Enjoy beautiful Belgium through villages and towns

This route takes you to the rural area surrounding Ham, a small town in Belgian Limburg. You ride through peaceful agricultural land and villages such as Engsbergen, Deurne, and Beringen. Just above Tessenderlo, you cycle through the valley of the Kleine Laak. Here, the stream meanders unconcernedly through the countryside. In the valley, you will still find natural biotopes such as alder swamp forests, sedge, reed grass, and honeysuckle. A little further on, you enter the Gerhagen Forests, a quiet area spanning nearly 1,000 hectares. In the lower section, you ride past meadows and fields. Higher up, you ride through forests and past heathland and shifting sands. At the Gerhagen Forest Museum, there is an observation tower nearly 19 meters high. Those who brave the climb are rewarded with a magnificent view over the area. The route takes you past the Paalse Plas, an oasis of greenery and water. You can relax or enjoy a snack on one of the benches. The route continues along the Albert Canal near Beringen. This waterway is part of the Scheldt-Meuse-Rhine connection that Napoleon Bonaparte wanted to achieve with his Grand Canal du Nord. This route starts and ends in the municipality of Ham. Here you will find a number of remarkable monuments, such as the seventeenth-century rectory of Oostham. The church of Oostham even has the oldest church tower (from the tenth century) in the Benelux. After your beautiful trip, you will find plenty of opportunities in Ham for lunch, dinner, or simply a drink and a fresh Limburg flan. Route 181623 also starts from Ham.