Living in occupied territory

Cycling between Aalst and Dendermonde is wonderfully varied. There are a number of information boards along the route that give you an impression of life during the First World War in this region.

Dender
The route starts in Aalst, a beautiful old city on the Dender. You drive into the countryside along the banks of this babbling river. Here you mainly look out over wet meadows, and on the horizon you can sometimes see a church tower of a nearby village looming. At junction 87 you cross the Dender via a lock. A little further on you can see how the Dender flows into the Scheldt. In Dendermonde you will find plenty of terraces for a break.

Belfry
Just like Aalst, Dendermonde also has a beautiful old center. Here you will see, among other things, the fourteenth-century Belfry, which is on the UNESCO World Heritage List. At the roundabout near the city park you will see the Brussels Gate from 1822, one of the two remaining city gates of the former fortress. In the countryside the rural atmosphere of the Scheldeland again dominates. From junction 43 you follow the former route of railway line 61. That is nice and quiet cycling.