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Cycle rides out of Leuven 4 routes on the cycle network
leuven - hageland (36 km)
4 routes on the cycle network
leuven
leuven - WERCHTER (42 km) leuven - TERVUREN (48 km) leuven - zoet water (31 km)
Why not combine a visit to Leuven with a relaxing bicycle ride? Leuven is located at the heart of the surprisingly green and varied province of Flemish Brabant. In this booklet you will find four bicycle routes. Each reveals a different aspect of the region. Got kids with you? Head for
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the woods where you will find fun trails and climbs aplenty. Or breathe in the history of the Hageland on a ride to the magnificent Horst Castle. Pass splendid parks and castles on your way to the Royal Museum for Central Africa in Tervuren. Or let the Leuven-Dijle Canal guide you as you relive four decades of Rock Werchter, sample some N visit the birthplace of Father Damien. NN 0 km km 75 2fietsknooppunt
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fietsroute (onverhard) (opstapplaats) bijzonder gebouw fietsroute (onverhard) autovrij) fietscafé cycle-friendly cycle route 50 autovrij) fietsroute (kasseien) fietsverblijf brouwerij bootttochten merkwaardige boom toeristische 50 hostel fietsverblijf brouwerij fietsroute (semi-verhard, (semi-verhard,brouwerij 50 fietsverblijf Provinciedomein fietsroute (semi-verhard, aanlooproute bezoekerscentrum fietsroute recreationfietsvriendelijk area (autovrij) recreatiedomein begijnhof (cobble stone) accommodation fietsroute (semi-verhard, fietsvriendelijk hostel recreatiedomein fietsroute (semi-verhard, recreatiedomein autovrij) aanlooproute Kessel-Lo recreatiedomein autovrij) recreatiedomein Provinciedomein 50 autovrij) fietsverblijf brouwerij (opstapplaats) Provinciedomein autovrij) fietscafé fietscafé fietsvriendelijk hostel autovrij) Provinciedomein Provinciedomein fietsvriendelijk hostel Kessel-Logebouw Kessel-Lo bezoekerscentrum 260 fietsvriendelijk hostel aanlooproute bijzonder cycle route (not paved) toeristische bootttochten cycle-friendly fietsroute (onverhard) Kessel-Lo aanlooproute bezoekerscentrum Kessel-Lo fietscafé aanlooproute bezoekerscentrum aanlooproute bezoekerscentrum Provinciedomein fietsverblijf brouwerij aanlooproute bezoekerscentrum fietsvriendelijk youth fietsverblijf 260 hostel hostel (opstapplaats) 260 Kessel-Lo (opstapplaats) fietsroute (semi-verhard, Provinciedomein fietscafé 260 (opstapplaats) (opstapplaats) 260 fietscafé recreatiedomein fietscafé hostel (opstapplaats) fietsvriendelijk fietscafé toeristische bootttochten 50 fietsverblijf fietscafé toeristische bootttochten autovrij) Kessel-Lo toeristische bootttochten toeristische toeristische bootttochten bootttochten 50 fietsverblijf brouwerij 50 fietsverblijf brouwerij aanlooproute bezoekerscentrum fietsverblijf brouwerij fietsverblijf brouwerij 50 50 fietsverblijf brouwerij Provinciedomein (opstapplaats) Provinciedomein Provinciedomein fietscafé fietsvriendelijk hostel hostel 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Departure point
leuven - hageland (36 km)
Out of Leuven and into the Hageland hills
Set off by bicycle from the centre of Leuven, using approach route to junction 33 or park on Provinciedomein Kessel-Lo (Parking 3, Holsbeeksesteenweg) and cycle from there to junction 83.
Highlights of the route
Horst Castle
Head out from Leuven into the hills, taking in fairy-tale towers and historic sites. The keep of Horst Castle is maybe the best known tower, looming over a green landscape. The church towers of Vlierbeek Abbey and the Norbertine Park Abbey are places of sacred tranquillity and, together with the Gempemolen, form part of a history that goes back centuries.
Provincial Domain of Kessel-Lo
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The Provincial Domain of Kessel-Lo, located on the edge of Leuven, is a fabulous adventure park for families. Enjoy a picnic in the grass while the kids have fun on all the different playing apparatus. Amble around on the lake in a boat, dive into the paddling pool or visit the Lovenarenbroek nature reserve. And when you’re done, the sunny terrace of the Stille Waters cafeteria awaits you.
