Tour'At the Vrenen\\'

In this Belgian region you can enjoy cycling through the green landscape. There are cozy small villages in the area where you will receive a friendly welcome. These often have a rich history, such as the lovely Helchteren. The oldest mention of this village appears in 1107, but then it was still called Haletra. The name refers to one or more of the following seven meanings: sacred house or lime house, barren region, hazel forest, sacred tree, strip of land, wicker area and juniper area. The village is located on the Kempens Plateau and is 70 to 80 meters high. Helchteren has a number of forest and nature reserves, in which country estates are located, but parts of the heath have also been cordoned off as military training grounds. The village of Ellikom is also worth a mention. It is one of the oldest residential areas in the Limburg Kempen and the first mention dates from 1314, when the name was still written as"Elleken\\\". This indicates that the area was inhabited by the Franks, because loosely translated it means"dwelling of the people of Alja\\\". Archaeological finds indicate that Ellikom was already inhabited in Roman times, and possibly even earlier.