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Aangenaam verrast! Kerckhem wordt ongetwijfeld onze 'uitvalsbasis' voor onze jaarlijkse fietstochten door Haspengouw.

Antoon en Julie Wentens

Haspengouw

Haspengouw is a region in Belgium you don't hear about too often, partly due to the fact that to pronounce its name requires that guttural "g." It is situated in the eastern part of Belgium, an easy one-hour drive from Brussels, in the Flemish-speaking part of the country.

Haspengouw - Hesbaye

Since Belgium is a bilingual country-Flemish (similar to Dutch) in the north and French in the south- road signs are posted in both languages. The French name for this region is Hesbaye, which is somewhat easier to pronounce. Both names are derivatives of the Latin name Herbania, alluding to the Romans who occupied this area hundreds of year ago and left their stamp on the area in more ways than one. Not only did their occupation influence language, religion and architecture, they also built roads, many of which are still in use today.

Fruit

The area is well known for its orchards. The blossoming fruit trees primarily apple, pear and cherry - attract many tourists in April, and again in the fall, who come to enjoy festivals celebrating the harvest. The city of Sint-Truiden is the hub where the fruit is auctioned and processed.

Cycling en hiking

Haspengouw also has an elaborate network of bike and walking paths, maintained and promoted by the provincial tourism board, allowing visitors to experience the rolling landscape, wonderful vistas, quaint villages, churches and chapels, and stately castles with their square farm buildings and castle barns, which are unique to the area.