Vlierbeek Abbey
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The Benedictine Monks of Affligen settled in Vlierbeek (Kessel-Lo) in 1127 and were driven out by the French in 1796. The classic-style church, abbot’s house and abbey farm exude a feeling of total authenticity. Stop for a while in the “In den Rozenkrans” inn, a heavenly spot full of nostalgia with beautiful views of the church.
Horst Castle
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The origins of the dramatic Horst Castle go back to the 13th century when it was built by the Lords of Horst as a fortified farm. The square residential towers were added in the 15th century and the industrious lady of the castle Maria-Anna van den Tympel converted it into its current form in the 17th century. She also built the coach house, today a stylish local inn and visitor centre. Major renovation works have restored the castle to its former glory. Vlierbeek Abbey
Gempemolen
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The magnificent Gempemolen, set amid green surroundings on the banks of the Molenbeek brook, was built in 1759. Today, it is an enchanting brasserie where Hans Meus - the brother of the famous chef Jeroen Meus - conjures up a range of regional dishes. Every first Sunday of the month you can watch the old mill start up.
Provincial Domain of Kessel-Lo
Norbertine Park Abbey GEMPEMOLEN
Norbertine Park Abbey
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Basiscartografie © Nationaal Geografisch Instituut Brussel www.ngi.be - toelating A2611 © Toerisme Vlaams-Brabant
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A green and tranquil oasis on the edge of the city and the best preserved abbey complex in the Low Countries, the Norbertine Park Abbey is a stunning spot. The Norbertine monks have lived there for almost 900 years and the complex has had nothing added or taken away since the end of the 18th century. The cloisters in particular are unscathed and phenomenal.
Cycling cafés 366 Eet- en praatcafé Het Geheim - De Becker-Remyplein 19 - 3010 Kessel-Lo - 016 43 82 30 • 261 Het Wagenhuis Horststraat 28 - 3220 Sint-Pieters-Rode - 016 62 35 84 • 570 Brasserie De Gempemolen - Gempstraat 56 3390 Sint-Joris-Winge - 016 48 73 07 • 410 Brasserie Nestor - Staatsbaan 261 - 3210 Lubbeek - 016 95 88 84 • 362 Pigeon d’Or - Tiensesteenweg 2 - 3001 Heverlee - 016 22 17 12
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Departure point leuven - werchter (42 km)
Set off by bicycle from the centre of Leuven, using approach route to junction 93 or park on Provinciedomein Kessel-Lo (Parking 3, Holsbeeksesteenweg) and cycle from there to junction 83 and then 33.
In search of rock and devotion
Highlights of the route The Leuven-Dijle Canal
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At the Vaartkom in Leuven - a beautiful new part of the city - the Leuven-Dijle Canal heads towards Mechelen where it meets the Zenne to flow into the Dijle. Digging was officially commenced for this canal, one of the country’s oldest, by Prince Charles of Lorraine in 1750. Cycling is heavenly on the canal’s flat and mostly traffic-free towpaths, which wind through the countryside like a green ribbon.
Damien Museum
Café Maritime
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Stop and take a breather in this spot that fits in perfectly with the mood of this cycle ride along the water. Café Maritime, a lock house that dates back to 1763, is today a highly original brasserie. Relax in the sunshine on the large terrace while the children have fun on the playground. The digital info kiosk tells you all about the local attractions and activities.
Chicory Museum
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Join the chicory cleaners as they enter the chicory house and listen to their juicy stories, pick up some delicious chicory recipes and find out about the agricultural machinery of the time. In the Chicory Museum in Kampenhout, you can learn all about this “white gold” of the region. Chicory farming still takes place, but its agricultural, social and cultural impact was once inestimable.
rock werchter x
Damien Museum
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The house where Father Damien (born Jozef De Veuster) was born in 1840, still stands in Ninde near Tremelo. His parents ran a farm and traded grain. Today you can discover the life and work of this hero and saint here. A few remarkable items remain such as the coffin in which he was buried in 1889 and brought back to our country by ship in 1936.
