Cycling Through Trees

cling paths e cy Th 40 Fly to BRUSSELS with Brussels Airlines BI_040-050_Cycle paths.PDV.indd 40 21/08/2019 09:30 o f th e f Pe u d a Wo ll rds in t R on g an a u O lo ’Sh n ea g P L r h i ot m og b ra u e p hy rg J ’s am m es o C m an n e o n n to u s n e w b ik e ro u te s Book your next flight today at brusselsairlines.com 41 BI_040-050_Cycle paths.PDV.indd 41 21/08/2019 09:30 n the dense Bosland woods Collecting our rental bikes the previous Pedal to the metal Cyclists wind their way along the Cycling of Limburg, pine scent is in afternoon, we make our way up a short, Through the Trees path in Limburg, the air as cool wind brushes dusty track, hidden away from the world which is 700m long and is propped up by 449 weathered steel columns (above) against my cheeks. Beams in a thick forest, where the new pathway is of golden light poke through tucked away. At fi rst, we have the route to the leaves as the sun rises ourselves and zip around as the morning gradually above the branches. light bounces off the still-pristine surface, My hamstrings complain as before a varied smattering of visitors joins II cycle quickly up a path that rises 10m us – from families with kids on tricycles to into the treetops, and feel the relief as I Lycra-clad men in matching cycling jerseys descend, immersed in nature’s sights, travelling at high speed – later in the day. smells and sounds. A combined project between Visit This is Fietsen door de Bomen Limburg, the Province of Limburg, LSM, (otherwise known as Cycling Through the Visit Flanders, the municipality of Hechtel- Trees), a new cycling path in Belgium’s Eksel, the Agency for Nature and Forests easternmost Dutch-speaking province. It’s and Bosland, Cycling Through the Trees is 700m long, 100m in diameter and gently made with 449 weathered steel columns rises to the roof of a woodland area, designed to blend in with the surroundings creating a hyper-real biking experience. and create an immersive 360° experience, 42 Fly to BRUSSELS with Brussels Airlines BI_040-050_Cycle paths.PDV.indd 42 21/08/2019 09:30 Biking Belgium at a cost of €3.1 million. It’s a world away from the clamour of Brussels, yet only an hour away by car. The project, which took two years to “The experience complete, is so carefully woven into the natural landscape, it’s hard to fi nd at fi rst. between the trees “You have to look carefully to see the construction among the trees,” says allows you to gradually designer Pieter Daenen. “The experience between the trees allows you to gradually observe the observe the different stages of the forest. If you listen carefully, you can even hear special bird species that you would never diff erent stages otherwise encounter.” Until the 1980s, much of Limburg’s economy centred on coal mining and of the forest” the region suffered when the industry moved elsewhere. However, local government funded a project that would → Book your next flight today at brusselsairlines.com 43 BI_040-050_Cycle paths.PDV.indd 43 21/08/2019 09:30 Biking Belgium repurpose the land for cycling, and it has of Limburg as a cycling destination. “You Long and winding road Igor Philtjens of Visit Limburg (below) been a massive success. Drawing around experience different landscapes: the fl at, takes a stroll along the path, which two million cyclists every year, it has woody north, the hilly and historical south, blends in with the forest (below left) become known as Fietsparadijs or ‘Bicycle the moors in the centre and the riverside Paradise’. in the east, passing through small towns.” The province has a numbered system, Jan Fabry, a member of Genk which allows cyclists to plan their route Fietserbond, an association that aims to before exploring the region on two wheels. promote cycling throughout the country, → “Almost 25 years ago, Belgian-Limburg was the fi rst region worldwide to develop a cycle node network, where you cycle from junction to junction,” explains Igor Philtjens, chairman of Visit Limburg and a driving force behind the project. “Cycling Through the Trees is defi nitely not just a tourist attraction, but a brand new innovative cycling experience. The path enables cyclists to enjoy the splendid natural beauty of Belgian-Limburg in a unique way.” Philtjens remembers his fi rst time riding Cycling Through the Trees all too well. “It was magical,” he says. “You grow with the trees and become one with the forest. You can smell, hear and feel it. The cycle path seemed endless, which gave me a peaceful feeling of freedom. I like to say it safely takes you into higher realms.” Locals