Antwerp – Camping site Hoge Rielen – back to Antwerp
75km cycling through flemish countryside
A friend invited me for a 25km hike in the Flemish Kempen region, from Kasterlee to Turnhout and back. We meet up at the Hoge Rielen camping site.
I take the opportunity to summarize previous experiences from other cycling trips in this same region and share the best routes from Antwerp to nature.
1/ Antwerp – Viersel
15km to leave the city
On a previous occasion, I had taken the F11 cycling highway to Lier and followed the Nete river and canal. This beautiful route, however, was too long for my purpose today. I decided on the 15km stretch from Antwerp to Viersel, where the road connects up with the Albert Canal.
It’s an unpleasant road, cycling about 1m away from racing cars… but it does the trick to get me to my first waypoint in Viersel in less than an hour.
The design of cycling paths is often unpredictably creative… but what to do when a lick of paint on the road gives your town the credit of having bike infrastructure?
Sometimes you are given a semi-generous 1 meter…
Sometimes you only get 30 centimeters…
And sometimes you get clear red paint, a 2m-wide path, clear, clean road signs, and an empty road. Upon reaching Viersel and seeing this crossroads, I immediately leave the earlier experience behind.
2/ Viersel – Kasterlee
20 km of green suburbia
Such a beautiful piece of my route! I bike through a combination of fields and farmland, lush forests, and expensive-looking neighborhoods.
This road is the shortest route to Kasterlee. On top of that, it’s relatively natural, peaceful, and in good condition. I’ll go this way again for sure.
At 10 am, I arrive at the Hoge Rielen. We hike 24 km through the countryside and nature around Turnhout and Kasterlee. It’s a great hike, absolutely a region to visit and great if you like nature walks without elevation.
Status @ Kasterlee Hoge Rielen
%
bike battery
I have enough battery for the way back. There’s no charging spot close, so I don’t charge.
%
phone battery
Less than expected – my navigation app launched an update on the way back, I have to learn to postpone that.
Energizers
Loads of protein crackers and coffee: I’m ready for whatever is coming!
lunch
Lovely lunch at a brasserie in Turnhout. Great spot, not cheap, but the food is worth it.
Water
Praise the Lord for public access to drinking water. There’s a water fountain at the camping site where I refill my bottle.
3/ Kasterlee – Herentals
15 km back to civilization
Previously, I had taken the Lichtaartsesteenweg to Herentals and the canal road back home. The steenweg is a perfectly fine piece of road, lined with long trees and a concrete but uneven cycle path. Despite its beauty, it’s still a car road – I wasn’t looking forward to taking it again.
This time, I chose adventure: a 10 km unpaved road through the forest.
There’s some peace about being alone in nature, you just can’t find anywhere else.
Just be mindful of the weather: on rainy days, this sandy road will become a mudfest you might prefer to avoid.
4/ Herentals – Wijnegem
30 km canal road
The road along the Albert Canal is an exercise in discipline and mindfulness. Along the canal banks, always the same, you sometimes meet another cycler, but most it’s just ducks. During one stretch, I cycled for 15 minutes in swarms of swallows. Contrary to what one might expect, it’s not boring.
I do like this road. It’s called a jaagpad or hunter’s path, which falls under certain specific regulations. Cars are allowed, but not expected or wanted.
I use the bridge at Wijnegem to cross the canal to the Antwerp side.
For more information about the Canal – Wijnegem – Home part, do check out my previous post, which has a much longer and detailed review on those parts.
5/ Wijnegem – Antwerp
5 km suburbia
On other occasions, I took the large but well-structured road that leads from the Wijnegem bridge straight into Antwerp, but it does give you the feeling of arriving the moment you’re over the bridge: there really is nothing nice to say about this steenweg.
This time, I discovered a parallel road through the Wijnegem suburb that leads to the northern part of the Rivierenhof park, behind the Wijnegem shopping mall. It’s a massive improvement!
Both the park and the shopping mall are excellent places to end the trip with coffee, a drink, some cake…
Did you enjoy the ride?
Absolutely, thanks for asking :).
Join me next time!
What's the best route to go from Antwerp to the Kempen region?
Much of it depends on your choice and necessities:
- Pick the canal route if the wind is in your favor and you need to be quick.
- If you have time and want the scenic route, take the F11 between Antwerp and Lier, and follow the Nete River and Nete Canal until you reach the Albert Canal.
- The roads I used here are definitely my favorites: the long road between Viersel and Kasterlee, the forest path between Kasterlee and Herentals (not on rainy days), and the ride through suburbia from Wijnegem to Antwerp.
I’m sure I haven’t explored all the possibilities… more to come soon, I hope.
Which equipment do you use?
I have a Riese-Muller electric bike with 750Wh battery and Bosch Performance Line CX-motor.
My bags are a front bag from Riese-Muller and two Ortlieb backrollers.
These are relatively high-end options, but I made choices for ease of riding and the distance I can cover. Since I don’t own a car, I feel comfortable investing in my electric bike, so it’s less a hobby than an effective means of transport.