Rock Werchter X
Chicory Museum FOTO VERVANGEN!
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The Leuven-Dijle Canal
Basiscartografie © Nationaal Geografisch Instituut Brussel www.ngi.be - toelating A2611 © Toerisme Vlaams-Brabant
café maritime
Take the mostly traffic-free towpaths of the LeuvenDijle Canal and leave the city behind you as you delve into an astonishing region that has something for everyone: brute rock force in Rock Werchter X, the life of a saint in the Damien museum, a leading culinary product in the Chicory Museum and a heavenly place to take a break on the water’s edge.
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Rock Werchter X is an exhibition of posters, anecdotes, photos, names and of course music that tell the story of four decades of rock history. And numbers, some very big numbers: more than 1,000 concerts, millions of visitors, 500 artists from 20 countries. Rock Werchter X is an ode to this festival, a contender for the world’s best. For those who have been there, and for those who have not, a great chance to discover the ambiance.
Cycling cafés 363 Novotel Leuven Centrum - Vuurkruislaan 4 - 3000 Leuven - 016 21 32 00 • 364 Int Geniep - Baron Descamplaan 1 - 3018 Wijgmaal - 016 89 55 89 • 201 Eet- en Feestcafé Maritime - Sas 3 - 3150 Tildonk - 0475 51 21 76 • 200 Café De Brousse - Kruineikstraat 33 - 3150 Tildonk - 016 60 93 73 • 100 De Wilg - Langedonckstraat 25 - 3190 Boortmeerbeek - 016 65 57 12 • 101 Bistro Perfect - Dorpplaats 2 - 3190 Boortmeerbeek - 015 51 43 33 • 203 Brasserie “Hof ter Dijle” Keerbergenbroek 79 - 3150 Haacht - 016 84 34 64 • 501 Café De Wissel - Sint-Jansstraat 101 - 3118 Werchter 016 60 20 30 • 367 Café ‘t Werrek - Sint-Hadrianusstraat 1 - 3018 Wijgmaal - 016 44 07 15
Junctions 93
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Departure point
leuven - tervuren (48 km)
A Royal Ride from Leuven to Tervuren
Set off by bicycle from the centre of Leuven, using approach route to junction 74, or park on Willem De Croylaan and cycle from there to junction 75.
Highlights of the route
The Dijle Valley takes you out of the city past royal castles, a 1000-year-old church with an imperial secret, a duke’s hunting grounds and the Royal Museum for Central Africa. A surprisingly green tour with a regal allure.
Arenberg Castle
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Today, Arenberg Castle brims over with creative activity. It currently houses the Faculty of Engineering Sciences of KU Leuven, and all types of engineering students carry out research there. This magnificent castle stands on the original site of the Lords of Heverlee’s 12th century stronghold. It gained its current form in the 16th century.
Verona Chapel
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This charming little church takes you back centuries: the oldest walls go back to the year 900 and the towers were built 1000 years ago. Legend has it that the chapel is the burial place of Saint Verona, a German empress from the 9th century. It is possible that Verona never existed, because villagers claim that the name of the chapel comes from the name “Vroeienberg”, meaning “Lord’s Mount”.
Leefdaal Castle
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The round towers, the stepped gables and the beautiful wooded location all give this castle a fairy-tale aura. The castle you see today was built in 1626 on the former site of a knight’s stronghold. The white sandstone of the keep is the oldest visible part. This huge property was acquired in 1775 by the aristocratic Liedekerke family.
Verona Chapel
Africa Museum
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Leopold II had the Royal Museum for Central Africa built as a showcase for “his” colony - the Congo. More than a century later this fascinating museum is being renovated. At the end of 2012, the museum will close its doors for 1,5 years. The famous architect Stéphane Beel has drawn up the impressive plans.
Leefdaal Castle
Warande Park 45site 46formed the wooded hunting grounds of Henry I, the Duke of Brabant. In the 12th century, this Leopold II later turned the grounds into a neoclassic French garden. It is wonderful to stroll along the lakes of the Warande Park or wander through the ancient Warande Forest.
