There are many surprises to be found hidden, deep in the Flemish countryside. Ancient villages, medieval castles, abbeys and monasteries, are dotted amongst farmland and forests, and linked by pleasant waterways, walking and cycling routes. On a recent sunny weekend that offered the false promise of the arrival of Spring, I hopped on the bike and took a train to the village of Wezemaal.
If you’ve never heard of Wezemaal, you are not alone. Yet, weirdly, it has something of a reputation as being one of the few wine producing areas of Flanders. Who knew Flanders had a wine industry? It was a bit early in the day to sample any wines, but next time I will be better prepared. Who could miss Wijngaardberg? The literal translation is Vineyard Mountain, something of an exaggeration given that it is 72m high.
I made my way past the Donjon Ter Heyden, a 14th century, six story high moated keep with an interior designed in the pattern of a Greek crucifix. As I said, the Flemish countryside is full of surprises. It and the 17th century house nextdoor are an attractive sight. Further on I arrived at the Demer, an 85km long river with water the same colour as rust. I cycled along the bank for 10km into the centre of the small town of Aarschot.
Aarschot’s history stretches back to Roman times, but the attractive centre is mostly medieval and later. I passed the 16th-century water mill on my way into town and straight into the Begijnhof, the lay female-only religious community founded in 1259 and rebuilt after a devastating fire in 1543. Perhaps because of this, it doesn’t make it onto the UNESCO World Heritage list of 13 Flemish Beguinages.
To be fair, it’s pretty but not a patch on other Belgian Beguinages. A little further along the Demer I arrived at the 14th century Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekerk set in a pleasant square next to the town park. I got lost leaving Aarschot but finally picked up the trail north to the Grote Nete River and followed it to Westerlo, passing the early Flemish Renaissance Castle of Westerlo.
Westerlo was my main destination on this trip, mostly because it was not only formerly the domain of the Princes of Merode, but because it is home to one of the most extraordinary religious buildings in Belgium: the great Abbey of Tongerlo. Dating to 1130, it is one of the preeminent monastic buildings in Belgium. Cycling up to the entrance, I was unprepared for just how lovely (and huge) the interior courtyard and buildings are.
As with monks everywhere, the abbey has been a renowned centre of beer making for centuries. Tongerlo beer is very good, but production has moved a few kilometres away to the Haacht brewery. I walked around drinking in the peace and grandeur before setting off to yet another of the great Flemish monasteries, the Abbey of Averbode, a few kilometres to the south.
I passed by another of Westerlo’s castles, this one built by the Countess Jeanne de Merode. It looks much older, but in fact dates from 1910. Today, it is the town hall. Averbode Abbey was founded in 1134 and quickly grew to become one of the wealthiest in the country. It is surrounded by woodlands and the cycle there was fabulous. I sat in the courtyard in grand isolation for 10 minutes before a sudden influx of visitors.
Heading along wooded tracks to the village of Testelt, I was soon back at the River Demer and cycling towards Aarschot through pretty countryside. On this trip there had been plenty of woodland to cycle through, but also waterland areas that reminded me of the Spreewald close to Berlin. Finally, back in Aarschot, I found a brasserie serving Averbode Abbey beer and had a well deserved rest before catching the train back to Brussels.
