Reynvaert route

The Reynvaert route. Reynvaert. Where does that name come from? Is it the name of a count from days gone by? Or that of a lush nature reserve? Or perhaps that of the region we are cycling through today? Three times no. Reynvaert is another name for the tansy. In the small town of Diest, it is a centuries-old tradition to pick the young shoots of this herb during the spring. These are then used in a kind of pancake. So, because our adventure starts and ends in that same Diest: the Reynvaert route.

Our cycling adventure begins at Provincial domain De Halve Maan, a large recreation park with playgrounds, an outdoor swimming pool, an altitude course and much much more. But this is not where we seek our relaxation today. We have enough with our two wheels and the stunning scenery. We set off! 

After only a few hundred metres, we come to the first fun attraction: The Linden mill. This wooden windmill, which dates back to the 18th century, was moved several times before finding a permanent home on these city walls over 60 years ago. After this picturesque scene, we pedal further on a traffic-calmed road alongside the beautiful Webbekoms Broek nature reserve. It is as if we are pedalling through a scene on a postcard.

After this period of relative calm, passed in a virtuous silence, we come to another piece of heritage: Averbode Abbey. This was founded in the 1130s and is still active today. Nowadays, the abbey buildings are protected but, at the same time, they still bustle with life. This place was also the birthplace of the tasty abbey beer Averbode and the publishing house of the same name, best known for its children’s books and magazines. Intrigued by the history? Experience Centre Het Moment provides a fascinating insight into the life of the abbey community. 

After this special place, we permit ourselves a nice interlude. It is impossible to resist the lure of the ice cream stalls in the Iekdreef. This has two major benefits. The ice creams are delicious and that little injection of sugar gives us the energy we need to move on to the finale of our adventure. For this, we head back into the greenery.  

And so the final chord of our journey resounds here. Barely 400 metres away is our finishing point. But we will postpone that for a little while. There is still much to discover in Diest. This adventure may continue for some time.