At the edge of Sint-Truiden, a market town in the fruit country of Haspengouw, a ring of low brick houses surrounds a large grassy courtyard with trees and a Gothic church in the middle. This is the béguinage, one of the Flemish béguinages listed together by UNESCO, where for centuries communities of laywomen lived devout lives of prayer and work without taking permanent vows. It is one of the largest and best preserved in the region, and it has a calm, almost village-like feel.
Step into the church, now a museum, and you will find medieval wall paintings covering pillars and walls, with saints, angels and scenes from the Bible, many of them remarkably vivid. Nearby is the Festraets Studio, home of a monumental astronomical clock built by a local clockmaker in the twentieth century, with dials and mechanisms that fascinate anyone who likes machines. The town itself grew up around a Benedictine abbey founded in the seventh century by Saint Trudo, and its skyline of towers, including the abbey tower and the belfry on the market square, rises over a flat landscape of orchards.
Haspengouw is famous for its fruit, especially apples, pears and cherries, and in April the whole region turns white and pink with blossom, a spectacle that draws visitors from all over Belgium. The roads here are generally gentle, rolling through orchards, farmland and small villages with castle farms and chapels. They are narrow and often shared with tractors, cyclists and the occasional heavy truck loaded with fruit. Wind can be strong on the open plateau, and autumn brings mud on the roads from harvest machinery.
Sint-Truiden has more than thirty-five thousand people and all the fuel, food and parking you need. The town square, one of the largest in Belgium, is lined with cafés and restaurants. Look for local fruit products, including stroop, a thick syrup made from apples and pears, delicious on bread, as well as fruit tarts and cider. In spring, plan a loop through the orchards when the blossom is at its peak.