Tour of Mol

The Belgian province of Antwerp is rich in natural beauty and cozy places. An ideal area to explore by bike. This beautiful route takes you through the surroundings of the towns of Mol and Meerhout, where you also visit picturesque villages such as Rosselaar, Hulsen and Millegem.

Meerhout is best known for the Battle of Meerhout during the Peasants' War, a short peasant uprising in 1798 against the French occupiers. The town has a beautiful market square and some beautiful buildings, such as the baroque Sint-Trudokerk. Its predecessor was damaged in a fire in 1679, after which the restoration was carried out in Baroque style. The lower part of the tower, built in Romanesque style, still recalls the original church, which dates from the twelfth century.
Just past Meerhout you drive a few kilometers along the Bocholt-Herentals canal. This canal connects the Zuid-Willemsvaart in Bocholt with the Albert Canal in Herentals. It is one of the seven Kempen canals between the Maas and Scheldt. It is nice to pedal on this straight path.

From the canal you drive just below Geel into the valley around the river Grote Nete, a 44 kilometer long tributary of the Nete. Here you drive through the Malesbroek nature reserve. At the center of this reserve is a shallow pool that was created by peat extraction at the beginning of the twentieth century. There are still many smaller ponds that are surrounded by a swamp. You can also see hay and meadows here that are surrounded by authentic wooded banks.

South of the hamlet of Bel you drive through a landscape of wet grasslands, coniferous forests, moist heath and fens. Because of its ecological and cultural-historical value, this landscape under the hamlet of Bel enjoys a protected status.