are equally impressed. Koen Driessens, editor-in-chief of travel magazine Pasar, grew up in the region and was at the opening of the path. “You feel like a squirrel going up and down the pine trees,” he says, before singing the praises “You grow with the trees and become one with the forest. You can smell, hear and feel it” Fly to BRUSSELS with Brussels Airlines 45 BI_040-050_Cycle paths.PDV.indd 45 21/08/2019 09:31 “Limburg is so diverse, and you can see a lot in a short space of time” 46 Fly to BRUSSELS with Brussels Airlines BI_040-050_Cycle paths.PDV.indd 46 21/08/2019 09:31 Biking Belgium agrees. “In the south you have the fruit- growing and hilly regions,” he says. “In the north, you have the mining heritage. There’s so much diversity.” This tourism boost, according to Fabry, is helped by the fact attractions are within a short ride from one another. Hasselt, for example, is just 30km from Maastricht across the Dutch border. “As Limburgers, we rarely think about how close Aachen, Maastricht, or Liège are,” he says, explaining that tourists can base themselves in Genk or Hasselt before travelling to see other cities in the region. “Limburg is so diverse, and you can see a lot in a short space of time.” For bikers keen to pack as much into a day as possible, Limburg’s size is its strength. Within a few hours, visitors can circle around the new path in Bosland, check out the urban regeneration of be-MINE near Beringen and see outdoor modern sculptures near the charming town of Borgloon, installed as part of artistic endeavour called Pit in 2011. Artworks include the striking Reading Between the Lines and Untitled#158 by Scottish artist Aeneas Wilder, a slatted, circular wooden piece that visitors can walk inside and around, art blending with the bucolic natural landscape. Fabry admits to being sceptical about expensive projects like Cycling Through the Trees, but has since changed his opinion. “It’s attracted so many people,” he points out. The new attraction is a jewel in an area with 2,000km of signposted bike cut through two ponds, which creates a paths (the majority of which are off-road), thrilling optical illusion, as if you are and the second in a series that began with travelling through water. the stunning, physics-defying Cycling It will be followed by Fietsen door de Through Water (opened in 2016, and Heide (Cycling Through the Heathland), costing €1m to build), a 200m bike path and Fietsen onder de Grond (Cycling Underground), currently under design. At nearly 300m, Cycling Through the Heathland will rise to a height of 6.5m, giving cyclists an idyllic view of the On the up heathlands and pine forests of Hoge The cycle path gradually rises towards Kempen National Park. Meanwhile, Cycling the top of the trees (left). Cyclists can also enjoy artwork in the region, like Underground – a 500m subterranean bike Aneas Wilder’s Untitled#158 (top right) path – is set to be an entirely different → Book your next flight today at brusselsairlines.com 47 BI_040-050_Cycle paths.PDV.indd 47 21/08/2019 09:31 sensory experience in the historic marl landscape at eye level, as are a few Treading water The Cycling Through Water path cuts quarries of Kanne. intrigued swans and ducks. I weave in through two ponds (below). Other After circling around above and below between groups of tourists, enjoying the sights in the area include Tranendeef the trees for many happy hours, and illusion of being under the water, as waves (right) and be-MINE (far right) learning the Dutch words for ‘this is a and birds bob up and down on the surface. one-way bike path’ from a group of rightly Alternative attractions like this may concerned Limburger pensioners, we take draw people to the area, but it’s the fact an hour and a half ride south to Cycling that the cycle paths take you off-road and Through Water in Bokrijk, a park and into the natural world which makes the museum near Genk. experience truly special. The absence The undulating perspective of Cycling of cars is, quite literally, a breath of fresh Through the Trees is mimicked here as air, and a welcome respite from city life. I hit the path – the water and surrounding For us, the journey ends in an unusual “It was the fi rst region worldwide to develop a cycle node network” 48 Fly to BRUSSELS with Brussels Airlines BI_040-050_Cycle paths.PDV.indd 48 21/08/2019 09:31 Biking Belgium Travel notes W ere to stay Fully immerse yourself in the trees by spending the night hanging from one of the pear-shaped tent-like sleeping pods at Tranendreef.

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