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The Vaartketser

The Vaartketser

Highlight • Monument

The Vaartketser

Recommended by 38 cyclists out of 42

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Location: Dessel, Turnhout, Antwerp, Flanders, Belgium

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Top cycling routes to The Vaartketser

4.7

(26)

155

riders

1. Junction of Four Canals – Postel Abbey loop from Reusel-Zuid

49.2km

02:48

80m

Intermediate bike ride. Good fitness required. Mostly paved surfaces. Suitable for all skill levels.

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Intermediate

4.8

(35)

163

riders

2. Cycle Path Through Forest and Meadows – Junction of Four Canals loop from Hapert

57.8km

03:22

80m

Intermediate bike ride. Good fitness required. Mostly paved surfaces. Suitable for all skill levels.

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Intermediate

4.8

(32)

167

riders

3. Lommel Sahara – Cycle Path Through Forest and Meadows loop from Ongelberg

50.2km

02:53

80m

Intermediate bike ride. Good fitness required. Mostly paved surfaces. Suitable for all skill levels.

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Intermediate

Tips

Claudine en Robert🇧🇪🚴

September 6, 2023

Typical for the Kempen and certainly for Dessel is the Vaartketser. In addition to a lot of white sand, you will also find a lot of water in Dessel. The various lakes and canals are clearly visible from the SAS4 Tower. The lakes were mainly created by sand extraction. The transport of this white sand was done by ship across the canals. In the early years, which must have been sometime in the mid-19th century, the ships were pulled by hand. This pulling of the ships was called “vaartkets” in the Dessel dialect. The people who pulled the ships were the “boaters”. The Desselse vaartketsers are all said to have had a bird's call sign. For example, there were speedboats with the call sign “Koekoek”, “Kiewit” and “Mus”. Later, people were replaced by horses and at an even later stage by tractors.

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PinionRadlerJan

September 24, 2023

Art on the cycle path and the beginning of the Dessel-Schoten Canal.
Great new asphalt.
There is also a beautiful bridge and a lookout tower nearby.

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Jeff S

August 9, 2025

Over the bridge and then under it, towards Retie...

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Details

Informations

Elevation 80 m

Weather

Today

Wednesday 5 November

17°C

9°C

0 %

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Max wind speed: 16.0 km/h

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See rides here

Take Me There

Location: Dessel, Turnhout, Antwerp, Flanders, Belgium

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The Vaartketser

1. Junction of Four Canals – Postel Abbey loop from Reusel-Zuid

2. Cycle Path Through Forest and Meadows – Junction of Four Canals loop from Hapert

3. Lommel Sahara – Cycle Path Through Forest and Meadows loop from Ongelberg

Other Popular Places to Check Out

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