Amphibians in the peat pit

On the border between Lede, Erpe and Aalst lies the protected natural landscape Honegem-Solegem-St.-Apollonia since 1992. Along the road from Erpe to Lede signs point to Restaurant Cottem and 200 m further is the Cottemmolen, starting point for this walk. The Cottemmolen, a restored overhead water mill from 1572, is protected together with the surrounding landscape. On the annual mill day in April and usually also on the open monument day in September you can see this beautiful piece of industrial archaeology in full operation.

1. Fifty meters past the mill is an information board of Natuurpunt: leave the grove here and follow the blue arrow. After 1 km you will arrive at an asphalt road: go straight ahead towards Lede and take the field road on the right a hundred meters further, next to number 46. After fifty meters, choose the narrow path straight ahead, ignore the path to the left a few hundred meters further on an information board and go straight on again. You walk along the Solegem forest, relict of an old forest on the south flank of the Keiberg. In the spring you will still find many slender primrose, forest anemone, dotter flower and even one berry and especially the rare forest yellow star. After the forest, turn left at the T-junction and turn left again 250 m. 150 m past two right-angled bends turn right into Hendrikstraat. After 200 m you will see a waterhole on the left, 150 m past this pool you take a field road on the right. This takes you after a left turn and one to the right on a single-lane concrete track. Here you go to the right and 100 m further you will see next to a hawthorn tree the Dorelaarkapelleke, rebuilt in 2005. 150 m further at the T-junction to the left and on the asphalt road to the right. About ten meters past the name sign Aalst you turn right into the field road.
2. After 250 m you will arrive at the birdwatching hut 't Rot. Bird lovers can watch the numerous water and meadow birds from here and take a look at the peat pits and the adjacent lakes, with many pollard willows and wood edges. Where a meander of the Molenbeek once plunged, peat was cut in a traditional way until the end of the 19th century. Now the peat pits are a unique swamp biotope with many amphibians. In addition to frogs and toads, you will find the four species of water salamanders, including the spectacular crested salamander. To continue the walk, return to your steps until the asphalt road Honegem and turn right. Where the asphalt track bends to the left, walk straight ahead and after 100 m to the right, to the left and again to the right.
3. Soon you have the Molenbeek with (too) many giant balsamen on your left and the Honegemmeersen on the right. Until the middle of the 20th century, these lakes were owned by the municipality and one large common meadow without fences. Every year, on June 29, the feast day of Peter and Paul, the ranger came with a municipal official to the lakes to sell the hay by auction. The next day, everyone started mowing with the scythe, and the chiefs or hay riders appeared. The Honegemmeersen then became the playground of the children who herded the cows, sheep and goats during the holiday months. The open character of the lakes has been completely lost, but in some plots you can still find the characteristic, flower-rich vegetation of the sparse hayland. 100 m before the buildings, choose a narrow path on the right between the barbed wire fences (red arrow Natuurpunt). After 300 m, just past a red arrow Natuurpunt, turn left on the wide field road and turn left again on the asphalt road, the Honegemstraat. Before the bridge you turn right into the Molenweg past the beautiful centuries-old square farm the Gillekeshof, which was recently restored. 'Gillekes Hof' takes its name from one of its inhabitants, namely Juliaan De Boeck (1803 – 1876), popularly called 'Gilleken'. Along the strongly meandering Molenbeek you walk back to the Cottemmolen.