Round Balen

On the border of the Belgian provinces of Limburg and Antwerp you drive through a quiet and slightly undulating area where villages, river valleys and extensive forests alternate.

Just after your departure you cross the Albert Canal and cycle through the forests around the Kepkensberg, a 43-metre-high witness hill. A little later you cycle through the valley of the Kleine Laak. The stream meanders carefree through the land here. In the valley you will find alder swamp forests, sedge, reed grass and honeysuckle.

Between Tessenderlo and Vorst you cycle through the valley of the Grote Laak, an area where you see reed thickets, wet meadows and swamp forests. A little further on between Vorst and Eindhout you cycle through the valley of the Kleine Laak again. In this small-scale landscape you will find some old wooded banks along the pastures.

Via the villages Zittaart and Meerhout you drive through a rural area towards the Dessel-Kwaadmechelen Canal, one of the seven Kempen Canals. Here you can fully enjoy the peace and the environment intersected by many ditches and waterways.

Just before Leopoldsburg the route turns off again, back towards the starting point. You cross the Gerheserbossen, the origins of which go back some 10,000 years. You mainly see sandy soils and dunes covered with pine forests. If you look closely, you will also discover old remains of heathland and fens. These valuable spots, which are connected by light-filled avenues, ensure that rare animals such as the wood cricket and nightjar feel at home in this unique nature reserve.