Cycling past castles

The region to the east of Ghent is dotted with beautiful castles. Today we cycle past a selection of those imposing witnesses of the past. A beautiful route leads us along shady avenues, castle parks, gorgeous villages and a generous portion of greenery.

Our route past the historic castles begins and ends in Ghent. In the heart of the city stands the medieval Gravensteen Castle, but we will keep that as the grand finale at the end of our trip. First we test our legs. From the marina, we set course towards the Scheldt. We cross the lovely little park and then follow a dedicated cycle path along the railway line. That brings us to the mighty river. We follow the flow of the river and, after a few hundred metres, we are free of motorised traffic.

Whistling happily, we bowl along the pristine asphalt of the Scheldepad. On the other side of the river, we see the wide green of the Gentbrugse Meersen, an open area that covers 270 hectares. Here you find unspoilt nature, walking trails and a host of leisure activities. But there is also plenty to enjoy outside Ghent too.

In the municipality of Destelbergen we make a turn. We soon end up in a cosy street, completely surrounded by greenery. From there we meander through the landscape. Here and there, a castle pops up. Most of them were built in the 19th century, as a weekend retreat for the Ghent bourgeoisie. We enjoy the surroundings undisturbed. After about an hour of cycling, we get to see a first castle up close. Laarne Castle is one of the best preserved fortified castles in Flanders. The exterior view of the 14th-century structure is impressive and there is plenty more to see on the inside. We pause briefly for a visit. In the castle, we admire the collections of Brussels tapestries, 16th century furniture and a wonderful silver collection.

With rested legs we recommence our journey. Between the green meadows, we set course towards the Kalkense Meersen. A vista of pristine green pops up on our right. Here we have to make a choice. Do we continue on the route straight away? Or do we take a little detour into this meadow in this arm of the Scheldt? Brooks, canals, cycling and walking paths criss-cross the 1,000 hectares of protected nature reserve. Actually, you could spend the whole day here. But there is no time for that now. We take a quick look round and then return to the route that is marked out.

Once again it is a low-traffic road through the greenery that takes us further. The snooker table-flat road brings us to Beervelde Castle Park. This enormous estate and park has been owned by a noble family since the end of the 18th century. It is certainly worth a visit. Provided they register, walkers can explore it from dawn to dusk. A visit to the castle park is notably more colourful in the spring and autumn. That is when the traditional flower exhibitions are regularly organised there.
After that, the tempo suddenly picks up. The heritage highlights follow each other in quick succession. First the route takes us via a monumental avenue towards Rozelaar Castle. The handsome classicist castle with its white-plastered façades can be admired from our route. A quarter of an hour later we stop at the Gallic Farm. This open-air museum contains a scientifically accurate reconstruction of a settlement from the Late Iron Age and early Gallo-Roman period.

After that unusual interlude, we set off again on our journey among the castles. Left and right, in front and behind us: on this part of the journey they are really everywhere. We cycle through the protected village vista of Destelbergen. A lovely highlight is the Crabbenburg castle which, with its ionic columns, exudes the allure of a Greek temple. Meandering through the castle village, we set course back to Ghent.
That is where our adventure began, and where it will end. Via Damvallei nature reserve, we set course once more for the Scheldt. There we turn onto the towpath that we remember from the beginning of our journey. The mighty river takes us ever closer to the beating heart of Ghent.

In principle, the agreed final destination is the marina from where we started our day. But as far as we are concerned, there is room for a little more. The historic Gravensteen Castle is within easy reach. So we pedal on for one last visit. And is there excellent food and drink in Ghent? We will find out later.

Download the free GPX file at https://www.visitflanders.com/en/flandersfinestcycleroutes