35 kms / 128 mts of elevation / light gravel and tarmac
Rats overflowing the river !
A long time ago, there was a river that made its way through Brussels, the river separated into many branches serving as a way of transportation for goods. The legend says this river became the source of a huge and uncontrollable plage of rats, to get rid of the rats people got cats which also became a plage, so people brought dogs which guess what... long story short, the urban part of the river was covered for sanitary reasons, but the country side part was not. The river is called "La Senne" or "De Zenne" and runs uncovered alongside a pleasant bicycle path between Vilvoorde and Mechelen. To start our adventure we head north along the canal. Rats no more...
We took a break at Brussels Cruise Terminal
Which is not as fancy as the name suggests. It's a nice and minimalist concrete platform with nice views. After a banana and a moment of contemplation we rode to "Buda" bridge and crossed to the other side. This fascinating arch shaped lifting bridge is named after a battle that took place in the west side of the city of Budapest, Hungary. A few hundred meters after the bridge we start to see the first glimpses of "De Zenne".
A pleasant bicycle path along "De Zenne"
The bicycle path runs along the river passing through some residential areas, semi-industrial areas and finally the fields.
A 36 ha pond in the outskirts of Mechelen
Eventually, the route arrives to its farthest point: The Eglegemvijver. It is a charming large pond surrounded by nature. From this point we start to head back, crossing mostly fields and some sub-urban areas in direction to the "Pont Brûlé" and then along the canal back to Brussels.
