Hamont, Neerpelt and Overpelt

This route takes you through the wooded and stream-lined area of Hamont, a charming town in Belgian Limburg. You cycle through various charming Flemish villages and hamlets, there is always a terrace where a delicious fresh Limburg pie is served. Hamont is known for the Teuten trade in the eighteenth century. Teuten were well-organized traders and craftsmen who traveled from the Kempen through Western Europe with their merchandise. The Teuten built a number of stately houses, some of which you can still see on the market. During your tour you will also pass some beautiful old Kempen long-gable farms. Between Hamont and Achel you drive through the Beverbeekse Heide, a nature reserve that is largely planted with Scots pine. A little later you drive through the Dommel Valley, a picturesque landscape consisting of fields with hedgerows, alder forests and poplar plantations. You pass the Wedelse Mill here. According to some sources, this watermill already existed in the 8th century, which would mean that it is the oldest watermill in the Benelux. The mill was in operation as a flour mill until 1957. Electricity has been generated using hydropower since 1980. In 1995, the mill, the locks and the bank reinforcement were given the status of a protected monument. The Kolisbos was originally a heathland area mainly planted with Scots pines. Nowadays people are trying to give the forest, which still contains some remnants of heather, a more natural character. The forest is intersected by the Kolisloop, where you cycle mainly under birches and oaks. You drive back to Hamont via 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.