North of Antwerp: sea land

Antwerp, like New Orleans and London, is as close to the sea as you can get on its river without having to constantly worry about flooding. The lands to the west and northwest are called sea land (Zeeland in Netherlands, Zeeuws Vlaanderen in Belgium) for a very good reason: until man started building dykes, this area was mostly water and wetlands. The islands constantly changed as currents deposited or took away sand. Occasional storm tides in the North Sea (particularly that of 18 November 1421) would radically change land and water boundaries overnight.

Man steadily won land from the waters, starting before 1,000 AD and continuing until about 1985 when ecological concerns probably brought that activity to a final end. First small areas around settlements were protected, then larger areas, then protected areas were linked by connecting dykes. But it was not constant progress. In 1953, for example, 1,395 people in the Netherlands (and more in East Anglia and Belgium) were killed when extremely high tides flooded large areas. The Dutch response to that was the Delta Project, which saw all of the land areas protected by a massive line of dykes and dams along the North Sea. The only "wild" inlet left is the West Schelde (Scheldt - the English and German version of the name - on the map). Along that river the dykes were also raised and strengthened.

Source: Port of Antwerp

During the same period there has also been a reverse process: creating navigable waterways out of land and marsh. The most impressive result is the Antwerp docks, comprising some 80 square km on the east bank of the Schelde and 65 square km on the west bank. This port is one of the busiest in the world - fourth in tonnage. The ships, with a few exceptions, actually dock in controlled inland waters (darker blue on the map) entered by massive locks. In that way the problem of the substantial tides (minimum of 4.5 meters) is avoided. In the port are not just transshipment facilities (ship to/from barge, rail or road) and warehouses (natie in local idiom) but also a variety of industrial activities.

Exploring the edges of the Antwerp docks, and looking at GeoCart, you would think there is no place for a bicycle in this area. That is wrong. There are two interesting and safe routes: one created in 2007 through the island part of the docks between the Schelde River and the main port channel, and another through the eastern section port. Once past the port there is fine riding on wide paved towpath through farmland.

Through the Island Docks: Hanger 27 - Dutch Border (23 km)

From warehouse 27 follow the new bike path along the river side of the road north across Kattendijksluis. About 200 m before a traffic light there is another bike path to the left. Turn left (west) on that path. This takes you by the Hogere Zeevaartschool (trade school for maritime trades) and the Noordkasteel (north castle - fort protecting Antwerp). At this point you meet the new Scheldelaan bike path. It is wide, smooth, and laid out so that you rarely have to cross a road or driveway. A fine ride. Follow it north for 23 km to the end of the port and Dutch border. There it connects with the newly paved "smokkelweggetje" (smugglers path) to Bath (about 6 km). From Bath you can continue east along the Schelde - bike route LF 13 - or turn west to cross and then follow the Schelde - Rijnverbinding (André Maes, October 2007)

Scheldelaan bikeway
Source: André Maes

Through the Eastern Docks: Hanger 27 - Berendrecht (19.5 km)

This route follows the east (land) side of the port area.

red line is bike route
Source: Port of Antwerp

Hanger 27 is at the northwest corner of the Antwerp commercial area, on the Schelde at Amsterdamstraat. (This is also the starting point for the Schelde right bank and Albert Canal routes.) To the north is the Kattendijksluis, a closed lock connecting the docks with the Schelde at about the point where the north end of the medieval moat around Antwerp met the river. In 2003-2004 the elevated bridge over the former lock was replaced with a dam. Plans call for the conversion of the dock to the east (Kattendijkdok) into a yacht harbor, rehabilitation of the lock for use by pleasure boats, construction of a lift bridge over the lock, and an emigration museum in the former Red Star warehouse. map

From warehouse 27 follow the new bike path along the river side of the road north across Kattendijksluis. About 200 m before a traffic light there is another bike path to the left. Turn left (west) on that path. This takes you by the Hogere Zeevaartschool (trade school for maritime trades) and the Noordkasteel (north castle - fort protecting Antwerp). Then you cross under the road (Scheldelaan) in a tunnel, and continue west on the north side of the road to a traffic light.

Noordkasteel Bridge in port
source: Karel Roose

At the light turn right (north) along Oosterweelsteenweg (bike lane) and into the modern dock area. Soon you cross a bridge, and then another. In 2.5 km you reach a T junction with Noorderlaan. Cross with the light and then head west (left). The route varies between bike lane and bike path, mostly with a good surface. The traffic is often quite heavy. There are many "Natie" - warehouses or warehouse companies. Some are named for products (tabac or katoen), some for companies (including Opel), some for destinations (e.g. Mexico). (Actually, Katoen is now the largest warehouse company operating in the port.) Most of the freight is now carried in containers. Sometimes you can see the water, more often not.

view from Lillo, a town threatened by destruction for port expansion.
photo by Tim Freh

For 15 km you follow the bike lane or path through the port. To your left is always port or industrial activity, to your right sometimes more of the same and sometimes nature. Past Opel is a very large rail yard (Antwerp North), used to marshal freight trains moving in and out of the port. At the end of the rail yard is a nature preserve across which you see some hills - "Mount Trashmores" where urban garbage is "buried." There is a bit over one km where the road and bike lane run close to the very wide main harbor axis (Kanaaldok) and then you pass under a rail line (bridge to the left) to the industrial area across the water, and over a tunnel to Lillo on the east bank and then the west bank of the river.

