The Hoge Kempen National Park

You cycle through the Hoge Kempen National Park. At 50 to 100 metres high, this is the highest part of the Kempen. The landscape here has been shaped by the Meuse. The soil is made up of boulders that were carried by the river from the Ardennes during the last ice ages. In the east, the Meuse has eroded a 60-metre deep valley, so that the area is extremely rich in relief. In the 30-metre thick gravel layer and the sand that lies beneath, grooves have been created by sand extraction. This is why this area owes its nickname of 'geological open-air museum'. In August and September, the heathland in the Hoge Kempen turns a beautiful purple. You will find typical heathland birds such as the curlew, woodlark and nightjar. The south-facing slopes and the great diversity of biotopes make warmth-loving insects such as the blue-winged grasshopper and the queen butterfly feel at home here, and on the ground and between the bushes the smooth snake, moor frog, natterjack toad and viviparous lizard are looking for tasty morsels. Scan the area from your bike for a glimpse of a deer or keep an eye on the sky for the flight of the hawk.