Gullegem, Ooigem and Sint Katarina

Let your thoughts wander for miles over the water mass of the beautiful river Leie. Cycling along the banks of the Leie, you realize how powerful nature can be. Mysterious secrets are hidden in the destructive power or in the soothing rippling waves. The water, low in lime and iron, encouraged flax to bloom. This plant is very valuable because it has been cultivated for thousands of years to make linen or linseed oil. The flax cultivation around the Leie gave it the nickname"the Golden River\\\", after the shine that the retted flax had. However, in 1943, the retting of flax in the Leie or in river watercourses was prohibited. Until 2020, we will be working hard to straighten, widen and deepen the Leie, so that heavy freight traffic can also find its way over the water from the Seine to the Scheldt and vice versa. In Kuurne you will find several textile companies that are reminiscent of the influence that the Leie had on the retting of flax until the second half of the twentieth century. Although Kuurne does not really have a center, the oldest part of the city is located in the south. From the area around the Sint-Michiels parish, Kuurne emerged as a church village and grew into an agglomeration with Kortrijk. Nice to know that the residents of Kuurne are called "donkeys". The nickname with a mocking sound was given to them by residents of Kortrijk, who used to see the people of Kuurne traveling to the Kortrijk morning market before dawn with a donkey and a heavily loaded cart. At Profile Stevens, located at the start and end point of the cycle tour in Gullegem, you can use your bicycle discount pass to receive a 10 euro discount on maintenance or repairs to your bicycle. Now that your car is parked in front of the door, take the opportunity to have your bicycle properly checked and serviced.