The Whitecap Route

This route takes you through the Dender Valley south of Aalst. You will find beautiful, quiet nature reserves here, such as the Wellemeersen. You will also pass through Ninove, a beautiful old town.

City park Aalst
The Aalst city park was built between 1911 and 1916 around two fish ponds. More than a hundred tree species grow there. The card house and garden shed exude the typical atmosphere of the period around 1900. It is wonderful to travel for miles along the leafy towpath along the Dender. You will pass Gerstjens, a city park on the right bank. Here too you will see monumental trees surrounding a pond.

Ninove
The Wellemeersen nature reserve is one of the last flood areas in the Dender Valley. You will see reed lands, marsh grasslands, alder forests and sedge fields. You will also cycle through Ninove, a pleasant provincial town. The eye-catcher of this city is the leaning tower of the Church of Our Lady of the Assumption, which was built between 1635 and 1723. It is one of the largest Baroque churches in Flanders and therefore definitely worth a visit. In the countryside you will see beautiful farms and characteristic chapels. You will also pass the Ten Broeck water mill, a sixteenth-century water mill on the Molenbeek. The idyllic surroundings enjoy a protected village view and are beautiful to admire.