Route Description
Philippine, Zeeland is where I was born, but I live in Breda now. When visiting family and friends “back home”, I always try to ride there. There are several options to get there. I sometimes ride to Vlissingen and take the Ferry to Breskens. I can also ride to the bus terminal at the Wasterscheldetunnel” near Goes and take my bike into the bus. But lately my favourite route is via Antwerp. I found it time to create a route from Breda to Zeeland via Antwerp that had as much gravel in it as possible.
The fun starts as soon as you leave Breda behind. I managed to find a lot of unpaved roads to get south to Antwerp. Some of it is gravel. Some of them are farmroads. Getting closer to Antwerp, there are also a couple of forests that have beautiful gravel sections. A real treat.
There’s no getting around it: at some point you see the raw harbor city of Antwerp come into view. But I think I managed to keep this route off the busy roads for a long time. You can ride unpaved until you leave the “Peerdsbos” behind and make your way into the city to cross the river. In Antwerp city centre you pass under the river Schelde via a pedestrian tunnel. The tunnel can be busy with pedestrians, but it’s widely accepted to cycle in the tunnel if you keep it easy. Going down and up in the tunnel happens via old escalators. I think these are always a nice sight to pass.
After Antwerp, the route goes west into Zeeuws-Vlaanderen. You soon leave the city and the port of Antwerp behind. Here you find again very nice gravel sections across farmlands and next to canals. A real treat is when you get closer to Koewacht and Axel. I included the “Staats Spaanse linies” in this area. Via unpaved roads on dikes you pass old historic and Hispanic remnants of a war between the Netherlands and Spain that lasted for 80 years (1568-1648). Not long after that you get to Terneuzen, where you can stop the route. I rode a bit further to my family in Philippine.
- Tip: When I rode this it was very rainy and I was managing a slow puncture that didn’t seal. I think the route is still fantastic when wet, but much more beautiful when dry and sunny.
- Tip: Philippine is known for the town’s mussels recipe. When you finish the route in Philippine, you might want to clean yourself up and go for a treat!
