Discover the nature around Lommel

With this route you will discover that Lommel is surrounded by beautiful nature: coniferous and deciduous forests, heathland landscapes, dunes, water ponds. The most famous nature reserve is the Sahara: a desert-like landscape, with a clear blue lake in the middle and scented coniferous forests all around. This oasis of peace and the mecca of many nature lovers was created by human activities. The emissions from the former zinc factory caused all green vegetation to disappear, resulting in a large expanse of white sand. To prevent further silting up, forests were planted and it is now a beautiful, wooded area.

Along the way you will pass another special spot: Joe\\\'s Bridge. This is where the British XXXth Army Corps entered the Netherlands on September 17, 1944. The bridge did not fall into British hands without a fight. A week earlier it had been captured by the Irish Guards in a surprise attack from the Germans. The Germans tried to regain the bridge with counterattacks, but the Guards held their ground. The bridge was named after their commander: JOE Vandeleur.