In theory, the Trappist Route is the perfect weekend activity for someone who enjoys an occasional* beer and is also a keen cyclist. Odd then that the one thing about cycling a beer themed circuit through the countryside just east of Antwerp, is that its highlight, the Abbey of Westmalle, is its least interesting feature. I don’t want to overturn centuries of tradition, but is it too much to ask for the chance to glimpse behind the abbey walls?
As it is, the mysteries of the inner life of the abbey and the workings of the brewery are safely hidden behind high walls and off limits to non-monks. It’s a shame, because the Abbey makes excellent beers, including a 7% Dubbel and a 9.5% Tripel. The Westmalle Tripel holds a special place in beer lore. Known as the Mother of all Tripels, in 1934 it became the first Tripel ever brewed.
That alone seems reason to let beer aficionados take a peek. The Abbey has a brewery shop, but it’s only open for four hours on a Friday. I left disappointed. Luckily, I arrived in the nearby town of Noorderkempen to catch my train to Brussels with time to spare. A friendly bar served up a glass of Westmalle Tripel. It was the culmination of a long day’s cycle into rural Antwerp Province.
I started the day making a side trip off the Trappist Route to the historic and pretty town of Hoogstraten. To get there I passed through a bland agricultural region. The stench of industrial-scale animal farming was all too prevalent, yet this area is more famed for its strawberry farming. The next time you buy strawberries double check if they came from Hoogstraten, because this place produces 30 million kilos of them every year.
Hoogstraten’s history dates back to 1210 and it has retained many of its most interesting historic sights. This includes a Beguinage, or Begijnhof in Dutch, a medieval community of women who lived religious lives without taking vows. It is one of thirteen Flemish Beguinages to be listed by UNESCO in 1998. Today, it’s a gorgeous place to explore, but by 1992 the Beguinage had been allowed to fall into ruin.
Serious consideration was given to demolishing it. Luckily this act of cultural vandalism was prevented and local people renovated the Beguinage. Nearby is the 16th century St. Catherine’s Church, the third tallest in Belgium. In October 1944, the retreating Germans blow up its tower to prevent it being used by the Allies. The town hall was destroyed in the process. It was rebuilt exactly as before, finally completed in 1958.
It’s a remarkable building, a mass of redbrick topped by an onion dome that can be seen from miles away in the flat landscape. I headed into the countryside towards Oostmalle and my ultimate destination of Westmalle, stopping to admire the Chapel of Our Lady of Seven Sorrows. Then I started hearing music. Too many religious sites for one morning? No, a group of tractors pulling carnival floats filled with young people.
In other countries this might be unusual, but in Belgium this sort of encounter happens more often than you’d imagine. One of the floats seemed to be on fire, but the young people drinking Jupiler appeared not to notice, the presiding police officers seemed indifferent. I continued on to Oostmalle to admire the Kasteel de Renesse. A 15th century castle that was destroyed twice, once in the 16th century and again in the 19th century.
Today, it’s a beautiful spot to relax amidst the wooded grounds. A short distance away is the equally impressive Kasteel van Westmalle, which isn’t open to the public but can be viewed from a pleasant riverside walk. On the other side of Westmalle I stopped at the working windmill, Scherpenbergmolen. It was the third windmill I’d seen on the route but the only one with its sails rotating in the wind.
The great – it’s massive – Benedictine Abbey of Westmalle was my next stop. There is a nearby restaurant dedicated to Westmalle beer-related food, drink and merchandise, but it was packed with Belgian families having lunch. Sweaty cyclists in search of a beer were conspicuous by their absence. Still, when I did get to have a Mother of all Triples, it made a day in the saddle seem worthwhile.
* Definitions of ‘occasional’ may differ between beer drinkers
