12/03/2021

The Wellemeersen, a floodplain of the Dender, is a recognized nature reserve and Natura 2000 area. It is also a bird-rich area characterized by swamp forests, wet meadows, and bomb craters. Meers (or mars) means 'swamp' or 'wetland'.
A walk in the Wellemeersen area is offered by three organizations: the municipality of Denderleeuw, Natuurpunt, and Toerisme Oost-Vlaanderen (33% unpaved). This GPS walk (65% unpaved) is designed to cover as many of the unpaved sections of the Wellemeersen (the short version from Natuurpunt) supplemented with paths for walkers only. The parking policy around the station is completely in a blue zone, meaning from Monday to Friday between 9 AM and 6 PM you must place your disc to park for free for two hours. This should work for this 6 km walk, but our starting point in Fabriekstraat (GPS no 28) is just outside the blue zone, otherwise park in the Carrefour market parking lot.