bronze. It depicts Princess Europa sitting on a swimming bull. It is an artwork of hope. Koenraad Tinel continues to believe that a united Europe remains the best guarantee for peace and brotherhood.
(VRTnws)

Translated by Google •

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62.3 km

View from the Congoberg

Highlight • Viewpoint

The stretch across the Congoberg is 1.2 kilometers long, with its highest point at 100 meters and an average gradient of 5.6 percent. On the left side you pass a strange statue. In the distance, the city of Brussels appears.

Translated by Google •

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100 km

End point

Train Station

Way Types & Surfaces

Way Types

37.9 km

30.2 km

28.1 km

4.13 km

< 100 m

Surfaces

68.9 km

20.1 km

7.66 km

2.72 km

936 m

< 100 m

Elevation

Nothing selected – click and drag below to see the stats for a specific part of the route.

Highest point (100 m)

Lowest point (10 m)

Weather

Thursday 13 August

36°C

19°C

0 %

Additional weather tips

Max wind speed: 10.0 km/h

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Comments

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Hertboom Mill – Dender Towpath loop from Merode

Hertboom Mill

Dender Towpath

Idegem Lock

Geraardsbergen Market

Bosberg climb via Kapellestraat

Congoberg Climb

De Ontvoering van Europa Sculpture

View from the Congoberg

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