Nature reserve Hoge Mouw, Kasterlee

The 104 ha domain of the Hoge Mouw is located in the municipality of Kasterlee and owes its name to the highest dune in the region (30 m). It is a so-called parabolic dune, formed by wind and vegetation.
It is part of the Kempense Heuvelrug.
This Kempense Heuvelrug is a nature reserve of 15 km long that extends over the municipalities of Retie, Kasterlee, Herentals, Lille, Vorselaar and Grobbendonk.
The area is dominated by coniferous forests, fens, heaths and sand dunes. The dunes are remnants of the period the sea began to retreat.
In 2017, traces of 'Celtic Fields' or prehistoric agricultural plots from the Iron Age were found.
An extensive network of hiking, mountain biking and bridle paths makes the landscape very suitable for outdoor sports and nature lovers.

At the top of the Hoge Mouw is the artwork 'A Giant Sculpture' by Gijs Van Vaerenbergh. The impressive work won prizes in the Steel Construction Competition of February 2020. It was the winner in the category 'Specific elements in steel'.
The head is constructed as a dome and consists of no less than 2,115 triangular metal elements that were welded together. Through an opening you can step inside the head.

Adjacent to the Hoge Mouw is the famous Kabouterberg. Here young children can enjoy themselves between the strange aerial roots of the coniferous trees and in the yellow sand of the dune, a huge natural sandbox.
The jagged roots protrude far above the sand dunes, creating a fairytale and even eerie atmosphere.

On the route to the Devil's Pit we walk through the wonderful Beech Drive where the impressive beech trees provide a beautiful light show every season.

The Devil's Pit

Many imaginative stories have already been written about this well (not just any well), 15 meters from the walking route. The first probably dates back to 1571 when Lieske Coolbonders committed suicide by drowning herself in the well after being chased by the devil himself. Lieske was the bastard daughter of Katrien Coolbonders who was raped by a Spanish nobleman. The nobleman was murdered by Daisy's husband. The corpse was first thrown into the Devil's Pit and later buried near it.
In 1695 a man from Reusel is said to have been hanged from a gallows on the Hoge Mouw and later buried in the Devil's Pit.
60 years ago, many shards of corpse urns were excavated in the pit, which suggests that there must have been a prehistoric cemetery here.
The pit is not always clearly visible. Especially when it is dry you are past it before you realize it and there is not much to see. Only when there is water in it does it stand out better and the imagination also gets going more easily.
In short, enough material for superstitious stories...