Meander along the border area of the Meuse

National Park de Hoge Kempen is the first national park in Flanders. A beautiful area to discover by bike! Vast pine forests alternate with purple flowering heather.

Mechelen Heath
This route takes you through the beautiful Lanaken region. The cycle route starts at junction 140, on the edge of the Hoge Kempen National Park. You cycle north past Opgrimbie. Between As and Maasmechelen you cross the largest heathland in Flanders: the seven hundred hectare Mechelse Heide. Once there was a primeval forest here, which was decimated by logging and grazing. What remained was a heathland. In the summer the heath blooms beautifully purple and red.

Pietersheim Domain
Just before the end of the route you will pass Domein Pietersheim. Parts of the old ring castle, the rampart and the inner moat of this impressive castle ruin are still clearly recognizable. You will also see a chapel that dates back to the fourteenth century. On the domain there is a café and information center about the Hoge Kempen National Park behind it. If you want to know more about this area, drive along to Toerisme Lanaken, near the canal in Lanaken-Rekem.