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Anti-tank canal – Forest Paths loop from Kapellen

Anti-tank canal – Forest Paths loop from Kapellen

Hard

4.8

(5)

120

riders

Anti-tank canal – Forest Paths loop from Kapellen

04:37

85.7km

110m

Gravel riding

Hard gravel ride. Good fitness required. You may need to push your bike for some segments of this route. The starting point of the route is accessible with public transport.

Last updated: June 11, 2026

Tips

Includes movable bridges

Check opening times.

After 11.8 km for 19 m

After 66.7 km for 21 m

Waypoints

Start point

Train Station

Get Directions

12.8 km

anti-tank canal

Highlight • Structure

In the 1930s, near an extensive network of trenches from World War I, soldiers dug a canal in a quarter circle around Antwerp. The canal was between 6 and 18 meters wide, 2 meters deep and no less than 33 kilometers long, from Zandvliet to Oelegem.

The anti-tank canal was to stop the advance of German tanks and other rolling stock towards Antwerp. However, the enemy came from the other side...

The canal and its banks have since evolved into a green connection between different nature reserves. Plants and animals now easily make the crossing to another nature reserve. Some parts of the original canal have disappeared due to the expansion of the harbor and the construction of highways.

The remains of the canal are now invaluable as a moat. Several fortresses and many bunkers were built along the canal. They have been serving as a comfortable hibernation place for bats for some time now. The calcareous concrete of the fortresses is also very useful for the growth of mosses, ferns and many other plants.

Translated by Google •

Tip by

19.6 km

Antitank Canal

Highlight • River

The Antitankgracht was constructed just before the Second World War to stop German tanks. Fortunately, that is no longer necessary today, but it does provide us with a nice location to cycle through.

Translated by Google •

Tip by

24.1 km

Forest Paths

Highlight • Trail

for enthusiasts who like steering, you can ride on the single track, the other on the wide path next to it

Translated by Google •

Tip by

29.8 km

Picnic spot Berkemei

Highlight • Forest

At the end of the Berkemei against the Zoerselbos is a respectable oak. A tree chapel has hung here since time immemorial, as one often finds at intersections of important roads. The road from Zandhoven to Brecht crossed here with one of the two roads from Halle to Zoersel. The chapel had disappeared in the late 1970s. The then young Friends of the Zoerselbos association decided to provide a new chapel.

Translated by Google •

Tip by

31.7 km

Natuurreservaat Zoerselbos

Nature Reserve

34.4 km

Het Boshuisje (De Loteling), Zoerselbos

Highlight • Cafe

Great host and beautiful terrace at the Zoerselbos nature reserve.

Translated by Google •

Tip by

43.4 km

Kruis van Blommerschot

Highlight • Monument

The forest cross, which lies against the border of Oostmalle and Zoersel, was built on a six-way junction in 1931 long before the construction of the E34. There is a funny anecdote attached to it. Around 1930, the naturist association De Spar opened a nudist area fifty meters away. In a self-built 'nudarium' they practiced nude swimming and nude gymnastics.
The local residents spoke of the 'exposure holes' and told about the many untold things that happened there. Legend has it that a poacher encountered eight naked women during his nighttime trek through the forest. He fell asleep at a crossroads of lanes and woke up the next day with no trace of his nighttime adventure. The pastor was so impressed by the poacher's story that he had the cross of Blommerschot erected there to chase the 'witches' away.

Translated by Google •

Tip by

45.2 km

Gravel Track Near the Airport

Highlight • Trail

You can see small planes flying from time to time.

Tip by

48.1 km

Boshuisje Zoersel and De Loteling Trail

Highlight • Historical Site

rustic bump bump road

Translated by Google •

Tip by

51.4 km

Domeinbos Wolfschot

Nature Reserve

79.7 km

Antitankgracht

Lake

85.7 km

End point

Train Station

Way Types & Surfaces

Way Types

37.0 km

17.1 km

14.9 km

10.7 km

6.12 km

< 100 m

Surfaces

25.5 km

24.4 km

17.5 km

15.3 km

3.02 km

Elevation

Nothing selected – click and drag below to see the stats for a specific part of the route.

Weather

Thursday 25 June

37°C

23°C

2 %

Additional weather tips

Max wind speed: 12.0 km/h

to get more detailed weather forecasts along your route

Comments

March 3, 2024,Malle Strade🤪

Because Tweewielers MH and HvdZ had a function elsewhere, PH had to do the honors at the Gravelride Westmalle🍻. We knew that. In the Belgian Gooi🇧🇪 the start was already a kind of Monty Python for cyclists with no sense of direction🔃. Once the right direction was found, a beautiful stretch followed along the rusty Tankgracht🚂. Then it was on …

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Anti-tank canal – Forest Paths loop from Kapellen

anti-tank canal

Antitank Canal

Forest Paths

Picnic spot Berkemei

Het Boshuisje (De Loteling), Zoerselbos

Kruis van Blommerschot

Gravel Track Near the Airport

Boshuisje Zoersel and De Loteling Trail

Nearby routes

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