Tourist Guide Meetjesland 2017
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Tourist Guide Meetjesland 2017 www.toerismemeetjesland.be Active Attractions Heritage & culture Out The Creeks in Assenede Welcome to the Meetjesland meetjesland, it’s an experience! discover a slice of unfamiliar flanders. far away from the hustle and bustle. between ghent, bruges and the coast of zee- landic flanders (the netherlands) you will discover a cycling paradise with woods, fields and, to the north, a unique creek area. Info Visitor Center Huysmanhoeve, Toerisme Meetjesland, Bus 1, 9900 Eeklo, T +32 9 377 86 00, [email protected], www.toerismemeetjesland.be www.toerismemeetjesland.be Get to work immediately with the cycling network To give you a taste of our cycling network, we would make two suggestions. We have selected these junction suggestions to create themed tours. You can easily work out different routes with these junction combinations. ACTIVE Simply follow the junction combinations below. We recommend that cyclists purchase a junction map Cycling (6 Euros) in one of our tourist centers and have this map on you during your tour. Join us on the Meetjesland cycling network! De Lieve Tells Its Tale (40 km) This tour takes you along the oldest canal in Flanders. The level gradients of Meetjesland are home to a net- From the moment of its foundation, the city of Ghent work of cycling routes with various junctions, just like wanted a direct connection to the sea. ‘De Lieve’ is the the rest of Flanders. The assets of our cycling network first excavated canal in Flanders and was meant to grant are the landscape, the level gradients of the region and Ghent a direct waterway connection with ‘het Zwin’ the fine selection of pleasant cycling tours often on little (in the region of Damme and Bruges). In Lovendegem, roads with barely any traffic. We are located between Waarschoot and Zomergem this ‘Liefken’ still serves as Ghent, Bruges and the coast of Zeelandic Flanders just a picturesque little canal where fishermen and herons across the border from the Netherlands, which is an reign supreme. Start this tour in the village of Waar- additional asset. schoot, at the Sint-Ghislenus church. Follow the node markers from the center of Waarschoot. The large canals in our region are an added attraction. Along these canals are magnificent cycling routes, with For the tour ‘De Lieve Tells Its Tale’: follow 13-15-28-30-34- miles of easy cycling without ever coming across even 32-53-51-54-55-48-64-25-23-22-12-10-6-61-52-53-65-56- a single car. We call these our ‘cycling highways’. You can 59-9-13-3 outline your routes yourself on our cycling network map, guaranteeing peace and quietness. And many different De Lieve Tells Its Tale routes. You can also easily connect to the Meetjesland Cycling network from the center of Ghent (junctions 4 and 5). Simply follow junctions 50 and 51 to outline a lovely cycling tour on our network, starting in Vinderhoute, a beautiful small village with six castles. Info Cycling Network Meetjesland costs 6 Euros. You can interact with the cycling network for free online on www.toerismemeetjesland.be under the section ‘Cycling’, with the route planner. We recommend cyclists to keep the cycling network map with them on their tour. Toerisme Meetjesland (T + 32 9 377 86 00 or [email protected]) Hiking Hiking Network Woods of Meetjesland This part of Meetjesland consists of over more than 1000 hectares of woods. Het Leen for example (one of the three woods in the hiking network) has been the property of the province of East-Flanders since 1973, and is a former military domain. Now it is an ideal hiking wood with hard surfaced walking lanes; nice for a Sunday walk with a stroller. This is truly a hiking area for all ages. There is a cafeteria with a playground and playwoods. Don’t forget to visit the arboretum and the brand-new forest infor- mation center. At the forest information center children can borrow a goody bag for free containing research materials to help them explore the nature in the woods. The other woods of the hiking network are: ‘Lembeekse The Creeks Speak Bossen’ (Woods of Lembeke’) and Drongengoed (between Knesselare, Ursel and Kleit). The Creeks Speak (35 km and 20 km) Info Provinciaal Domein Het Leen, To allow you to discover the prettiest part of the region Gentsesteenweg 80, 9900 Eeklo, T +32 9 376 74 74, we have outlined two themed tours in the border area [email protected] between Belgium and the Netherlands. On route 1 you will discover the fascinating ‘Tale of the creeks in Sint-Laureins’. This tour takes you along the prettiest creeks in the region. Hiking Network Creek Area Meetjesland Tour 1 (35 km) starts at the information office of Tourism Sint-Laureins, Dorpsstraat 