When we published our Flemish Ardennes series in spring, we had to include an honest warning with the walking pillar: the classic hill routes are not adapted, and the adapted offering remained limited to flat towpaths (Bovenschelde, Dender) and city parks. Precisely that blank spot — nature depth in the relief itself — is now being tackled by the East Flanders Tourism Board with the new project "Accessible nature experience Flemish Ardennes".
What the project involves
Core of the initiative: 6 new adapted routes + electric SUP experiences:
- 3 off-road walking routes — emphatically not the classic asphalted concrete routes, but routes with relief and unpaved paths that can be done with an all-terrain wheelchair or adapted support
- 3 cycling routes for adapted bikes — handbike-friendly, with attention to gradient profiles and rest points
- Electric SUP experiences (stand-up paddle) — for water tourism on the Scheldt and Upper Sea Scheldt with adapted boarding infrastructure
Source: Nieuwskrant Dender / East Flanders Tourism Board press release (July 2026).
Why this matters
Classic off-road nature = traditionally closed to wheelchairs. That is one of the most structural limitations in Belgian adapted tourism. There are three ways to break through that:
- Building paved main paths in nature reserves (Kempen model — works, but breaks the "wild" character of nature)
- Raised boardwalks and plank walkways in wetlands and peat marshes (the Walking Federation Flanders Blankaart model — works for specific ecosystems)
- Off-road routes with adapted support — all-terrain wheelchair rental, guided walking, or hybrid formulas
The East Flanders Tourism Board project chooses option 3 — a third model that we haven't yet seen at this scale in Belgium. For the Flemish Ardennes (hill landscape, unpaved), that is a precisely-fitting answer.
Complementary to Walking Federation Flanders / Natuurpunt
Where the Blankaart project by Walking Federation Flanders focuses on infrastructure (physically building boardwalk), East Flanders Tourism Board focuses on experience (routes + support + activities). Both models are needed — one does not detract from the other.
What we at drempelvrij.be would like to see: synergy. The Flemish Ardennes routes could connect to potential all-terrain rental points (à la Handbike rental Hoge Kempen — that model works) and to adapted staff providing support on the off-road sections.
For French-speaking Wallonia: the RAVeL alternative
For French-speaking readers: the equivalent in Wallonia is not identical. RAVeL offers flat paved routes (see our Walloon Ardennes RAVeL pillar), but off-road adapted hill routes are more limited there. The hope: Commissariat Général au Tourisme will soon follow with a comparable off-road initiative.
What we still don't know in July 2026
At the time of publication, the concrete routes are not yet publicly navigated. What we are following for updates:
- Where exactly do the 3 walking and 3 cycling routes start? — Oudenaarde / Ronse / Geraardsbergen are logical starting points
- What all-terrain equipment will be offered (rent? buy? through which partner?)
- What will it cost for visitors — free routes + paid equipment? Permit?
- When does it open to the public — some indications point to autumn 2026 / spring 2027
What drempelvrij.be will do
Once the routes are public, we will:
- Visit and review every route with a wheelchair — first-hand info about relief, gradient profile, surface
- Add the routes to our Flemish Ardennes walking routes and cycling routes pillars
- Make contact with the East Flanders Tourism Board for updates and future expansions
- Compare with other provinces — if this model works in East Flanders, it could also work in West Flanders (Westhoek polder route expansion) and Limburg (Voer region?)
Combine with other pillars
- Flemish Ardennes main pillar
- Flemish Ardennes walking routes — for current adapted routes
- Flemish Ardennes cycling routes
- Blankaart boardwalk news — comparable infrastructure model
- Boardwalks theme pillar
- Finding adapted bikes — Bike Republic Diest for possible test ride
Finally
For wheelchair users, this is one of the most concrete policy steps in adapted Belgian nature tourism since the Walking Federation Flanders announcement last month. It confirms that there is momentum in the sector: infrastructure (Blankaart), routes+experience (Flemish Ardennes), and future third-model initiatives expected.
For the Flemish Ardennes specifically: this fills the biggest gap in our series — nature depth that until now remained inaccessible. If the execution matches the promise, this is a game-changer for wheelchair tourism in the region.
Do you know someone at the East Flanders Tourism Board or do you already have information about concrete routes? Let us know — we want to keep this pillar up to date as soon as more is known.