Stalen Ros van Heer Borluut cycle route

The present Castle Coninxdonck Castle was built on the foundations of a 13th-century castle owned by Elisabeth Muysconinckx, Lady of Coninckxdonk, wife of Boudewijn Borluut, an ancestor of Simon Borluut, the 15th-century host of this cycling route. You can now rent Coninxdonck Castle for parties. The owner fills his ice cellar with his own Coninx beers. One of them is called Lam Gods, a tribute to Elisabeth Borluut, depicted on the Adoration of the Mystic Lamb and directly related to the above-mentioned Boudewijn. And thus, this circle is complete.

The Bosseveerhoeve, down here on the left, next to the towpath, belonged to the Cistercian abbey of Nieuwenbosch in the 13th century. Both were situated in the same meander of the Scheldt, which was straightened in 1882 and separated the farm from the abbey site. This meant that the Scheldt suddenly lay in the middle. The abbey fell prey to iconoclasts in 1579 and was destroyed. The farm also shared in the destruction, although it remained intact. The farmhouse you see here today is not the original one from the 13th century, but it does contain remnants of that original farmhouse. The name Bosseveerhoeve refers to one of the three medieval Scheldt ferries here in Heusden.

Sint-Martens-Latem is the proverbial icing on the cake in the vicinity of Ghent. The picturesque Lys River meanders past villas and castles here. You can enjoy all that beauty from a viewing distance by bike. And as long as you follow the Lys downstream, you know Ghent is on your path. The last village on your route is worth a stop. The picturesque Afsnee dates back to the 7th century. Its Romanesque church with surrounding cemetery is probably not much younger. It is still half an hour of cycling from here to the centre of Ghent. You can refuel at Nenuphar restaurant by the ferry, but only if you eat something too.