From Zottegem to Nederbrakel

This route starts and ends at the parking place in Strijpen. The Flemish Ardennes is the hilly area between Oudenaarde, Zottegem and Geraardsbergen. The region is an officially recognized Regional Landscape and crosses the language border into the Hainaut Pays des Collines. You will find a great variety of biotopes, each with its own unique flora and fauna. There are pools, spring forests and marsh forests, wooded hills and open fields. Unique plants the dark cranesbill, purple scale root and spotted lungwort. Of the animals, the spring dragonfly and the fire salamander are the most special. And in this mostly small-scale landscape you can also hear the black redstart, yellow wagtail and the little owl calling. Zottegem originated as a small settlement on the left bank of the Bettelhovebeek. The first mention of it dates from 1083 and reads'Sotengem\\\'. The city is known as the Egmont city and is also called'The gate of the Flemish Ardennes\\\'. There are beautiful nature reserves in the rolling landscape around Zottegem. Nederbrakel is located in the Flemish Ardennes and in the Dender region, in a beautiful, rolling backdrop of hills. On one of the hills you will find the Toepkapel, a pilgrimage chapel with a view of the village centre. In the heart of the village, you can admire the Sint-Pietersbandenkerk with a Gothic tower from the 16th century. In the tower hangs a carillon with no less than 49 bells.