Hamont, Neerpelt and Overpelt

This route takes you through the wooded and stream-lined surroundings of Hamont, a charming town in Belgian Limburg. You'll cycle through several charming Flemish villages and hamlets, and there's always a terrace serving delicious, fresh Limburg pie. Hamont is known for the Teuten trade in the eighteenth century. Teuten were well-organized traders and craftsmen who traveled from the Kempen region throughout Western Europe with their merchandise. The Teuten built several stately homes, some of which you can still see at the market. During your journey, you'll also pass some beautiful old Kempen longhouses. Between Hamont and Achel, you'll cycle through the Beverbeekse Heide, a nature reserve largely planted with Scots pine. A little later, you'll cycle through the Dommel Valley, a picturesque landscape consisting of fields with hedgerows, alder swamp forests, and poplar plantations. You'll pass the Wedelse Mill here. According to some sources, this watermill already existed in the 8th century, which would make it the oldest watermill in the Benelux. The banmolen was in operation as a corn mill until 1957. Since 1980, electricity has been generated by hydropower. In 1995, the mill, along with the lock and the bank reinforcement, were designated a protected monument. The Kolisbos was originally a heathland planted mainly with Scots pine. Nowadays, efforts are being made to give the forest, which still contains some remnants of heathland, a more natural character. The forest is bisected by the Kolisloop, a stream where you cycle mainly under birch and oak trees. You cycle back to Hamont through the woods of Aan de Grote Fabriek, named after the gunpowder factory that once stood here at a safe distance from the built-up area.