Tree, Wandering through abandoned clay pits and musing along the Rupel

Nowhere in the Flemish landscape has man intervened as brutally as here in the Rupel region. The renowned Boom clay was excavated here at an ever faster pace from the 13th century onwards. Large, deep wells remained and now dominate the view between Rumst and Hemiksem.

Today, activity has virtually come to a standstill. Here and there, a lone chimney of a vanished brickyard pierces above the horizon. Sites have been repainted with dredging sand from the Scheldt, giving nature the opportunity to heal the ugly scars of the past. Some surprisingly beautiful oases of peace and greenery are presented on this walk.

On the way back you can still muse about the past of this region along the Rupel.