Kattenbosserheide

Four remnants of the former Kempen Heide remain spread across Lommel, which are managed as a nature reserve in order to preserve the heath as it once was. The fauna and flora of this heath and their surroundings are sufficiently fascinating and interesting to spend a few hours here and get a taste of an ancient culture. In earlier times, these heathlands were used communally to graze cows and sheep. The heather was sown and used as bedding in the potted stables. Later there was more straw available and fertilizer came into use, so that heather was no longer used as bedding for the deep litter. Also because digging sod was a very man-intensive job, the heath was cleared for agricultural land and planted with Scots pine for use as shoring in the coal mine. The Kattenbosserheide is a heath that is completely surrounded by Scots pine, to the north it is a narrow strip of Scots pine that connects to the residential area of the hamlet of Kattenbos and to the south you reach the Gelderhorsten residential area. On this heath you can find the Juniper berry, a shrub or tree that used to be common here in the Kempen and that was used, among other things, to improve the aroma of spirits.

beautiful purple colored heather fields, in early September.

Beautiful surroundings.
Traffic free.
Spacious parking lot.