Arenberg Castle
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Warande Park 260 50
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Basiscartografie © Nationaal Geografisch Instituut Brussel www.ngi.be - toelating A2611 © Toerisme Vlaams-Brabant
Cycling cafés 365 Eetkaffee De Dijlemolens - Zwarte Zusterstraat 16 bus 4 - 3000 Leuven - 016 50 26 76 • 361 Begijnhof Hotel Groot Begijnhof 15 - 3000 Leuven - 016 29 10 10 • 561 Keizerskroon - Kerkstraat 1 - 3080 Tervuren - 02 731 26 29 • 560 Pachthof Stroykens - Merenstraat 19 - 3080 Duisburg - 02 767 49 80
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Departure point leuven - Zoet Water (31 km)
Set off by bicycle from the centre of Leuven, using approach route to junction 74, or park on Willem De Croylaan and cycle from there to junction 75.
Delve into the woodlands
Highlights of the route This cycle ride takes you out of the city and into the woods. As soon as you leave Leuven, you delve into the greenery of the Heverleebos and Meerdaalwoud. Half way along the ride you will come across the craziest trails and climbs which makes it a great ride to go on if you have kids with you.
Arenberg Castle
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Today, Arenberg Castle brims over with creative activity. It currently houses the Faculty of Engineering Sciences of KU Leuven, and all types of engineering students carry out research there. This magnificent castle stands on the original site of the Lords of Heverlee’s 12th century stronghold. It gained its current form in the 16th century.
Zoet Water
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This area was one great marsh until the 17th century, but when the five lakes that make up the Zoet Water were created, it rapidly became a popular destination for Sunday outings. And so it remains. You can go for a hearty walk in the Heverleebos or Meerdaalwoud, play around in the recreation park or just enjoy a beer on the terrace of one of the many cafés. The picturesque castle on the edge is what remains of the former Steenbergen Castle.
Everzwijnbad Play Area
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Right in the heart of the Meerdaalwoud, children can climb and scramble on wooden shapes, fly like Tarzan between the trees, play a giant game of mikado and have lots of other great adventures. Occasionally you will come across a funny wooden sculpture. A local artist, Ad Wouters, has transformed the trunks of dead oaks. Heverleebos Arboretum
Meerdaalbos
Arenberg Castle
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Meerdaalbos, together with the smaller Mollendaalbos and Kouterbos form the Meerdaalwoud, a walker’s paradise with a network of majestic avenues. The deciduous woodland is all that remains of the Kolenwoud, an ancient woodland that covered the whole of Central Belgian region after the last ice age.
Heverleebos Arboretum
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Park your bicycle in the bike shelter and go for a stroll through this attractive arboretum with 350 different types of indigenous and exotic trees and shrubs. Get your bearings on the map, stop for a breather in the rest area, soak up the sun in fields of heather, or take shelter in the log cabin.
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Basiscartografie © Nationaal Geografisch Instituut Brussel www.ngi.be - toelating A2611 © Toerisme Vlaams-Brabant
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365 Eetkaffee De Dijlemolens - Zwarte Zusterstraat 16 bus 4 - 3000 Leuven - 016 50 26 76 • 361 Begijnhof Hotel Groot Begijnhof 15 - 3000 Leuven - 016 29 10 10 • 460 Taverne Restaurant ‘t Kouterbos - Maurits Noëstraat 1 - 3050 Oud-Heverlee - 016 47 01 17
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Leave the bustling city of Leuven behind you and go on a relaxing cycle ride in Flemish Brabant, in the heart of Belgium. The city is located on the border of two tourist regions: the undulating Hageland and the Green Belt that encircles Brussels. Four cycle routes reveal the variety of the region with its rugged castles, vast woodlands, powerful rock music and royal parks.
GROENE GORDEL
HAGELAND LEUVEN
TOURISM LEUVEN naamsestraat 3 - 3000 Leuven Open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday to Sunday. Closed on public holidays and associated days and Sundays from 1 November to the end of February +32 (0)16 20 30 20 +32 (0)16 20 30 03
[email protected] - www.visitleuven.be
Tourism Flemish Brabant +32 (0)16 26 76 20 www.toerismevlaamsbrabant.be
fietspunt - Rent a bike Professor Van Overstraetenplein 1/001 - 3000 Leuven Monday to Friday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. until 15 October also open on Saturday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
[email protected]
