Grand Béguinage of Leuven and Beguinage de Sint-Truiden · 150 km from Leuven
Plan this ride
Recorded distance
150 km
Riding-time estimate
3 h 01
Journey
Recorded itinerary
Distance and timing basis
Ordered leg totals agree within rounding. Stop distances are approximate sums of rounded legs. Stops, delays, approach and any separate return travel add time. Basis: producer-declared routed record.
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Distance and riding time are measured on the routed road. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
From Leuven it runs 150 km to Leuven; allow about 3 h 01 of riding. It goes by way of Sint-Germanuskerk met Stadstoren, Béguinage de Diest, Beguinage de Sint-Truiden and back through Béguinage de Diest. The line favours views over speed.
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Grand Béguinage of Leuven
Step through the gate of the Groot Begijnhof in Leuven and the city noise drops away. Cobbled lanes, small brick houses with white window frames and stepped gables, little bridges over the arms of the river Dijle, and a Gothic church in the middle: this is one of the largest béguinages in the Low Countries, part of the Flemish Béguinages group listed by UNESCO in 1998.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Grand Béguinage of Leuven is where the day begins. Next is Sint-Germanuskerk met Stadstoren.
2. Sint-Germanuskerk met Stadstoren
Tienen means sugar to most Belgians. The town in the east of Flemish Brabant has been the home of Belgium's largest sugar refinery since the nineteenth century, and the smell of sugar beet being processed hangs over the town in autumn during the campaign, when trucks loaded with beets roll in from the surrounding fields. The Sint-Germanuskerk, the church of Saint Germanus, with its massive tower serving as the town's belfry, stands near the huge Grote Markt, one of the largest market squares in Belgium, and it is part of the UNESCO listing of the belfries of Belgium and France. The tower, a mix of Romanesque and Gothic, has a carillon whose bells ring out over the town.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Sint-Germanuskerk met Stadstoren comes up about 26 km into the recorded legs. Next is Béguinage de Diest.
3. Béguinage de Diest
Diest has one of the largest béguinages in Flanders, a walled town within the town, with its own streets, gates, church and some ninety houses. The béguines were laywomen who lived a religious life without taking permanent vows, earning their own living and sharing a community, and their béguinages flourished in the Low Countries from the thirteenth century onward. The Flemish béguinages are listed together by UNESCO. In Diest, the béguinage has been restored with care, and its cobbled streets, whitewashed houses and quiet gardens feel worlds away from the traffic outside.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 51 km into the recorded legs you reach Béguinage de Diest. Next is Beguinage de Sint-Truiden.
4. Beguinage de Sint-Truiden
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.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Grand Béguinage of Leuven closes the day.
Leg by leg
Grand Béguinage of Leuven to Sint-Germanuskerk met Stadstoren
Grand Béguinage of Leuven → Sint-Germanuskerk met Stadstoren is 26 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Sint-Germanuskerk met Stadstoren to Béguinage de Diest
Sint-Germanuskerk met Stadstoren → Béguinage de Diest is 25 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Béguinage de Diest to Beguinage de Sint-Truiden
Béguinage de Diest → Beguinage de Sint-Truiden is 25 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Beguinage de Sint-Truiden to back through Béguinage de Diest
Beguinage de Sint-Truiden → back through Béguinage de Diest is 25 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Béguinage de Diest to back through Sint-Germanuskerk met Stadstoren
back through Béguinage de Diest → back through Sint-Germanuskerk met Stadstoren is 24 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Sint-Germanuskerk met Stadstoren to Grand Béguinage of Leuven
back through Sint-Germanuskerk met Stadstoren → Grand Béguinage of Leuven is 24 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.