Panorama walking route

Close map

Close map sidebar

Toggle map sidebar

Panorama walking route

Length: 15,8 km
Time: 3u 15m
Terrain: 47% Verhard

Kwaremontplein, 9690 Kwaremont

Display start location on map

Parking

Display parking location on map

Public transport

Display public transport on map

Panorama routebord

Preview waypoints

Download this route

Paved road

Unpaved road

Show map sidebar

Stops

List

Route description

The villages of Kwaremont and Zulzeke, the Paterberg, hollow roads, unpaved paths, forests, streams and an array of panoramic views make this adventurous trip along the roof of East Flanders unforgettable. Please note: for this hike, you should be fairly fit and mobile. There are steep sections throughout the walk and here and there, hill climbs and other obstacles await you.

Enable analytics cookies to show the embedded YouTube video
Manage my cookie choices

Starting point

SAINT AMANDUS CHURCH KWAREMONT

Kwaremont

David Samyn

Kwaremont

David Samyn

The artists' village of Kwaremont, with its whitewashed St. Amandus church, is a great place to stroll around. Starting in the 1940s, when a lot of artistic souls came here looking for inspiration, it grew into the "Saint-Martens-Latem of the Flemish Ardennes". Ateliers and galleries sprang up like mushrooms, and especially in the 1970s and 1980s, Kwaremont was a booming destination for day-trippers. Rightly so, because the word "picturesque" seems to have been especially coined for this unique village.

PANORAMIC VIEWS

Oude Kwaremont

Toerisme Oost-Vlaanderen

Already from the Keuzelingstraat, it’s clear that the Panorama route more than lives up to its name. On the left, the view extends to the West Flemish towns of Tiegem and Anzegem; right in front of you, the famous calf-burner Paterberg winds through the landscape. Also a little further on, at the Hof Ter Plancken farm, you can take in some beautiful views.

Ter Boeker

After a brisk climb up the flanks of the Paterberg, via narrow paths and fields, you'll reach the solitary roadside chapel Ter Boeker, which offers a nice bench for a sit-down. Those opting for the shorter route turn right here. Be sure to check out the pdf, where you'll see the shorter route marked on the hiking map.

Zulzeke

Walking further, you can already see the church tower of Zulzeke in the distance, with the Spijkerbos in the background and the infamous Koppenberg in Melden to the left. A church canal brings you to the more or less intact 18th-century parish church of Sint-Jan in d’Olie, dedicated to St. John the Baptist. The porch is a striking feature - in the local parlance called 'bellman's house' - at the entrance next to the cemetery wall. This is where the town crier, aka the bellman, used to proclaim official announcements after Mass.

Spijkerbos

Het Spijkerbos

David Samyn

Het Spijkerbos

David Samyn

Het Spijkerbos

David Samyn

Just past Zulzeke, follow the path through the Spijkerbos or Elenebos, one of the rare forests in the Flemish Ardennes situated on a southern slope. In good weather, the slope is bathed in south-facing sunlight all day.

Molen Ten Hotond

Sporthotel Hotond

Toerisme Oost-Vlaanderen

From the field road at the farm beyond the Ingelbos, you have a beautiful view of the "Hotond," a mill that towers 150 meters above sea level, making it the highest spot in East Flanders.

If you go off the trail a few hundred meters, you can climb up to the mill. The little cafe that used to be there has been demolished, making way for a freely accessible park next to the brand new hotel-restaurant Hotond and a brand new cafe. Siting this new cafe was an obvious choice: in the famous Hotond mill itself, an 18th-century 'grondzeiler' (an old type of windmill) with phenomenal views of the hills of the Flemish Ardennes.

Even if you don't stay here overnight (which, frankly, would be a shame) they'll be delighted to welcome you at the Hotond Café for a drink and a bite to eat. What's more, you get one of the most beautiful panoramas in East Flanders for free.

EATERY IN DE ZON

Kwaremont

David Samyn

The easy-going eatery 'In de Zon' on the Kwaremontplein has been the unofficial village pub for more than a hundred years. Look out for the coloured stained-glass window with the cafe name in Art Deco style above the entrance door.

in 't Palet

Kwaremont

David Samyn

Kwaremont

David Samyn

Drinks, appetizers, snacks, pancakes and pastries at the top of the Oude Kwaremont, in 't Palet. Be sure to try a Kwaremont beer here: like the famous calf-burner, it is full of character and gives a kick.

Panorama walking route