Laakdal: Nature, Cycling Routes and Clogmaking Tradition

Laakdal combines green landscapes with unusual craft experiences and a varied network for cycling and hiking tours. The Laakvalleien, a collective name for several nature areas in the green municipality, are part of De Merode Landscape Park. Anyone wishing to combine a trip with nature, exercise and regional history will find various opportunities here for active and more relaxing days.

Nature areas among water, meadows and woodland

Trichelbroek contains a hidden pond that originated from a former peat-extraction pit and has been managed by Natuurpunt for years. Swinnebroeken reflects the character of the Kleine Laak valley with wet meadows, ditches and small wooded areas. The De Roost nature area is shaped by numerous birds, insects, amphibians and mammals. These places represent different sides of Laakdal: bodies of water, wet lowlands and natural habitats.

You can therefore set different priorities when planning your day. A walk through a nature area offers a different perspective from a longer cycling route through the landscape. The nature areas do not need to be combined into one single route; each one conveys its own impression of Laakdal.

Cycling and hiking experiences with regional connections

The LALALApad is a cycling and hiking route that passes 12 agricultural and horticultural businesses. Information boards there provide details about the farmers and their businesses. An app also automatically alerts users when they reach an agricultural or horticultural business. In this way, the route combines exercise with insights into local agriculture.

Those wishing to compare different types of routes can also include the Drieprovinciënroute and the Zuiderkempen gravel route network. The Drieprovinciënroute connects Laakdal, Meerhout, Ham, Beringen, Diest and Tessenderlo in the provinces of Antwerp, Limburg and Flemish Brabant. The Zuiderkempen gravel network leads from Laakdal to Geel, Meerhout and Mol and includes winding forest paths, wide gravel roads and quiet country roads.

Practical points are also part of cycling planning: in each district, there is a bicycle repair station at a picnic shelter. Laakdal also has two charging stations for electric bicycles at the event square on the Markt; each station has space for four bicycles. In Eindhoutdorp, five charging stations for one electric bicycle each are located beneath the information sign.

Clogs and steam power as special discoveries

At the Klompenbelevingspad, visitors can borrow wooden clogs and try walking in them along a forest route with various surfaces and adventurous experience stations. The Clog Museum brings traditional clogmaking back to life and provides an overview of both artisanal and mechanised production. The museum was founded in 1988 as a tribute to and in memory of the clogmakers who supplied Laakdal and the surrounding area with footwear in the 19th and 20th centuries.

In the historic Stoomzagerij building, visitors can follow a free educational trail. The Stoomzagerij is considered a unique, well-preserved example of a steam-powered sawmill in Belgium; all tools and machines are still present. From the Easter holidays until the autumn holidays, it is freely accessible during the opening hours of the eTuktuk rental centre. The eTuktuk experience begins at the old Stoomzagerij in Vorst-Meerlaar and leads through the landscape with the help of a tablet featuring a GPS route.

Which accommodation suits your travel plans?

When looking for a holiday apartment or holiday home in Laakdal, it is worth using your preferred daily rhythm as a guide. For a trip focused on cycling and hiking, the routes described and the available repair and charging stations are important planning considerations. Those wishing to include culture and regional history can consider adding the Stoomzagerij and the Clog Museum to their plans. This allows you to choose accommodation in Laakdal according to your personal balance of nature experiences, activities and craft tradition, without having to combine the various offerings into a single route.

More places for your travel planning

If you would like to compare Laakdal with other destinations, you can find additional places here for orientation: Duffel, Kontich, Wuustwezel, Aartselaar, Dessel, Schoten, Kalmthout and Retie.

For the overview of the wider area: Province of Antwerp.