Lommel Sahara Tour

Details: Parent Category: North Brabant province; Category: North Brabant - Walks; Last Updated: 04 July 2021; Hits: 760

Moderate

Walking tour through Stevensbergen, Blekerheide, the Lommel Sahara and the Venakkerbos. Stevenbergen is a small nature reserve that lies in the middle of the municipal forests of Luyksgestel.

Lommel Sahara Tour

Lommel Sahara Tour

Distance: 23 km

Duration: 5h00

Grade: Moderate

Gps track: Yes

Route description: Yes

Type: Circular walk

Height gain: No information available

Way mark: See PDF route description

Wheelchair: Unsuitable

Dog: Allowed on leach

Border post 191.

The area consists of an old heathland with a few drifting sand plots. Stevensbergen is rich in reptiles, such as the smooth snake, which is non-toxic. The Blekerheide is a Belgian nature reserve northwest of Lommel, it is one of the last remaining moorland areas in the vast municipality of Lommel. The Lommel Sahara owes its name to the nutrient-poor sandy soil. This area used to be part of a large heath and drift sand area. The area is particularly known for the purity of the sand used by the glass industry. As a result of the sand extraction, three large nutrient-poor ponds have been created in this area, and what remains is that the area is still a very unique area. In the Venakker forest, in the immediate vicinity of border post 191, the highest natural point in North Brabant is 44 meters above sea level. In Luyksgestel there is also the Old tower of the church that was demolished in 1958, a round stone corn mill De Grenswachter built in 1891 with next to it a bakery museum, the 18th-century Crijnskapelletje or Little Chapel and on the outskirts of the village the Holy Cross chapel a beautifully situated chapel from 1727. Furthermore, one comes across a rather special bridge over the Bocholt-Herentals Canal and past a 30-meter high watchtower in the Lommel Sahara.