This beautiful nature walk takes you from Zammel along the banks of the meandering Grote Nete to the nature reserve Trichelbroek. In this swamp area you follow the Grote Laak and then go through a forest area interspersed with meadows in the direction of the Zammelsbroek nature reserve.
Distance: 14.5 km.
Time: 3h45.
Grade: Moderate.
Type: Circular.
Gps Track: Yes.
Route description: Yes.
Wheelchair: Not suitable.
Dog: Allowed.
Height gain: Flat.
Trail: Paved and unpaved.
Marking: Walking nodes.
Hiking shoes recommended.
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Trichel- and Zammelsbroek.
The walk starts at the church in Zammel and takes you along local roads to the bank of the Grote Nete. You follow the meandering Grote Nete in the direction of Westerlo. At the first bridge you cross the Grote Nete and walk through an open landscape with meadows, avenues and some farms in the direction of the nature reserve Trichelbroek. You follow the banks of the Grote Laak and via a detour you go to a large natural pond with viewing hut. You walk back to the Grote Nete through a small-scale landscape with meadows and mixed forests. The last part goes through the Zammelsbroek nature reserve to reach the starting point along the edge of the village.
Download PDf for nodes to follow.
Some paths can be quite swampy.
POI 1 - Trichelbroek.
The Laak valleys is a collective name for the nature reserves along the Grote Laak and Kleine Laak. In Laakdal, these watercourses meander from east to west through the landscape towards Grote Nete. A constant feature in the Laak Valleys are the marshes with swamp forests, pools, canals and ponds, fine examples of which can be found in the Trichelbroek and De Roost. Trichelbroek is a swamp area where the Kleine Laak flows into the Grote Laak. In an attractive small-scale landscape with a few farms, meadows, oak forests and lanes, we find a natural pond hidden between swamp forests. This pond attracts many waterfowl such as cormorants, grebes and various species of ducks. Early in the Middle Ages, on the watershed between the valley of the Grote Nete and the Laak valleys, a residential core was built around a chapel. The Sint-Bavokapel or the chapel of den Trichelhoek was already a well-known place of pilgrimage in the seventeenth century. Believers came from far and wide begging for all kinds of assistance, but above all to cure the dreaded whooping cough.
Natuurpunt.
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POI 2 - Zammelsbroek.
The Zammelsbroek is located south of the villages Zammel and Oosterlo. In the quiet, wide valley of the Grote Nete, the bottom remained submerged for a long time. The high water level in the area closed off dead plant remains from the air. This created a peat layer. Our ancestors dug the peat layers in several places to use the material as fuel. Marsh iron ore was also mined there until 1940. Both activities created large puddles in the landscape. Many different animal and plant species find a home there.
Natuurpunt.
www.natuurpunt.be