87 in 9980 Sint-Laureins. Tour The creeks and polders in the north are particulary nice 2 tells you the ‘History surrounding Kaprijke’ and shows for hikers. This hiking region stretches from the medieval you the fair village of Kaprijke, once a proud Flemish city border village Middelburg in the west almost to the town of which the current town hall is a telling reminder. Zelzate with his market, cosy pubs and the port of Ghent This tour can be started at the information office of nearby in the east. It’s an area of creeks, dykes and polders. Kaprijke, Plein 1 in 9970 Kaprijke. Trajectory ‘The Creeks Speak’ > Tour 1: 90-86-83-41-42-44-45-47-60-46-43-75-82-81- 85-89-90 > Tour 2: 79-80-93-91-89-85-76-73-74-79 > Those wanting to combine the two tours, follow this trajectory from Sint-Laureins (53 km): 90-86-83-41- 42-44-45-47-60-46-43-75-82-81-85-76-73-74-79-80- 93-91-89-90 Woods of Meetjesland Creek Area Meetjesland A hiking region where silence reigns. And where the natural environment is astonishing. You will discover the Swimming gorgeous creek Boerekreek (6 km) and the beautyful pol- If you are looking for an indoor swimming pool in the ders around it. And you will also see small villages, hear region, we gladly refer you to Zelzate located in the ancient Flemish stories and meet nice people there. Meetjesland. With a kiddie pool for the toddlers, a rapid and a fun waterslide, Swimming Pool Eurohal in Zelzate Info The Hiking networks in Meetjesland are for sale has waves of fun for all ages. in all East-Flemish tourist information offices for 6 Euros and can be ordered online on Info Zwembad Eurohal Zelzate, Oostkade 1, 9060 Zelzate, www.toerismemeetjesland.be The map is available T +32 9 345 74 22 only in Dutch, but those familiar with the junction system can make full use of it immediately, irrespective of what language they speak. Online routeplanner on the website. Creek Area Meetjesland Our region does not offer any facilities for swimming outdoors in the summer. There are however some mag- nificent opportunities in the direct vicinity. We gladly refer you to: nearby recreational domain Blaarmeersen in Ghent (Sport- en recreatiedomein Blaarmeersen, Strand- laan 24, 9000 Gent, T 09 266 81 70) or provincial recreation domain Puyenbroeck in neighbouring town Wachtebeke (Provinciaal Domein Puyenbroeck, Puyenbrug 1a, 9185 Wachtebeke, T +32 9 342 42 42). May we also point you in the direction of the coast of Zeelandic Flanders, which is nearby and has beautiful beaches? The Zeelandic Flanders port town of Breskens is barely 28 km away from Eeklo. The creeks The creeks and polders in the north The high point of your visit to Meetjesland is the creek area. Particularly Sint-Laureins and Assenede can rightly be called the main creek towns of the area. Here, on the border between Belgium and the Netherlands where smugglers were once king, a stroll or a cycling tour are truly worth the effort. Creeks of Sint-Laureins The creeks are an exceptionally visible presence in Sint- Laureins. They can be found as surprising water pools in the polders of the border area. Between Sint-Laureins and Watervliet lie the greatest creeks of the area. Be sure to visit the quaint little villages of Sint-Jan-In-Eremo, Sint-Margriete and Waterland-Oudeman. Info Toerisme Sint-Laureins, T +32 9 218 76 47, [email protected] ATTRACTIONS Creeks of Assenede Assenede too has its impressive creeks. These great water Provincial Regional Visit pools are even more hidden in the vast polder landscape. This makes the Assenede creeks or ‘gullies’ a true paradise Center ‘Huysmanhoeve’ of rare birds and birds spending the winter. Assenede is Provinciaal Streekcentrum Huysmanhoeve (Provincial a cosy village where you can have a nice bite to eat or Regional Visit Center) is an interesting place to be in enjoy a glass, or two. Boekhoute and Bassevelde are just the summer. This old Flemish farm is a new regional visit around the corner. center. The gateway building is the oldest building in Eeklo, probably from the 12th century. The gateway and Info Toerisme Assenede, Visitor Center Boekhoute, the farmhouse are official monuments since 1993. Boekhoutedorp 3, 9961 Boekhoute, T 09 373 60 08, The regional visit center comes alive during the summer [email protected], www.assenede.be thanks to the many heritage activities on the site, organ- ized by Plattelandscentrum Meetjesland. A place to enjoy and to stay until the evening, indeed. In the old farmhouse you can find the central Tourism Board of the region. Info Provincial Regional Visit Center Huysmanhoeve, Bus 1, 9900 Eeklo, T +32 9 327 04 47 (farm), +32 9 377 86 00 (tourism) or +32 9 379 78 37 (Plattelandscentrum Meetjesland) Drongengoed Paradise for hikers near the village Ursel.