Brakelbos

After crossing the road we enter the Brakelbos, a forest that is situated on the remains of the Rhodesberg.

Modderode – or Mont de Rhode, as it is better known – is a decapitated hill that runs against the language border. On the flanks of this hill is a green and dense carpet where beech and holly rule. The trees here are sometimes more than a century old. This forest has the necessary history.

This pearl of the Flemish Ardennes used to be part of the forest belt that covered the witness hills in the region. Even today it forms a whole with the Bos ter Rijst and the Pottelbergbos. Together they are more than 200 hectares in size!

In the first and second world wars, however, nature was seriously affected here. The forest on the Modderode was subsequently restored and replanted – mainly with beech.

Oh, are you curious about how the hilltop here actually got decapitated in the past? Well, there used to be an active sand industry in the region. The top of the hill was excavated to extract sand. The quarry is still visible. Although it is now filled with lush flowers and plants – which in turn attract a surprising animal population.

Loebas