Erperheide route

Since the 1980s, attempts have been made to give the forest a more natural character. The forest is intersected by the Kolisloop, which flows into the Warmbeek and in the western part of the nature reserve there is a sand quarry. There are also some heather stems to be found among the trees. Near the stream you see more birches and oaks, which here and there merge into a peaty birch forest. Centaury and wild gale grow abundantly in nature and various butterflies, including the small kingfisher butterfly, the brown oak page, the variegated tadpole and the green butterfly, fly from plant to plant. The locusts are happily chirping: the common grasshopper and the heath grasshopper are especially common along the sandy paths.

Those who are lucky will see the viviparous lizard dart away in search of the shelter of the flora. Along the way you will pass the Wedelse Mill. You have completed almost half of the cycling tour when you reach the Wedelse Mill in Overpelt. According to some sources, there was already a mill on this site in the eighth century. If these sources are correct, De Wedelse Molen is the oldest water mill that grinds on the Dommel, and probably even the oldest water mill in the Benelux, although this has never been supported by archaeological evidence. The Wedelse Mill was rebuilt in 1765, where the current building was installed. The locks, the bank reinforcement and the mill are a protected monument and the surrounding area is a protected villagescape. This way the authenticity of the mill is preserved.