The Heidebos is a beautiful nature and walking area located in the territory of Wachtebeke and Moerbeke, covering an area of 270 hectares, managed by Natuurpunt Moerbeke-Zuidlede.

With this, the Heidebos is the largest nature reserve of Natuurpunt in East Flanders.

ATTENTION: Dogs are not allowed in some parts of this walk!

The visitor is treated to a varied landscape. Behind every corner, a new fascinating world unfolds. One moment you walk alongside stately beeches and oaks or through a heath area. In the birch, oak, and pine forests, you quickly lose all sense of orientation.

What is there to experience?

The Heidebos is known for its special plants and mushrooms. The small Knoopzwam, the Eikenbladfranjekelkje, and the Adelaarsvarenrijpkelkje are some fungi that stand out. True heath plants like the Hondsviooltje, Vogelpootje, and the small Leeuwenklauw are most prominent.

However, the emperor of the Heidebos is the Wespendief. A raptor, which closely resembles a buzzard, excels at locating and digging out wasp nests. The Boompieper stands out with its typical parachute flight when it serenades. While singing, it takes off from the top of a tree, makes a looping flight, and then falls back down like a parachute into another tree top.

In short. In the Heidebos, you are immersed in a splendid area of silence.

In the early morning, the last nocturnal animals seek resting places among the first piercing sunrays. In the evening, you involuntarily partake in the battle between the falling darkness and the shrinking sunlight that transforms the forest into a mysterious and puzzling atmosphere.

In the Heidebos, you will surely encounter strange remnants of concrete like those of a roadway. In reality, this is an old German airfield.

Furthermore, you will undoubtedly meet the strolling Galloway cattle, screeching Ransuilen, hunting Wespendieven, the native live-bearing Hagedis, a timid Roe and many puzzling Mushrooms.

History of the area

Between 1568 and 1648, the Eighty Years' War raged in this region. The Northern (States) and Southern (Spanish) Netherlands stood against each other. This war was also a religious conflict between Protestants and Catholics. The Waasland was a frontline area. The Spaniards built a defensive line here against the more northern forts of Prince Maurice. These Spanish forts were often named after a saint. They were mainly earthen walls, surrounded by a moat. Inside the walls, there was a primitive camp for the soldiers. The old walls and moats of the former northern fort Francipany are still clearly recognizable. The slope of the terrain indicates where the former defensive ditch was located. In addition to the fort "Francipany," there were other forts. In 1645, the Spaniards built the fort "Ter West" along the Parmavaart. This ‘vaart’ was dug by the Spaniards in the sixteenth century to supply troops during the siege of Antwerp. The forts "Francipany," the "Papemutsen," and "Ter West" lay almost in a row. The latter fort was located where the connecting road between Wachtebeke and Moerbeke runs today, roughly at the height of the entrance to the Heidebos. This street is therefore also called Fortstraat.

Directions

You start at PARKING 2 and walk into the long avenue that lies ahead of you while carefully reading the route description. You go straight ahead. The entire avenue is alternately bordered with Scots Pine, American Oak, and Beech. You will notice that during your walk, most of the paths consist of fine sand. This is because after the last Ice Age, around 10,000 years ago, the prevailing winds formed a dune ridge from Maldegem to Stekene. You are now about 230 meters from the parking area. Now keep an eye on the right side of the road and look for the Plane tree or a tree with a "camouflage bark." Be cautious of the oak processionary caterpillar during the summer months! Walk about 800 meters straight ahead. The long sandy avenue leads you to a T-junction. At this point, there is an information board about the Galloway cattle on the left. Now look back at that thick Beech. Do you see those 2 holes just below the crown? These are 2 homes of the Great Spotted Woodpecker. Now take the left onto the sandy path and further along you will go through a wooden gate. This gate should remain closed for the cattle. Here you will also see an information board about heath management. We follow the road to the left (so not towards the bench). Then always straight ahead. Once in the forest, go straight and at the next fork, turn right. Continue straight until you reach a three-way junction. On your right side is an information board about great diversity. Proceed past the information board, turning right. You continue on this path until it makes a 90° turn to the left. Recognizable by 2 signaling posts and a large beautiful Beech on your right side.

At this location, some paths join, but these are not very clear and are likely made by wandering Galloway cattle. You turn left, passing the signaling posts (with the Beech behind you). You continue along the sandy path and take the wooden gate at Hoogstraat. The "Hoogstraat" takes you to the right. Then go straight ahead into "Molenweg." This was the road to one of the 3 mills. At the first fork, take right, and at the second fork, take left, then take another left. Recognizable by the MTB posts for mountain bikers. After that, go right until you reach the "T" (T-junction) or the "Keizershoek." In the "Keizershoek," turn right. Then take a left and go through the wooden gate. This gate should remain closed for the cattle. You are now in a landscape that is quite bare and dry. This is a water extraction area of the Water Company. Go right and take another wooden gate. This gate should remain closed for the cattle. After the gate, you continue on the road to the right until you reach a small information board saying "Removal of Norway Spruces." A somewhat strange activity from Natuurpunt, you might say. Natuurpunt removes the affected and doomed Norway Spruces here. Due to the persistent drought, many trees are severely weakened. The Lettersetter, a bark beetle about half a centimeter long, is lethal to the weakened Norway Spruce. To control the advance of the lettersetter, it is important that affected trees are removed as quickly as possible. The thinned forest can then develop spontaneously and will be better able to withstand climate change with more native deciduous trees. The removal of affected trees with the Lettersetter is a legal obligation. Continue straight ahead. You are now in the habitat of one of the largest owls in Europe, the Ransuilen. If you search the tops of the pines very quietly and attentively, you may see one. The nests are shaped like an open basket. Turn left and continue right in a large curve to the left until you reach the information board "Grain Mills and Oil Mills." In the early Middle Ages, this area was called 'Affelgem.' Affelgem was then a height with five windmills. One mill stood in Knokkestraat. You can still partially observe the mill mound of this mill. Another mill, the Veldmolen or Herstersmolen of the Hesters family, stood at Axelsvaardeken 27, Wachtebeke.

