4.0
(23)
258
riders
Path Along the Woods – Lock bunker on the Antitank Canal loop from Brecht Bareeltje
03:04
47.3km
70m
Mountain biking
Moderate mountain bike ride. Good fitness required. Advanced riding skills necessary. The starting point of the route is accessible with public transport.
Last updated: August 2, 2026
Tips
Cycling is not permitted along parts of this route
After 20.1 km for 271 m
After 26.4 km for 291 m
Waypoints
Start point
Bus stop
Get Directions
5.77 km
Gravel Path Along the Antitankgracht
Highlight • Trail
Translated by Google •
Tip by
9.34 km
Poppies Along the Antitank Canal
Highlight • Structure
Historical interpretation: The anti-tank ditch is a 33 km long defensive ditch northeast of Antwerp, between the Scheldt and the Albert Canal. The canal was constructed between 1938-1940 as part of the Antwerp fortress.
In the 1930s the Belgian army reoriented the fortress to a defense for infantry (supports) and machine gun companies. The military added the anti-tank ditch and bunker lines (KW-line) to the existing defenses by forts and redoubts. The aim was to stop tanks. Therefore, the anti-tank ditch had to have a slope, depth and width that a tank of that time could not exceed:
a bottom of at least six meters wide
a width of 18m at the water surface
a depth of at least three meters
a minimum water level of two meters
slopes of 45°
Originally, the Antitankgracht was to become a dry canal, but because it was full of water, it was forced to be converted into a wet canal. The route had to bridge a difference in height of roughly 3 to 18.5m (DTM). That is why it was divided into about 45 compartments with locks. A slide in the sluice regulated the water flow and thus maintained the level. The water came partly from seepage water or local streams and partly from the Meuse, supplied via the Dessel-Schoten canal. Because control over the water levels was so important, each lock was defended by a bunker.
Translated by Google •
Tip by
16.1 km
Path Along the Woods
Highlight • Trail
16.4 km
Small Pond at the Forest Trail Junction
Highlight • Lake
Translated by Google •
Tip by
17.7 km
Klein Zwitserland
Highlight (Segment) • Forest
26.5 km
De Schans
Fort
35.3 km
Singletrack Through the Heathlands
Highlight • Trail
Translated by Google •
Tip by
35.7 km
Forest Path
Highlight • Trail
Translated by Google •
Tip by
41.0 km
Lock bunker on the Antitank Canal
Highlight • Historical Site
Translated by Google •
Tip by
47.3 km
End point
Bus stop
Way Types & Surfaces
Way Types
15.7 km
11.6 km
10.1 km
6.71 km
3.23 km
< 100 m
Surfaces
15.4 km
13.7 km
11.5 km
4.59 km
1.89 km
245 m
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Elevation
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Weather
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Today
Thursday 20 August
22°C
13°C
89 %
Additional weather tips
Max wind speed: 12.0 km/h
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Our route recommendations are based on thousands of hikes, rides, and runs completed by other people on komoot.
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