Ieperboog Oost is the Hicle Hiking Route of the Year 2025

(press release Hicle)
The hiking network Ieperboog Oost by Westtoer is the Hicle Hiking Route of the Year 2025. This was announced on the first day of the Fiets en Wandelbeurs in Ghent. New or recently updated hiking routes in the Benelux were eligible for this annual award.

With 256 km of walking trails and paths, Ieperboog Oost is the fifteenth and also the largest network in the province of West Flanders. Vineyards, UNESCO World Heritage sites, varied landscapes, historic locations, and the World War I battlefields all define Ieperboog Oost.

Contenders

According to the jury, making a decision this year was particularly challenging. The number of candidates was overwhelming, which is why five potential winners were ultimately selected: the new Regional GR Limburgse Mijnen (BE), Dommelpad (NL), Left and Right of the Peel Fault (NL), Via Christina Mirabilis (BE), and Ieperboog Oost (BE).

“They all could have won the trophy, had the competition not been so strong,” according to the jury report. “In the end, it came down to the Regional GR Limburgse Mijnen and the Ieperboog Oost network. Ieperboog Oost ultimately came out on top due to a number of additional advantages — such as the tear-resistant and waterproof map, which includes 7 fully signposted suggested walks, among them the new Legacy of Passchendaele route.”

Highly rewarding experience

The jury also praised the high experiential value of the Ieperboog Oost routes, which in some places include audiovisual elements, the collaboration with a wide range of partners — including the Commonwealth War Graves Commission — the passage through private estates and vineyards, and the cooperation with Grote Routepaden at certain junction posts. At locations where routes overlap, the posts were also used for the waymarking of Grote Routepaden, helping to avoid excessive signage.

More info: Visitwestvlaanderen.be.

The election of the Hicle Hiking Route of the Year is an initiative by Hicle/Fiets en Wandelbeurs, aimed at encouraging the development of high-quality hiking routes. Eligible for the award are new or recently updated routes in the Benelux. The winner receives the coveted honorary title of ‘Best Hiking Route’, along with the accompanying trophy and a voucher from Z-CARD® — a handy foldable print product.