On the way to the Turnhout Vennen area, you’ll discover a beautiful stretch of the bank of the Dessel-Schoten Canal. You enter the Turnhout Vennen area when you turn onto a wide sandy path that leads into a forest. On the left, you’ll see a path that leads to the observation platform at Koeven.

Across the busy N123 (watch out!), you’ll find yourself on a car-free bike path that follows an old railway bed. This Bels Lijntje once carried trains from Turnhout to Tilburg. The railway bed first runs along the Haverven, then it cuts through the Kleine Klotteraard – another pond. At this spot, there is a tall wooden observation tower, from which you have a spectacular view over the Turnhout Vennen area. To the east, you can see the vast lake of the Grote Klotteraard, and to the west, the Zwartwater.

Back on the ground level, you continue cycling toward Ravels. In the past, brick factories were located near the Dessel-Schoten Canal. During the digging of the canal, shallow clay layers were discovered. This clay, suitable for brick production, would become (for a time) the gold of the Kempen.

At the marina near Nieuwe Kaai, you’ve reached Turnhout. This route doesn’t take you to the city center, but if you follow junction 01 toward 45 and 46 a little earlier, you’ll be on the Grote Markt in no time. After that, it’s just over ten kilometers of cycling to De Lilse Bergen.