Cycling into Hageland, east of Leuven

A 76 km cycle ride into Hageland – but you can shorten it as necessary!

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:

You can download this map and the GPX file from my RouteYou page.

And here’s some photos of my day out in Hageland:

Denzil Walton

I created Discovering Belgium in 2011 to share the country’s hidden stories, fascinating places, and remarkable people. Through articles, photography, and audio walks, I share discoveries that reveal Belgium beyond the obvious. Hope you enjoy this site.