Regular followers of this blog will know that I love the Flemish Cycling Interchange Network, which you can find online at Fietsnet. And you’ll also know that when I go cycling from my home in Kortenberg I like to head towards Leuven and then north along the canal to Mechelen and even beyond towards Antwerp. Well, recently I decided to head towards Leuven and then continue east into Hageland. I was not disappointed.
Arriving at junction 93 north of Leuven, I cycled south towards junction 33 on the outskirts of the city. Following the arrows through a city is not easy. You have to concentrate on the traffic so it’s easy to miss a sign, which is what I did a couple of times. But eventually I was back on the open road and heading through Kessel-Lo towards junction 84. From there it was easy-going through some delightful countryside following junctions 20, 22 and 96.
Then I turned north and headed via junctions 97 and 98 to 65 and Horst Castle. I was a bit disappointed there weren’t any nice benches to sit on and eat my picnic lunch, but found one in neighbouring Sint-Pieters-Rode.
On the way back I followed junctions 63, 64, 66, 30, 35 and 31, which brought me back to the Leuven-Mechelen Canal and homeward bound. Altogether it was a tour of 80 km which took me 6½ hours. I would have completed it earlier but on the return leg the fierce westerly wind was pushing me backwards!
Here’s a map of my route. And here’s some photos of my day out in Hageland:
Hi Denzil,
Nice trip, I’ve seen most of the places myself with the bike.
You can find the routeplanner also on http://fietsrouteplanner.vlaanderen-fietsland.be/
Greetings,
Jacques
Denzil,
Another potentially useful site. “mapmyride.com”
What wonderful weather lately to do anything outside including to ride!
My wife (in a weak moment) agreed to go from Leuven on the canal to Mechelen Sat. Nice 50 km
Don