Lillo rail bridge open for a ship
source: Karel Roose

400 m past the bridge the road and path turn to the right (east) to the side of the A12 autoroute, then north to a railway crossing and a fork in the road. Stay to the right with the bike lane (traffic sign to Berendrecht Zandvliet), while the main traffic takes the left fork. You now leave the port and follow its perimeter. From this point you have no more heavy traffic. There are polders to your right (north). In less than 2 km the road and bike lane turn north into the polders. To the west you see the twin cooling towers of the Doel nuclear power plant. (Jan 2000) (update by Karel Roose 12 Apr 2004)

docks north of Lillo bridge
photo by Tim Freh March 2006

Doel nuclear power station
photo by Tim Freh

Schelde - Rijnverbinding: Berendrecht - Kreekraksluisen (17 km)

There are apparently proposals to extend the docks into this area - you see signs with sayings like "build docks in the harbor, not our polders," and "dock = death, polder = life."

About a half km after you leave the port you reach a traffic circle (roundabout) and the edge of Berendrecht. Turn left (west) towards the church. The road is narrow with marked bike lanes, but the traffic very light. In 500 m you reach the church - St John the Baptist, 1944. The road curves right in front of the church. At this point turn left (west). Soon (just past the Reigershof restaurant) there is a bike lane and then bike path on the left.

In less than 1 km you approach the dyke and the road and marked bike route turn towards the north. If it is not too wet, turn slightly left and climb to the dyke instead. (If it is wet, turn north with the bike lane for about 1.5 km to the first place there is a street to the left. Turn there to the dyke.) There is a fine paved towpath, which ends about 200 m to the south. Head north, with nature preserve on your right. Across the water is industry (sometimes a chemical smell) and soon the large north locks (the largest is 500 x 68 m) to the port. In about 1 km you reach a paved path down to the right, by a Sea Scouts building, and then the official beginning of the Schelde - Rijnverbinding.

border marker
source: Karel Roose

The Delta Project resulted in the east branch of the Schelde (Oosterschelde) being cut off from the west branch. To facilitate barge traffic to the Netherlands and Germany, the Schelde - Rhine (Rijn/Rhein) Connector (verbinding) was developed. It can handle large barges (over 2,000 tonnes), but does not have vertical bridge clearance for sea-going vessels. The connector in its present form was opened in 1975. There is paved towpath on both sides, but the west side does not really connect with anything. We ride the east side.

No entry
with the exception of cyclists and pedestrians
property of Rijkswaterstaat

Across the water the port industrial area continues, while on your right is the town of Zandvliet and then polders. 2 km brings you to the Zandvliet bridge. The connector then makes a sharp turn to the left (west) followed by a gentle curve to the north. In 3 km you see a border marker in the fields, and 100 m later cross the border itself (marked only by a dot). Notice that the industrial area on the other side of the connector suddenly ends - the port is strictly a Belgian affair. 300 m later you reach a double gate - locked for vehicles, passable for pedestrians and bicycles. The water level is a few meters above the countryside, and soon there is parallel drainage canal.

LF 13 bridge

About 4 km brings you to another bridge. Here you have a choice: continue north along the connector, or turn left on the LF 13 along the West Schelde. For the latter, cross the remainder of a lock end over the drainage canal and follow the tracks to the road (about 50 m unpaved), then up to the bridge and over. Just west of the end of the bridge follow the LF 13 sign to the left (south). Less than 1 km later you approach the base of the dyke along the Schelde. Turn right. (Or you can turn left - south - for a 3 km excursion to the Groot Buitenschoor wetland nature preserve on the Belgian side of the border. The wetland preserve is a major stopover for migrating waterfowl. It is matched by the much larger Verdronken Land van Saeftinge preserve across the river and in Dutch territory. There was once a village named Saeftinge there - it was destroyed by high waters in 1570.) (This area was the theme for a Suske and Wiske cartoon strip story published in 1999.) Notice how high the dyke is - this land would be underwater if it were not for the work of man. There are occasional stairs to the top of the dyke, but the path along the top is not paved. Stay on the service road along the base of the dyke. In a little over 1 km you reach the village of Bath, with a ramp up to the top of the dyke. Take a look at how broad the river is here.

part of windmill farm
source: Karel Roose

Continuing north from the bridge along the connector, nearly 3 km brings you to the A58 bridges. Past the bridges is a windmill farm, mostly in a nature preserve on your right. Slightly over 2 km north of the A58 is the large Kreekraksluis (lock) complex. Close to the towpath is a series of signs explaining the connector and locks. They say that about 67,000 vessels use the lock each year. The height difference is 1.8 m, with the lower water on the north end. To keep the salty (and polluted) water from the Antwerp end out of the cleaner water to the north, the locks have a water management system. Water removed from the lock goes into the holding pond to the east, and water is constantly pumped from the pond into the upper side. The amount pumped exceeds the amount moved by the locks, so the connector is fresh water for about 6 km to the south.

The water level on the north side of the locks is NAP - the Amsterdam level. Barges can continue without locks from this point into the port of Rotterdam, or to the Rhine - as far as Basel.

From the locks you have Netherlands' cycle route signs (white with red letters) pointing the way to Bergen op Zoom and the north. (Jan 2000) (reviewed by Dirk Vande Putte 7 September 2003) (reviewed by Karel Roose 12 Apr 2004)

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