Top.Vlaanderen experience route Kemmel - Kassel

Top.Vlaanderen is developing a number of routes (car tours, bicycle tours, routes for motorcycle enthusiasts, etc.) along which there is a lot to experience. Follow this route from Kemmel to Kassel and discover and experience the real French Flanders with its special ridge. We start and end at Hostellerie Kemmelberg, the "mountain hotel" with the unique panoramic view of the Franco-Flemish plain on top of the Kemmelberg, which was recently completely renovated. Actually, one can start this experience route at any point, as it is an experience loop.

Key figures of this experience route: 70 kilometers, 1h 48m driving time by car.
Depending on what and how you want to visit something, add this visiting time to plan your full day.

Main themes: Panoramas & Mills & Regional Products

This experience route can be done by car, motorcycle, bike.
In principle, you can also make it a multi-day hike 😉.

What is there to experience ?
You can take beautiful pictures (mills, panoramas, gardens, ...), discover hilly landscapes, find out more about Flanders (museum), how people used to live in the countryside(rural museum), discover a beautiful Flemish garden, take a cable elevator from one "mountain" to another, find out how a mill works, visit a wine estate, buy and taste regional products, try regional dishes in an estaminet, taste a picon with brown beer on the market of Kassel, etc.

Tip 1: Before you leave , always check the opening days and hours of the various points you want to visit. After all, some things are only open during the high season, some others only on certain Sundays of the month, and so on.

Tip 2: Don't try to go visit and experience everything . Impossible. It's just too much to do in one day. Make a good choice according to your own interests. If necessary, do this experience tour a second time and then make a selection complementary to your first day!

Highlights:

6 mills
- Lijstermolen, Ondankmolen, Steenmolen (currently closed), Driesmolen, Noordmolen, Roome Molen: some of them are millable and can be visited.

You can see how many mills there are in a relatively small area by looking at this model set up at the foot of the Steenmeulen: no fewer than 9 mills are within (visual) distance of the Steenmeulen. Some of these mills are passed by in this route.

Black Mountain - Rodeberg
- Artisanal ice cream parlor Surprice
- Cable car Cordoba (unique in Flanders)
- Entre-Deux-Monts: the largest wine estate in Heuvelland
Katsberg
- Flemish Abbey with store of religious and regional products
- Top of the Katsberg: panorama, iconic for this region
- High TV mast: geographical landmark for the whole region
Kassel
- Top of the Kasselberg: panorama with Roman pilgrims' roads
- Estaminet Kasteelhof: typical and primitive estaminet with micro store of local products
- Jardin du Mont des Recollets: one of the most beautiful gardens in France - Old Flemish style - "Wouwenberghof" - possibility to eat a coffee and homemade cake in the main building of this old farmhouse
- Museum of Flanders ( web site: French-speaking - Dutch-speaking - English-speaking - opening hours are at the very bottom of their web pages)
Belle
- Belfry: UNESCO World Heritage Site ( opening hours )
- Panoramic view from the Ravensberg
Nieuwkerke
- Monument of the 3 murdered priests: testimony about the geus time and the iconoclasm
- Nature reserve "The Breemeersen"
- Panorama from the" walletjes": view of the Kemmelberg and the rest of the ridge

Here you can find the direct link to Google Maps with this car route Kemmel - Kassel.
Via "Options" at the bottom of that screen you can immediately forward the route to your cell phone.

Suggested picnic spots:
Basically, of course, you can always have a picnic at any quiet spot, depending on how you wish to eat and drink something. However, there are also some specially equipped picnic spots. We give some suggestions here.

- a completely new picnic area was established on the flank of Cassel Mountain - location on Google Maps - photos from Aug. 5, 2022

- Next to the Ondank Mill parking lot in Boeschepe, you can also have your picnic. Location on Google Maps.