The best MTB trails around Pittem

Through the fields, unpaved and nice to walk

surprisingly beautiful piece of forest - a bit like a fairytale in the autumn colours

The (historical) Scheepsput can be found in the beautiful green Sint-Pietersveld. You would hardly believe it, but this well was dug in the mid-19th century to build a three-master. The large sailing ship served as a training ground for the sailors of a reform school in the area (now Community Institution De Zande). The pond was given the name 'Het Schip', but was transformed by the local population into the Scheepsput.

is The lock in Ooigem forms an essential connection between the Roeselare-Leie Canal and the Leie. However, the lock dates from the early 1970s and was due for a thorough renovation in 2023. These works were accompanied by a drying out of the lock. Among other things, it was given new lock gates and the possibility of remote control. The lock is the only connection between the Leie and the Roeselare-Leie Canal. And annually transfers no less than 4 million tons of cargo. Source: https://www.vlaamsewaterweg.be/nieuws/sluis-ooigem-wordt-klaargetoomd-voor-de-toekomst

The Izegem street art artist (°1992) created a fantastic masterpiece here. About this work she writes herself: "The name ‘droogbroodstraat’ comes from the 1800s, the soil was completely infertile and nothing could be grown on it, poverty. That is why sheep were placed there… sheep, because cows and horses were for the richer people. Sheep were good for milk and wool, in the 1960s new techniques were developed to fertilize the soil and so the heathland agriculture disappeared and so did the shepherd and his heathland sheep … Hence the reference to the shepherds. Before I started designing I spoke to a very old lady from the street who has lived there all her life. About the war and how the Germans took over certain places to live. The Germans communicated from the Droogbroodstraat. The airport a little further away provided a connection and on the very last night of the war hundreds of soldiers slept on the farmer's land, just on the ground… 1940-1945, crazy stories! The television tower, placed in the year 1973 with a height of 305 meters, the pride of Egem, which you can see from miles away, where I sometimes think 'finally, almost home', could be seen from the neighbors' position just before the building was there. This one certainly could not be missing from the picture!" Source: https://streetartcities.com/markers/97fd1778-0068-4291-808f-b6011cb9039a Djoels currently has a tattoo shop in Egem.

The inn "Blomgadt" is already indicated on a map dating from 1654-1656. The toponym "Blo(e)mgat" is used as the name of the district and inn, with the oldest mention even dating back to 1640. One of the ponds within the nearby "Ardoye Veldt" is the "Blo(e)mgatvijver". In the mid-19th century, the inn was owned by Auguste de Jonghe d'Ardoye, a descendant of the family of lords of Ardooie (and also a senator). In the mid-20th century, the inn was owned by Justice of the Peace Hubert Lagae-Vanden Bussche from Harelbeke. In 2019, the café closed... until the current owner, Julie Velghe, a bricklayer by training, fell in love with the place and restored the café to its former glory by carrying out the necessary renovations. She respected the authentic interior and made it shine again. The café reopened in April 2022, with Julie behind the bar. Sources: https://inventaris.onroerenderfgoed.be/erfgoedobjecten/207471 https://www.hln.be/ardooie/van-de-bouwwerf-naar-de-tap-metser-julie-heropent-cafe-t-bloemgat~aace69b2/

When I'm in the area I always want to pass it, have passed it many times in both directions. I think the best direction is from north to south - arrows are also this direction.

Every now and then a serious boat is lost here