Cafés between Lys and Scheldt cycling route

In what used to be a marshy area on the Lys, the Blaarmeersen, a 100-hectare recreational area, was created in the mid-1970s. Today, it is a pleasant green area with groves, sunbathing meadows and walking paths around a central pond with a beach and a playground. The 'beach of Ghent', then, and that does lead to some crowded scenes in summer temperatures. You can also pitch your tent at the campsite here, as well as book a guided canoe or kayak trip that will take you all the way across the Lys to Afsnee. Urban athletes can try out their best moves there from summer 2020 at Belgium's largest open-air skate park (4,000 m²)! 

End your ride in beauty at Kantien, a trendy restaurant on the Watersportbaan. An instant holiday feeling will overcome you on the sun terrace, overlooking water and water sports. 'Sharing is caring' is the motto here, just like in the south. Recommended in the glass: the Pils 13, a Ghent artisanal beer brewed by the owners. Not filtered and therefore nice and bitter, hoppy and pure!

Flanders' most versatile and bike-friendly city will spoil you with a mix of culture, history, welcoming (veggie) restaurants and a great deal of ambiance. Settle down at a table along the Graslei or Korenlei, take comedian Wouter Deprez's audio tour of the Gravensteen, stroll through the picturesque Patershol and take that romantic selfie from Sint-Michielsbrug.

Past node 3, there is some climbing and skimming over the bridges on the Zwijnaarde Canal and the Ringvaart. Past the Ghelamco Arena, the stadium of AA Ghent, it heads toward the Merelbeke lock and the Yachting Club. Cycle right into Liedermeerspark for a short while.

For 25 years, Connie has been serving up Zevergem's finest beer heads in this brown pub in the shadow of the church. There is a nice terrace on the village square in the summer.

When father Marc Morel wanted to scale back activities on his farm to a degree, his son Gert transformed the pigsty into the cosy Ponthoeve. Here, you can eat or drink something inside, but when the weather is nice, the spacious terrace is the place to be in the area. On the menu: fresh beers, delicious farmhouse ice cream and richly filled farmhouse sandwiches with cheese, raw ham or head meat. The desserts are nothing to sniff at either!

The 58-hectare Hospicebossen – also called the Nazareth Forests – are known for their biodiversity. Different tree species are divided into separate plots there. The name refers to the former owner of these woods, the Hospice of Ghent, now the Public centre for Social Welfare. Today, the forest is owned by the Province of East Flanders, which engages in sustainable management there, increasing the habitat for bat and owl species, among other things. Cyclists, hikers, mountain bikers, equestrians and dogs (on a leash!) welcome, every day from half an hour before sunrise to half an hour after sunset.

Node 88 is where you'll find the vast Parkbos, one of the new green lungs around Ghent: 1,200 hectares and extending across Zwijnaarde, Sint-Denijs-Westrem, De Pinte and Sint-Martens-Latem. There are no fewer than 9 castles here, including the Grand Noble castle. Where the 'Goed ten Abeele' had stood in the 13th century, which belonged to the wealthy Ghent St Peter's Abbey, since 1860 there has been a neoclassical castle with three beautiful avenues. 

In addition to the castle itself, the lands also feature a landscaped park with accompanying pond, carriage houses and gardener's house. This used to be private land, but now you can walk in it and – behind the castle – even picnic at a new picnic table. Bridges and boardwalks in the wetlands add to the fairytale atmosphere.

The 'strategically located' café of Oude Drie Leien inn offers a beautiful view of the Lys, which goes in two directions here. Unfortunately, it is tiny, so it will be a struggle to find a place here on hot days. Across the street from the inn are the Hoge Lake marshes, where there are always many geese perching.