Cycling enthusiasts from across the world flock to Limburg in Belgium every year, as the region is home to several unique bicycle trails.
Limburg is visited by 300 million cycling tourists each year and is considered to be the country’s best cycling province, according to Lonely Planet.
The Limburg Province is home to several unique bicycle trails. Picture: Visit Limburg
It’s latest attraction, which is called ‘Cycling through the Trees‘, is a bicycle trail that runs through the Bosland forest in Flanders.
On this unique trail, cyclists follow a circular, double-loop course that climbs higher as they go along.
Eventually, cyclists will find themselves 10m in the air riding their bicycles alongside treetops.
The 700m trail is an immersive, natural experience and allows cyclists to take in a 360-degree of view of the forest.
Pedestrians can also make use of the path, as it is open to walkers and joggers. Plus, the public is invited to visit even if they do not own a bicycle — bikes can be rented from the nearby De Groenen Hoek and can be picked up on the day.
Visit Limburg, the local tourist board, has invested heavily in infrastructure and the province now has more than 2,000km of paved cycling trails connected to its cycle node network.
Other trails include ‘Cycling through Water‘ in Bokrijk and ‘Cycling through the Heathland‘ in Hoge Kempen National Park.
The president of Visit Limburg, Igor Philtjens, told Lonely Planet that the cycling trails are meant to promote sustainable tourism and encourage people to reconnect with nature.
‘And what a success it is,’ said Philtjens. ‘Because the number of cyclists that visit Cycling through Water and Cycling through the trees is continually growing. And the projects are receiving more and more international acclaim.’
Picture: Visit Limburg
