The best road cycling routes in Houthulstbos

very impressive monument and museum. Must see if in the area

The monastery was founded in 1492, at the initiative of Canon de Vooght of the Saint Walburga Chapter of Veurne, and Sister Maria Poret, the first superior. A house and property were purchased on Zuidstraat in Lo in 1493. Emperor Maximilian I granted permission in 1493 to build a small chapel, refectory, dormitory, and tower with a clock. The monks were initially present in Lo to combat the plague. The tower sparked a conflict between the provost of the provostry (later to become Saint Peter's Abbey) and the Grey Sisters. The provost considered the tower too high. This led to a lawsuit, in which the judges ruled that the sisters could keep their tower unchanged if they presented the provost with two chickens each year at Easter. The tower was renovated in 1560, destroyed in 1579, and rebuilt on a smaller scale. Besides expansions in the 16th and 17th centuries, the convent also suffered damage and destruction during religious unrest in the same period. A low point was the confiscation in 1798 by the French revolutionaries. A confidant of the sisters, former mayor J.B. Ryon, bought up the undeclared goods so that the sisters could repurchase them after the Concordat. The Grey Sisters founded a school in 1763, and in response to the establishment of a municipal school, they started a Catholic boys' school on Zuidstraat in 1836. During the First World War, Lo was shelled by the Germans, and the convent's tower was destroyed. The 17th-century hospital on the east side of the market square was destroyed and never rebuilt. Reconstruction and repairs of the convent followed in 1922-1926, with the tower being raised, modeled on the town hall tower. The west wing has been restored and adapted in a historicist style. https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Klooster_van_de_Grauwzusters_(Lo)

The old town hall and belfry now serve as a hotel and restaurant. The town hall and belfry have been on the UNESCO World Heritage List since 1999 as part of the joint registration of a group of 56 belfries in Belgium and France. https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stadhuis_van_Lo

The Caesarsboom is an old yew tree (also known as poison tree) in the town of Lo in the Belgian Westhoek region. The tree is one of Lo's typical symbols and is located next to the medieval Westpoort gate. The name refers to a legend about Julius Caesar, who is said to have taken a nap under the tree in 55 BC on his way to Britain and tied his horse to it. The story goes back to the historian Jean-Baptiste Gramaye, who was the first to allow Caesar to pass through Lo in 1612. In reality, the Caesarsboom is approximately 250 years old. A painting from the late 18th century depicts its predecessor in full maturity. https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caesarsboom

Easily accessible from the canal cycleway

Well-preserved old city gate

Beautiful vantage point

Nowadays the castle is a luxury hotel/restaurant and conference centre (Restaurant realised in 1990 and hotel built in 1996 by the then organisers of the Rock Torhout festival). On the other side of the Torhout - Oostende road lies the domain of the Wijnendale castle.