The "Veldmolen" was a wooden post mill established before 1478. It was located on a mill mound, slightly behind the miller's house. The mill was rebuilt several times, such as in 1710.

Next to the windmill, a horse mill was built in 1837 and around 1880 a steam mill. It was still possible to grind with the wind. In 1912, the post mill was demolished and replaced by the so-called "Heidemolen," a wooden grain windmill built in 1790 on Heidestraat, Moerbeke. The Veldmolen fell into disrepair in 1946. In 1954, it was demolished.

Another post mill was located at the intersection of Molenstraat with a church path, which at the time connected the churches of Moerbeke and Overslag. This mill was called 'Theymeuleken.' It was still standing here in 1670. The other mills had already disappeared before 1600. Three more mills were located further north (Hoogstraat) from ‘Theymeuleken’.

Post mills were primarily used for the production of linseed oil; linseed oil, paint, and soap were made from linseed, the seed of the flax plant.

Post mills were also simple in construction and could be moved to a location with more wind.

The post or standard consisted of a vertical, sturdy oak spindle, around which the mill house could be turned or tilted so that the sails could be oriented towards the wind.

You continue the road to the right and then proceed straight ahead until you reach Parking 1. Once past the facilities of the parking area, turn right and go through the wooden gate. This gate should remain closed for the cattle. Continue straight ahead and after about 100 meters, you will see on your right side, about 20 meters from the road, a small hill hidden behind a wire. This is the nest of the Red Wood Ant (Formica rufa), a permanent resident of the forest. If you spot that ant during your walk, you know you are walking through a healthy forest. Now turn left. Further along, you notice many traces of old concrete roads. This part of the forest is commonly referred to as “the Airfield.” These concrete strips are remnants of an airfield established by the Belgian army in 1939. The Germans took over the airfield during the war and further developed it. You can observe a clear difference in durability between the two concrete strips. The German soldiers sold a part of the cement to local farmers. This has ecological consequences today. On the German, lower-quality concrete strip, plants like the Verbascum, Wall Pepper, and many others grow. After the liberation, the airfield came into English hands and became a storage and workshop for rolling stock. Although they are now heavily overgrown, the concrete strips still bear witness to this turbulent period. Now walk straight. Further on, in the turn to the right, you will notice on your right side a splendid Single-Stemmed Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna).

A normal Hawthorn can grow into a real tree. But here we have an example that, probably due to genetic disturbance, twists significantly from the ground. This Hawthorn has something magical about it. Like a nest of reptiles creeping out from the ground. Hawthorn berries are eaten by a whole range of birds. Especially starlings and finches, but also thrushes, fieldfares, and redwings. Several specific mushroom species also grow on the Hawthorn: Hard Spring Satin Cap, Foxglove, and Hawthorn Honey Fungus, among others. In addition, Hawthorn also attracts many insects (for pollination mainly hoverflies and bees), but also other insects, including a number that specialize completely in Hawthorn. Thanks to its thorns, a well-grown Hawthorn also serves as a safe nesting place for birds.

Now continue straight. At a certain moment, you will again be in an open space. You might think that this area once burned, but it did not. Initially, the entire Heidebos was overgrown with the American black cherry. This tree was introduced in the 17th century from America for ornamental reasons. In the 1960s and 1970s, this tree was promoted for clear forestry purposes: the quickly decomposing leaves would make the poor sandy soils more fertile, and the fast-growing tree with a straight trunk, which can reach a height of about twenty meters, would yield quality wood.

But the reality turned out to be different! This tree mostly occurs here as a shrub, and moreover, the shrub spreads rapidly, detrimental to the native flora. No other tree can germinate or grow under its dense canopy.

Therefore, it was decided (also at the European level) to combat and remove the tree.

This open area is of great importance for the animals due to the high biodiversity and is incredibly fascinating for a vigilant nature lover. With some luck, you hear or see the wespendief, a tree pipit, the tree lark, the nightjar, the acorn mouse, or the live-bearing lizard. Go straight and ignore all side roads until you reach a clear wider road. Take right, onto the wider sandy road. (the other direction is blocked) Continue straight until the first road exit. Here lives the largest woodpecker in Europe, the Black Woodpecker (Dendrocopos martius). Its home is located 10 meters behind the wooden fence. There stands a stout beech tree with a large oval hole just below the crown. Now turn left into the long, straight avenue and continue straight. After about 355 meters, you will see on your left side the Forest Hut of Natuurpunt Moervaart -Zuidlede. There, you can take a moment to rest and please leave it tidy. Continue walking and after about 160 meters turn right and continue straight. After another 160 meters take the wooden gate and turn left. Now continue straight and after about 200 meters you are back at Parking 2.