The best MTB trails around Wachtebeke

An ideal stopping point on your cycling or hiking experience: Step back in time and discover a hidden piece of history: Fort Sint-Jacob. This fascinating remnant from the Eighty Years' War takes you back to a period when borders were still fought over and waterways made the difference between safety and danger. Located on the Passageule, this fort once formed a crucial link between the Spanish Netherlands and the States' territories. As part of the impressive States-Spanish Lines, Fort Sint-Jacob guarded the border and held back enemy infiltrations from the north. After the Peace of Münster, the fort lost its military function and slowly faded into obscurity. Nature took over, until around 2010 it was restored with care and respect for the past. Today, you can once again experience the contours of the past, including a replica of a cannon that symbolises the struggle that was once waged here. But Fort Sint-Jacob is more than just history. It is a place where peace and nature meet. The ramparts and moats now form a unique landscape where special plants and animals feel at home, typical of the brackish Zeeland area. Whether you are walking or cycling, this is an ideal place to pause, enjoy, and let yourself be carried away by the past. Let yourself be surprised and experience Fort Sint-Jacob for yourself.

You are not actually allowed to cycle here, but on a weekday and with respect for others, this is not a problem.

This creek is an offshoot of the Moerspeye (the remainder of which is now called the Moerspuische Watergang) which was connected to the Honte (the part of the Scheldt estuary that later developed into the Western Scheldt) via the Braakman, a sea arm in the Netherlands. In 1767, the Moerspuipolder was diked, but the Pereboomsgat, which was not entirely on 'Staten Bodem', remained untouched. That is why the dike had to be built right through the creek.

The border posts date from 1843 and were placed after the official border had been delayed for several years when Belgium became independent. There are 388 posts in total and each post features the Belgian lion on the Belgian side and the Dutch lion with sword and arrows on the other side. The cast iron posts each weigh 372 kg and are numbered. On Moerbeek territory they bear the numbers 290 to 296. The border runs through the middle of the Pereboomsgatkreek and is demarcated with wooden posts that are located below the waterline.

The fort and the line dike are still clearly recognizable in the landscape. Restoration work was carried out in 2009, which also included the construction of a new drawbridge and the reconstruction of the courtyard. The fort is now a nature reserve, managed by Staatsbosbeheer. It is freely accessible and there are hiking trails.

Border post 292 is located on the border between the Netherlands and Belgium on a beautiful creek called the "Pereboomsgat".

Good banks with a view of the bridge

With its neighboring forts Sint-Joseph and Sint Livinus, Fort Sin-Jacob is part of the Spanish Line of Communication between Sas van Gent and Hulst. The fort was built in 1634 as a simple, square defensive work in the sea dike. A moat over 10 meters wide enclosed a courtyard that could be reached via a bridge. In the center of the fort stood a guardhouse 'watchtower' to control the wide tidal area between the line and the Land of Axel against attacks from State Armies. On the courtyard stands a cannon aimed to the north.