The best traffic-free bike rides around Alveringem

Bridge closure: The bridge at Fintele is closed to all traffic until October 2, 2026 due to works. New lock gates are being installed, among other things. I came from the Diksmuide direction, had to turn back and continued cycling along Reninge. I haven't seen the situation on the other side yet (whether you can continue to Veurne, for example)

the market in Veurne. Cozy place.

The route contains many sections with cobblestones and a couple of sections of unpaved road. There were also two roadworks, where you had to walk past.

Notre Dame De Bon Secours

Het Ovenhuus is a charming, local restaurant where hospitality and classic Belgian cuisine are central.

The harbor in Ypres, known locally as "De Kaaie," is actually the Ieperlee, which runs beneath the city of Ypres and becomes visible again there. At the Drie Grachten (Three Canals), the Ieperlee is joined by the Martjevaart canal, which originates in Merkem. Drie Grachten is a hamlet in the west of Merkem where the three canals converge: the Martjevaart canal, the Ypres-IJzer canal (also known as the Ieperlee Canal), and the Ieperlee itself. Drie Grachten is also known for the battles during World War I, in which the French, including the Zouaves, fought against the Germans. After a failed attack on the German outpost at Luigem, the Germans captured a number of Zouaves. They launched a counterattack but hid behind the captured Zouaves to prevent the French Zouaves from firing on them, thinking they were their own men returning. At one point, one of the captured Zouaves reportedly shouted: "Tirez donc au nom de Dieu, ce sont les Boches!" (For God's sake, these are the Boches!). Immediately after the warning, a French salvo erupted, mowing down both the Germans and the captured Zouaves. The Zouaves of Northern France (Union des Zouaves du Nord) continued to commemorate this after the war. Luigem is a hamlet 1 kilometer east of Drie Grachten and 1 kilometer west of the center of Noordschote. The Zouaves (French: zouaves) were a light infantry unit of the French Army, associated with French North Africa.

very impressive monument and museum. Must see if in the area

The monastery was founded in 1492, at the initiative of Canon de Vooght of the Saint Walburga Chapter of Veurne, and Sister Maria Poret, the first superior. A house and property were purchased on Zuidstraat in Lo in 1493. Emperor Maximilian I granted permission in 1493 to build a small chapel, refectory, dormitory, and tower with a clock. The monks were initially present in Lo to combat the plague. The tower sparked a conflict between the provost of the provostry (later to become Saint Peter's Abbey) and the Grey Sisters. The provost considered the tower too high. This led to a lawsuit, in which the judges ruled that the sisters could keep their tower unchanged if they presented the provost with two chickens each year at Easter. The tower was renovated in 1560, destroyed in 1579, and rebuilt on a smaller scale. Besides expansions in the 16th and 17th centuries, the convent also suffered damage and destruction during religious unrest in the same period. A low point was the confiscation in 1798 by the French revolutionaries. A confidant of the sisters, former mayor J.B. Ryon, bought up the undeclared goods so that the sisters could repurchase them after the Concordat. The Grey Sisters founded a school in 1763, and in response to the establishment of a municipal school, they started a Catholic boys' school on Zuidstraat in 1836. During the First World War, Lo was shelled by the Germans, and the convent's tower was destroyed. The 17th-century hospital on the east side of the market square was destroyed and never rebuilt. Reconstruction and repairs of the convent followed in 1922-1926, with the tower being raised, modeled on the town hall tower. The west wing has been restored and adapted in a historicist style. https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Klooster_van_de_Grauwzusters_(Lo)