Cycling through the trees in Bosland

The Limburg forests are so overwhelming that they seem like an entire country. Today we cycle through green Bosland, between the treetops along elegant windmills, heritage and culinary delights.

Our cycling adventure begins in Lommel, a cosy city on the Dutch border. Nature and heritage come together effortlessly. But more about that later. First we let our legs warm up a bit. We pedal through the cosy centre of the city, towards peaceful nature. We meander between fields and farmland. The cycle path is gradually narrowing, sometimes just a metre wide. We look in front of us, look back for a moment. Our eyes shoot to the left, to the right. We see the same thing everywhere: untouched nature. We are completely surrounded by a special mix of the eternal greenery of the Limburg coniferous forests and the discolouring foliage. It is a pleasure to cycle through this environment.

These roads lead us to the Hobos, an estate of forests, meadows, orchards, ponds and many more untouched greenery. We greedily take in nature and the fresh outdoors. After about 45 minutes of beauty, we end up in rural Hechtel-Eksel. That's where we take a first break. The smallest possible detour takes us to De Meule, a cosy brasserie in the shadow of the Stermolen, a windmill with a large wind rose on the side. It has proudly stood out in the Limburg landscape for more than a century. We admire that historic building and sit down for a satisfying cup of coffee.
This will give us the energy we need to continue our cycling adventure. We get on our horses of steel and continue, towards the protagonist of this tour: Bosland. A few minutes later, we drive into the peaceful oasis. This overwhelmingly green area is not only a National Park, but also Flanders' most child-friendly forest. The little ones can enjoy exciting treasure hunts, geocaching games and adventurous playgrounds. It is also great for hiking, but today we explore this area on two wheels.

The natural assets of Bosland speak for themselves. Soon we will be cycling along a road that is closed to traffic, completely surrounded by a natural beauty. After half an hour of cycling in this peaceful environment, we experience a first improbable highlight. Via a double circle, the road suddenly leads upwards. We rise and rise until we are 10 meters above the ground. So we start to cycle literally between the straight peaks of the conifers. As we pedal, we discover nature from a different perspective. Suddenly we are at the same height as the birds that build their nest there. We just pinch the brakes, stand still and watch it with a smile. Cycling through the Trees is like no other attraction.
After this special introduction to the treetops, we can keep our legs still for a while. Gravity naturally takes us back to ground level, while we enjoy ourselves. Via a majestic bicycle road between the woods, we continue towards Lommel.

Before we reach the lovely city centre, we stop for a moment at a special heritage site: a huge war cemetery. This is the final resting place of no less than 39,000 German soldiers who lost their lives during the Second World War. It is the largest cemetery of its kind in Western Europe. A poignant place. To take it all in, we will briefly pop into the Hof Ten Vrede cycling café. A hot cup of coffee or a tasty local beer gives us the fuel to travel those last few kilometres .
And we take one more small detour. We also wanted to cycle along the Leyssensmolen. This mill was built more than 200 years ago and has a rich history. The 26-tonne structure has been moved no less than three times over the years. Today it has found its spot: in the Kattenbos, a beautiful environment for an extra stop.

And with that, the journey is really coming to an end. We are in the last few kilometres of our cycling adventure. Fortunately, we end where we started: the centre of Lommel, where the terraces look inviting. An ideal environment to talk about what we’ve seen. Cheers!