The best cycling routes around Anzegem

Smooth tarmac, but be carefull as nothing will stop you to fall into the canal, particularly for new skateboarders. One part of the track is halas closed for some months now.

super route along the water

1 of my favorite spots in the Flemish Ardennes. Such peace, what a view.

As is the case with many chapels, pieces of cloth are tied to the bars of the door (see, for example, the Passjekapel on the Catsberg in Godewaerdsvelde in French Flanders). This refers to a devotion that is actually based on a Germanic tradition: believers come to the chapel hoping for (or in gratitude for) protection and healing from illnesses that cause fever. They leave behind a piece of cloth (bandage, sock, handkerchief, etc.), worn by the sick person.

The Tonte Chapel is a magnificent chapel, largely due to its location: at the highest point in Kooigem, with a number of nearly upright poplars as neighbors. It can therefore be seen from afar. The combination of white paint on the walls and blue woodwork gives the chapel an extra special character. The history of the chapel, which has been a protected monument since 2004, dates back to the first half of the 18th century. The first, smaller chapel was probably built in 1729 but destroyed in 1914, not by war, but by fire following a lightning strike. The current chapel dates from after the First World War. The small chapel was enlarged in 1929 by the residents of the nearby farm. The Tonte Chapel is a popular place of worship, especially in May. Source: Heritage Inventory

Tontestraat (and not 'Tontestraat' as this highlight was originally called) climbs towards Geitenberg, the highest point in Kooigem. There stands the 18th-century Tonte Chapel, which, together with its neighbor, the poplar, forms a landmark in this field-dominated area.

The Mauroy Bridge is one of three movable bridges spanning the canal at Saint-Léger. Each bridge had a bridge keeper's house, where the bridge keeper lived, responsible for opening and closing the bridge each time a ship passed. These houses were often also cafés... or still are, as here. Just beyond the bridge, the old Mauroy farm bordered an imposing castle, the Mauroy Castle, designed by Sanderus in 1644. In 1504, the castle and the Mauroy estate belonged to Arnould de Maulde, a lord of the manor. Source: brochure "Promenade Saint-Léger"

The Roubaix Canal, or the Espierres Canal, as it's called in French or Belgian, forms part of the link between the Deûle River in France and the Scheldt River in Belgium. In 1843, the two canals were connected between Leers, France, and Leers-Nord, Belgium. Despite damage sustained during the two world wars, the canal was the pinnacle of the region's textile industry for over a hundred years, transporting coal from Belgium to numerous French factories. In Leers-Nord, Belgium, the workers who pulled the coal-laden barges were called "satcheux" (sailors). Next to the lock keeper's house, a stone's throw from France, the crossing point between France and Belgium, a customs guardhouse was built. Customs officers were present to inspect the numerous goods transported by barge. After the decline of the textile industry in the 1970s and 1980s, the canal gradually lost its usefulness and was closed to shipping in 1983. In the early 2000s, the canal was the subject of a cross-border rehabilitation project to allow tourist boats to pass through again. As part of the Interreg Blue Links project, a collaboration between France, Flanders, and Wallonia, it was flooded again. The final works were completed in 2011, and navigation reopened. Since the early 20th century, the Roubaix/Espierres Canal has been a place of conviviality, walking, and fishing for cross-border residents and commuters. Consequently, strong public opposition has arisen to the plan to convert the canal into a motorway. Source: www.caue-nord.com