The Heiken is the name given to the former Oirlandse Heather. The Heiken developed into an important hamlet of Vorselaar. The Van Thielen family built a beautiful chapel there in 1905. That was what father Van Thielen had promised if a son was born in the family. It is still the same family that takes care of the maintenance of the chapel. The Heiken is also known by the folk healer Mie Broos (Maria Van Loock). From far and wide, even from abroad, people came to the Heiken to be cured of skin diseases.

The Schupleer nature reserve owes its richness to two rivers: the Kleine Nete and the Aa. The water quality of the rivers is still remarkably good. The Kleine Nete and the Aa leave their banks every winter. As a result, more than 500 ha will be flooded in damp winters. The name 'Schupleer' refers to the hard labor of our ancestors who mined iron or iron mill in the Aa valley. The ironstone had to be brought to the unloading place at the Kleine Nete near the abbey of the Throne. The flat barges with which it was transported were pulled with manpower. To limit the distance, several channels were dug between Aa and Nete. Several of these 'throats' are still visible in the landscape and have also given it its name. 'Schupleer' refers to older forms of 'ship' and 'lead', and means as much as' guided or dug watercourse. The iron layers form an impenetrable layer of soil. The groundwater that surfaces in the area has a typical rust brown color, due to the iron oxide that is present in it. On the border with Grobbendonk and Vorselaar the Kleine Nete breaks through a dune ridge. From the walking path on the right bank you can still clearly see the forested dunes. On the wooded dunes of the Kempen hill ridge we find remnants of heath and typical fens.