Flanders Cycle Route LF7 Thorn-Kanne

The LF 7 is the eastern arm of the Flanders Cycle Route. The route is also the Belgian section of the Dutch LF 7 Oeverland Route, which takes you over a distance of 350 km from Alkmaar (North Holland) to Maastricht (Limburg). The flat Flemish route from Thorn to Kanne (Riemst) is relatively short at 50 km and easy to cover in a day. You mainly cycle along the Maas, also called Grensmaas here because the river forms the natural border between Belgium and the Netherlands. At Leut, the dike paths of the Maas are exchanged for the towpaths of the Zuid-Willemsvaart, which take you from Maasmechelen to the Albert Canal in Lanaken. The last part of this route runs along the eastern bank of the Albert Canal to the marl village of Kanne. Let yourself be guided by water flows and discover the flat Meuse landscape in an appropriate way! From north to south: You leave the "White town" of Thorn via the alleys constructed with Maas boulders. You will immediately become acquainted with the sometimes fickle course of the Maas and its many ponds that were created by quarrying. Some of these lakes were given a recreational destination, such as the marinas of the Spaanjerd in Ophoven and the Hernlaak in Aldeneik. Historic Maaseik is definitely worth a visit. The route takes you through the market where the Van Eyck brothers rule. The Museactron with the oldest private pharmacy in the country, the Archaeological Museum and the Bakery Museum are also worth a stop. Between Maasmechelen and Lanaken you cycle along the Zuid-Willemsvaart. The Briegden Canal connects the Zuid-Willemsvaart with the Albert Canal across Belgian territory. You cycle along the Albert Canal almost past Maastricht. From the towpath you can see the many mysterious openings of the marl caves. Marl was previously used as a building material and as a soil improver for the fields. In the last part of the route you have to stand on the pedals to climb the Muizenberg. When descending the hill you get a beautiful view of Neerkanne castle with its beautiful gardens. The route ends in Kanne, a sub-municipality of Riemst. Via the cycling network of Toerisme Limburg you can cycle from here with the junction system to Voeren without any problems. Linked routes The Flanders Cycle Route is a composition of four Flemish LF routes: the LF 1, LF 5, LF 7 and LF 6. The LF 7 connects with the LF 5 in Thorn and with the LF 6 in Kanne. there is a connection with the LF 7 Oeverland Route and the LF 5 Connection Route, which in Roermond provides a connection with the LF 3 Meuse Route, the Hanseatic Cycle Route, the Green Valleys Route and the Eifel variant of the Green Road to the Mediterranean. In Kanne there is a connection with the LF 6 Connection Route, which in Maastricht provides a connection with the LF 3 Maas Route, the route Along Old Roads or the Green Road to the Mediterranean. The LF 7 Flanders Cycle Route and the LF 3 Meuse Route run largely parallel. One on Flemish territory, the other on Dutch territory and with the Meuse as the dividing line.