Why this ride
171 km from Leuven to Leuven, about 3 h 32 of riding. On the way it passes Sint-Germanuskerk met Stadstoren, Stadhuis met Toren, Onze-Lieve-Lievevrouwebasiliek met Stadsto and Beguinage de Sint-Truiden.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Grand Béguinage of Leuven and Beguinage de Sint-Truiden
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 171 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 3 h 32
- 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.
Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.
Distance and riding time are measured on the routed road. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
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.
Read the complete Grand Béguinage of Leuven write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
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.
Read the complete Sint-Germanuskerk met Stadstoren write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Sint-Germanuskerk met Stadstoren comes up about 20 km into the recorded legs. Next is Stadhuis met Toren.
3. Stadhuis met Toren
Sint-Truiden's Grote Markt is one of the largest market squares in Belgium, and at its centre stands the town hall with its belfry, a tower that has watched over the town since the Middle Ages and been rebuilt and remodelled several times. The belfry, with its carillon, is part of the UNESCO listing of the Belfries of Belgium and France, inscribed in 1999 to honour these civic towers that symbolised the freedom and wealth of the medieval towns. Climb it if you can, and you will see the whole of the Haspengouw region spread out around you, a gently rolling landscape of orchards and fields.
Read the complete Stadhuis met Toren write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 39 km into the recorded legs you reach Stadhuis met Toren. Next is Onze-Lieve-Lievevrouwebasiliek met Stadsto.
4. Onze-Lieve-Lievevrouwebasiliek met Stadsto
Tongeren likes to remind you that it is the oldest town in Belgium, and it has a strong claim. The Romans founded a settlement here, Atuatuca Tungrorum, on the road between Cologne and Bavay, and the remains of its walls can still be seen around the town. Before that, the area was home to the Eburones, a Celtic tribe whose chieftain Ambiorix famously ambushed and destroyed a Roman legion in 54 BC. His statue, a heroic nineteenth-century figure with a winged helmet and a magnificent moustache, stands in the main square, the Grote Markt.
Read the complete Onze-Lieve-Lievevrouwebasiliek met Stadsto write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Onze-Lieve-Lievevrouwebasiliek met Stadsto, about halfway. Next is Beguinage de Sint-Truiden.
5. 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.
Read the complete Beguinage de Sint-Truiden write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Beguinage de Sint-Truiden sits at 102 km, about halfway. Next is back through Onze-Lieve-Lievevrouwebasiliek met Stadsto.
6. back through Onze-Lieve-Lievevrouwebasiliek met Stadsto
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Onze-Lieve-Lievevrouwebasiliek met Stadsto write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Onze-Lieve-Lievevrouwebasiliek met Stadsto comes up about 105 km into the recorded legs. Next is back through Stadhuis met Toren.
7. back through Stadhuis met Toren
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Stadhuis met Toren write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 127 km into the recorded legs you reach back through Stadhuis met Toren. Next is back through Sint-Germanuskerk met Stadstoren.
8. back through Sint-Germanuskerk met Stadstoren
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Sint-Germanuskerk met Stadstoren write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Sint-Germanuskerk met Stadstoren, late in the day. Next is Grand Béguinage of Leuven.
9. Grand Béguinage of Leuven
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Grand Béguinage of Leuven write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
The route ends here after 171 km.
Leg by leg
Grand Béguinage of Leuven to Sint-Germanuskerk met Stadstoren
Grand Béguinage of Leuven → Sint-Germanuskerk met Stadstoren is 20 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Sint-Germanuskerk met Stadstoren to Stadhuis met Toren
Sint-Germanuskerk met Stadstoren → Stadhuis met Toren is 19 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Stadhuis met Toren to Onze-Lieve-Lievevrouwebasiliek met Stadsto
Stadhuis met Toren → Onze-Lieve-Lievevrouwebasiliek met Stadsto is 22 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Onze-Lieve-Lievevrouwebasiliek met Stadsto to Beguinage de Sint-Truiden
Onze-Lieve-Lievevrouwebasiliek met Stadsto → Beguinage de Sint-Truiden is 22 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Beguinage de Sint-Truiden to back through Onze-Lieve-Lievevrouwebasiliek met Stadsto
Beguinage de Sint-Truiden → back through Onze-Lieve-Lievevrouwebasiliek met Stadsto is 22 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Onze-Lieve-Lievevrouwebasiliek met Stadsto to back through Stadhuis met Toren
back through Onze-Lieve-Lievevrouwebasiliek met Stadsto → back through Stadhuis met Toren is 22 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Stadhuis met Toren to back through Sint-Germanuskerk met Stadstoren
back through Stadhuis met Toren → back through Sint-Germanuskerk met Stadstoren is 21 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.