The best gravel rides around Moerbeke

Beautiful avenue next to fields

On this segment, you will get to know the Stropersbos. A bench awaits you at the heathland restoration area. About the Stropersbos: the Stropersbos is a must-see natural gem with its stately avenues, valuable alder swamp forests, open spaces with heathland, and its large grazers! Together with the adjacent green areas, the Stropersbos forms one of the largest forest and nature complexes in East Flanders. Numerous walking and cycling opportunities allow visitors to discover the Stropersbos.

On Friday, April 5, 1867, the Spletterenbrug was officially opened. Between Moerbeke and Lokeren, trains stopped in Daknam and Eksaarde. In Moerbeke, travelers could transfer to railway line 77 towards Zelzate or towards Sint-Gillis-Waas. That the intention was to one day double the 9-kilometer railway line to two tracks is still visible on the Spletterenbrug. Both bridge abutments are indeed twice as wide as the bridge deck itself. It never came to that. On the contrary. The railway line suffered during both world wars, causing traffic to be suspended for months. For example, retreating German soldiers blew up the bridge at the end of World War I. Less than a year after the armistice, in September 1919, the line was already restored and trains could run on the route again. In 1940, the Belgian army, in turn, tried to slow down the German advance by destroying the bridge. The bridge was repaired again. In 1971, the last train chugged along the route. After more than a century of train traffic, the tracks were dismantled and the route was redeveloped as a cycling and walking path from Lokeren to Moerbeke. The Spletterenbrug itself was preserved and restored in 2017. The seven layers of paint were removed, and the bridge regained its original, dark gray color. Source: industriecultuur.be

Daknambrug in Daknam, a sub-municipality of Lokeren. This charming swing bridge over the Durme is located at the site of a former ferry crossing on the old Lille-Tilburg highway. Such a ferry served as a bridge to transport people, livestock, horses, and vehicles. The current swing bridge has replaced a small wooden bridge since the 1930s. At that time, the Durme was straightened here between the confluence of the Zuidlede and Moervaart at Spletterenbrug and the bend near Middendam. In the summer, you can see the bridge keeper opening the bridge to let pleasure boats pass, sailing to or from Lokeren.

Opened on October 1, 2012, the Brug Ter Beuken provides a safe and green connection to the city center. It has since become a fixed landmark in the landscape: the beautiful red cycle and footbridge that spans the Durme at the end of Vijgenstraat. The bridge is 21m long. Source: axiradio.be

Beautiful gravel strip at the border

Very well-developed cycle path

The Donkmeer lake in Overmere is more than just a picturesque expanse of water in the heart of East Flanders; it is a silent witness to centuries of labor and human perseverance. This area was once a vast peat bog, where peat—dried peat used as fuel—was dug by hand. This peat extraction shaped the landscape: deep pits formed where the peat was removed, and these later filled with water, creating the Donkmeer lake.