그로벤동크‬에서 가장 멋진 ‪20‬개의 호수

In the 19th and 20th centuries, the Kesselse Heide was a popular location for military exercises. It was used successively by the Belgian army (specifically the Achterbist region), during World War II by German soldiers, and in the post-war period by the Allies. Locals would sometimes "play" with the soldiers as children, participating in exercises such as quickly reassembling a weapon. However, from the early 1950s onward, the fun ended: the start of the Korean War and more frequent exercises led to stricter rules. Perhaps for the best, as the soldiers had access to heavy artillery. The heath contained several gun pits, part of the defense line around Nijlen. The famous "Horseshoe Pit" was one of them. This pit was originally circular and was (possibly) dug during the First World War to wash the soldiers' horses. Later, a small land bridge was added, making the island in the middle accessible. For many locals, it served as a beautiful swimming hole and a place for summer recreation.

Nice story about rivalry between local youth from surrounding villages

At the weekend you can always meet 'The Loze Vissertje' here.

Het Zwart Water is a nature reserve southwest of the town of Lichtaart, which is part of the Antwerp municipality of Kasterlee, located near Lavendelweg 1-3. The area is managed by the Agency for Nature and Forests. The area is located on the Kempense Heuvelrug and consists of a fen that used to be in a drifting sand and heathland area, but was largely forested with conifers during the 19th century. On the edge of the fen you will find bog myrtle thickets, willow swamp forest and poor grassland. There is a floating dome in the fen that forms a safe resting place for birds. The forest is gradually being transformed into more mixed forest. In addition, there are remnants of heathland.

unfortunately closed to bicycles at least when I visited

There is an information board near the water feature. It is called the 'horseshoe pit' because it has a horseshoe shape. It is not known for sure why the well is there, but the information board does give the hypotheses and tells how the youth once came to play here and generations of Kessel residents learned to swim when it was still called 'het visputteke' (and there was even more water in it). More on the information board with the photos.

The redoubt is used by the municipality as a walking and recreation area and as a bat sanctuary. The local fishing club uses the canal as a fish pond.

In Snepkensvijver-Heiberg in Herentals, swamp, heathland and forest go hand in hand. The soil conditions provide typical vegetation such as peat moss, heath, small sundew, cranberry and peat fluff. The fragrant gale is also found en masse. In the drier areas, shrub heather is ubiquitous. Discover rare plant species here and completely relax. Source: https://www.natuurpunt.be/natuurgebied/snepkensvijver-heiberg