A waterproof bicycle adventure in Limburg, Belgium
Make sure your bike is in good condition to go on a cycling adventure! After reading this article, you will be eager to take a recreational bike trip along the outstanding cycle route network in Limburg, Belgium, visited by more than 2 million cyclists every year, and being profiled as a ‘Cycling Paradise’.
It is a great activity — not only for professional cyclists, but for recreational ones as well! Trust me, the cycling paths in Limburg are clean and safe, and the cycling network is really impressive. Not even ten percent of our trip passed along busy car lanes, so I can really recommend this trip for families with kids, as well! The circular network in Belgium makes it almost impossible to get lost. The intuitive part is that after planning a route, you just have to follow the numbers to the next intersections, and there you go!
Alongside the Albert Canal
Pedaling, breathing, pedaling, breathing. Managing to get past the mild elevation was hard, especially for a beginner, like me, just to get to the first point of attraction of our trip: the Albert Canal. The Canal, is extremely important from an economical point of view, and you will follow it for a while during this trip, as it is connecting the cities of Antwerp and Liege.
However, the Canal is currently suffering some big and expensive changes! One of the aims is to lift all of the bridges over the Canal to a clearance height of 9.10 meters in order to allow four-layer container transport .
Cycling through water — Bokrijk
Our destination? That must be Bokrijk: a recreational highlight in Limburg. Bokrijk is known for the Open Air Museum, which houses a unique collection of authentic buildings, originating from different Flemish regions and time periods. On our way, we were able to discover Limburg’s nature. The purple haze of the heather, being an important local vegetation, was already fading away, but even so, it created fantastic sceneries. Autumn also created an amazing mélange of colours, as best seen in the Open Air Museum — the second stop of our trip!
Why I recommend visiting the museum? You can discover the Belgian heritage — farmer villages as authentic and traditional as they ever were, situated in their original landscapes. Unexpectedly, near the historic houses in the core of the museum, characteristic animals can be found. Besides preserving the houses, the Open Air Museum intends to reflect the ancient Flemish folk character.
The cycle path leads you to a pond where you can literally cycle… through the water! At some point, you pass the water literally at shoulder height, making the experience a really unique one. This water-rich region „De Wijers” is also known as the Land of 1001 Ponds. Ponds of various surface, with hundreds of water birds, are a paradise for the true nature lover and provide a breath-taking experience for everybody.
On our way home, we arrived at the Kiewit Estate Petting Zoo! I have to tell you, kids around there were extremely happy and I was one of the. I told you, bring your kids! We were able to pet little goats, and even if there were some chickens around there as well, however, I did not really felt the urge to pet that ones.
Further on, we passed by the green meadows where tents are installed during the Pukkelpop festival, one of the largest pop festivals in Belgium! Notable acts that have performed at Pukkelpop are Daft Punk, The Prodigy, Iron Maiden, Eminem, Nirvana, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, etc. Expectedly, this year the festival could not take place, so the organisers are waiting for the participants in the summer of 2021!
Already exhausted, we detected some Scottish cows as well, brought here to benefit the local ecosystem and nature (among other advantages, as milk and cheese!).
Even though I stated that the cycling paths are perfectly safe, you have to bear in mind biking through the forest can be sometimes hard, on a partially unpaved track! The road was kinda bumpy and a little bit more effort was necessary, but this issue only persisted for five minutes or so.
We were lucky enough, as the weather was still perfect for such a trip, and because you do not really need previous experience when it comes to riding. You should probably bring a bottle of water with you and some gloves during winter time, just to be sure.
