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Vorsdonkbos and Turfputten Nature Reserve

Lakes

Vorsdonkbos and Turfputten Nature Reserve

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Vorsdonkbos and Turfputten Nature Reserve

Recommended by 34 hikers out of 35

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Location: Aarschot, Leuven, Flemish Brabant, Flanders, Belgium

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Best Hikes to Vorsdonkbos and Turfputten Nature Reserve

4.6

(12)

hikers

1. Walking Along the Demer – Rivers Bridge Over the Demer loop from Betekom

10.3km

02:38

30m

Intermediate hike. Good fitness required. Easily-accessible paths. Suitable for all skill levels.

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Intermediate

4.6

(11)

hikers

2. Demer – Walking Along the Demer loop from Aarschot

13.5km

03:25

30m

Intermediate hike. Good fitness required. Easily-accessible paths. Suitable for all skill levels.

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Intermediate

4.0

(3)

hikers

3. Wine Wall of Wijngaardberg – Vineyard on the Wijngaardberg loop from Betekom

24.2km

06:14

120m

Expert hike. Very good fitness required. Easily-accessible paths. Suitable for all skill levels.

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Expert

Tips

June 7, 2024

The Vorsdonkbos (and Turfputten) nature reserve is located in the Demer Valley, on the border of Gelrode and Betekom. It is bordered by the Leuven-Aarschot railway line in the south, the Nieuwland industrial area in the east, the Gelrode-Betekom road in the west, and the Demer in the north. The Demer Valley itself is also on a border. The sandy Zuiderkempen and the more loamy Hageland meet in the Demervallei. That is why the Vorsdonkbos and Turfputten nature reserve can benefit from both vineyards and this has led to a beautiful variety of biotopes: from wet hay meadows and blue grasslands, to sandy dunes with old forests and even small areas of heathland. More at natuurpunt.be/natuurgebied/vorsdonkbos-turfputten

Translated by Google •

June 7, 2024

The Vorsdonkbos and Turfputten nature reserve owes its water wealth to the witness hills Eikelberg and Ijzerberg (and others). The water that penetrates the soil on those hills finds its way through the subsoil and bubbles up much later at the foot of the steep hills. Masses of particularly pure "seepage water" end up in Vordonkbos and Turfputten, almost the lowest point in the entire Hageland.

However, the history of this area is not only linked to those hills, but especially to the Demer that hugged the Eikelberg in prehistoric times. Ultimately, this once mighty river took a different course about 10,000 years ago. It itself cut a large river bend or "meander" in the middle and now flows almost two kilometers further north. In the meander left behind, remains of aquatic and marsh plants accumulated and formed a peat layer up to 3 meters thick.

Another result of the Demer's erratic behavior is the "donks". Sand that was scoured away by the water elsewhere formed sandbanks and river dunes here. The area owes part of its name to those donkens. "Donk" is a sandy and dry surface in a swamp area. "Vors" stands for the water-loving frog and "peat pits" refers to the old peat extraction sites that we mainly find in the east of the area. More at natuurpunt.be/natuurgebied/vorsdonkbos-turfputten

Translated by Google •

Seppe

April 10, 2021

It is an area with a fairly extensive alder pants interspersed with open spaces, which bear witness to former peat pits and bomb craters. The swamps that have arisen provide an extraordinarily fascinating landscape and biological variation.

Translated by Google •

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Elevation 60 m

Weather

Today

Sunday 26 October

10°C

8°C

100 %

If you start your activity now...

Max wind speed: 21.0 km/h

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Location: Aarschot, Leuven, Flemish Brabant, Flanders, Belgium

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Pathway Through the Trees

Vorsdonkbos and Turfputten Nature Reserve

1. Walking Along the Demer – Rivers Bridge Over the Demer loop from Betekom

2. Demer – Walking Along the Demer loop from Aarschot

3. Wine Wall of Wijngaardberg – Vineyard on the Wijngaardberg loop from Betekom

Other Popular Places to Check Out

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