Bosdorp 29, 9190 Klein-Sinaai
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Preview waypointsAlong the Stekene canal - the Stekense Vaart in the local parlance - is where you'll find the Fondatie van Boudelo, an important natural area that belonged to the Abbey of Boudelo 800 years ago. There's no trace of the abbey today, but the nature that took its place is possibly even more monumental.
A great brasserie with a large terrace. The ideal start and end point for this route. You can park along the Bormtestraat. From the brasserie, you head towards the Stekense Vaart. Then cross over the bridge. Continue walking for a bit more and you'll come to checkpoint 30, where you can start the route.
Well worth the visit, the view of the Stekense Vaart from this narrow wooden arch bridge that looks like it was taken from a Monet painting. The pumping station a little further down pumps excess water from the lower surrounding area to the canal.
Via the unpaved Koedreef - bordered by, you guessed it, endless meadows with cows - and a small forest, you quickly arrive at the Stekense Vaart or Stekene Canal, both banks of which are recognised as a quiet area. Here the landscape offers up expansive and beautiful vistas. Dug in 1315, the canal played an important role in the 16th and 17th centuries in transporting bricks and tiles. These were produced in the numerous brick and tile kilns in this region. On this side, you hike on an unpaved footpath (definitely wear boots or good walking shoes in damp weather!), on the other side is a paved 'quiet path' with benches featuring poetic verses.
From checkpoint 26, you delve right into the Fondatie van Boudelo: a nature reserve covering more than 80 hectares and one of the most recent quiet areas in East Flanders. The name of the nature reserve is derived from the Abbey of Boudelo, which used to stand here. The lands were part of the donation some 800 years ago when the abbey was founded. Wetlands, coppice forests, mature mixed deciduous forests, hay meadows, a tall-stemmed orchard, pleasant ponds, enclosures and field paths and pollarded trees set the tone of this Waasland gem.
A dozen or so artificial ponds were converted to natural pond biotopes in recent years, in a one-off development. These water features are currently a paradise for a wide range of aquatic plants, but dragonflies have also found a nice home. As have various birds, the rare pine marten and the graceful roe deer, whose population numbers continue to grow.
This is the most beautiful trail on this hike, lined with beech trees like a fairy-tale. The name refers to De Linie, the line of defence during the Eighty Years' War and the War of the Spanish Succession in northern Flanders.
Climb 8 meters high and look for wildlife in the surrounding greenery with binoculars. At the top you have a great view of a former U-shaped fish pond and the grasslands around it. This pond was completely redesigned to match the plants and animals: for example, the sloping banks allow young waterfowl and amphibians to easily get in and out of the water. Deer are especially active here in the morning and at dusk, when they are searching for buds, young twigs and herbs. Kingfishers come to hunt for young fish, and pine martens lurk in the bushes and orchard behind. Have you spotted an animal? Mark it on the chalkboard! Get here early, and with any luck you might see a deer calf.
Café Bosdorp is een zalig dorpscafé, ideaal om je tocht mee af te sluiten. Honden zijn hier niet alleen welkom, ze worden hier ronduit vertroeteld. Voor wandelaars geldt dezelfde gastvrijheid. Neem plaats op het terras, of schuif aan rond de ruime toog.