Cycling along the banks of the Scheldt

Klein-Brabant is a Flemish region in the triangle of cities between Antwerp, Brussels and Ghent. The Scheldt and the Rupel, a tributary of the Scheldt, flow through this area. In this varied landscape, you cycle along the banks of the Scheldt, through its polders and through (swamp) forests. You also pass through a number of picturesque Flemish villages, such as Puurs and Hamme, the birthplace of the writer Herman Brusselmans and K3 member Kristel Verbeke. Before you reach the Scheldt, you first cycle along the left bank of the Rupel, a river that is only twelve kilometres long. On the other side of the water lies the Rupel region, which is known for its brickworks. After a few kilometres of cycling, you can see how the Rupel flows into the Scheldt. The Scheldt rises in the north of France and eventually flows into the North Sea via the Western Scheldt. Like every river, the Scheldt has also been of great economic and strategic importance throughout the centuries. The Romans braved the cold and wet climate to their taste in order to sail to Britannia via the Scheldt. The Vikings used the river as a gateway on their raids in the surrounding areas. Between 1585 and 1792, the river was blocked in the vicinity of Antwerp for political, strategic and especially economic reasons. Belgium and the Netherlands finally agreed on free passage in 1839, although the Western Scheldt still occupies the minds of the people every now and then. Along the banks of the Scheldt you drive through a unique nature reserve. The river may be reasonably tamed, but over the centuries it has left its mark on the landscape. You see many mudflats and salt marshes that are very valuable for water birds. You will also come across willows, reeds, bank sedge and celandine. Driving through the wet forests you will see rare marsh vegetation that includes ferns, marsh thistles and snake root. Many poplars, as well as willows and ash, grow in the polders. The nightingale, cuckoo and jay feel at home here. You cross the Scheldt twice by ferry. After the first time you drive through the salt marshes of the Durme. This is one of the few freshwater salt marshes that Belgium still has. You see a lot of reeds and willows here, they form impenetrable forests that look a lot like tropical mangroves.