Along lost smuggling trails around Hoogstraten

Carnivorous plants

Especially along the winding Strijbeeksche Beek, you imagine yourself in earlier times, but then without smugglers. Several times the path crosses the stream over bridges, which of course were missing in the past. Due to the humid terrain conditions, mainly alder swamp forest grows there. You will also find carnivorous plants such as the small sundew, which loves very specific environments that are often dry in the summer, but flooded in the winter.

Breathtaking nature

In recent years, the Dutch State Forestry Service and the Belgian Agency for Nature and Forests have been trying to restore the original open heathland. The beautifully situated Langven with the modest Goudberg behind it are still largely in the same state as they were then. Sheep and cattle keep these places open. Now this area mainly offers breathtaking nature, silence and peace. The Elsakker nature reserve beautifully illustrates the variety on this route: forest, heath, flower-rich grasslands, pools and ponds. An ideal place to catch your breath.

Copyright photos: Mie De Backer and Kempens Landschap