Flirting with the border in the Valley of the Merkske

Depart from the Wortel Kolonie parking lot. A lovely walk through avenues, along sandy roads and forest paths. It also crosses the border to the Merkske.

#The province of Antwerp #hoogstraten #carrot #provincienoordbrabant Flirting with the border in the Merkske valley Walk of 9.4 km, of which 9.3 km is unpaved. Border shopping Wortel Colony, once an attraction for vagabonds, is now home to birds, bats, insects and other guests. The official quiet area is deafeningly beautiful. Do you want to push boundaries? During this trip you will visit our northern neighbors no fewer than four times. On this walk you will also pass an unfenced dog zone. We went here for a while, but the path was completely flooded and was not accessible without boots. This will be a lot of fun for many dogs 😉. Junction walk: rectangular, red-white signs with numbers (B) and hexagonal yellow signs with numbers (NL) 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 57 - 62 - 80 - 76 - 74 - 73 - 71 - 70 - 69 - 7 - 9 - 8 - 10 - 88 - 2 - 1 Start: De Klapekster Visitor Center Colony 41, 2320 Hoogstraten https://www.nodemapp.com/hike/route/rb6ne2

Nice walk with two of my daughters on the border between the Netherlands and Belgium.

After a delicious breakfast in our B&B, we are ready to explore nature in and around Wortel colony. Past a first intersection of lanes, we reach the idyllic Bootsven. Further on we see fens and heathland on the left. In the distance I spot the Konik horses, and they spot me. They even walk up to me and let me pet them! A variety of groves, shrubs, fens and open landscapes follow one another, now on Dutch territory. We cross a road and end up in the Merkske valley. Forest and grass paths meander through the beautiful nature. Extra adventurous through mud and water passages, and fortunately also some boardwalks and wood planks. Finally, through the forests of the Schootse Hoek and Wortel colony back to the starting point. Wonderful nature walk, with lots of variety.

You will hop across the border no less than four times during this trip! The Merkske valley - the natural border with the Netherlands - serves 1900 ha of prime nature. No human interventions in the river here, resulting in a special landscape and cheerfully singing birds such as the golden oriole and nightingale. Via the stately avenues of Wortel-Kolonie (an official quiet area!) you walk to the fens of the Castelreesche Heide. The stream valley is occasionally very wet, but bridges and club paths keep your feet dry. Visitor center De Klapekster is a pleasant end.

Source: www.Kempen.be: 'Flirting with the border in the valley of the Merkske' was walk of the year 2019. Border shopping Wortel Kolonie, once a magnet for vagrants, today houses birds, bats, insects and other guests. The official quiet area is deafeningly beautiful. Want to push boundaries? During this trip you will visit our northern neighbors no less than four times. 1900 ha of top nature In the valley of the Merkske you can stroll next to a river that cuts its way between meadows and forests. Along the natural watercourse and the varied landscape, you will be short of eyes and ears. You will find rare plant species and cheerful-mouthed birds such as the golden oriole and the nightingale. For (amateur) biologists this place is a wet dream. And archaeologists also get their money's worth here: there are traces dating back to the Stone Age. The De Klapekster visitor center is a pleasant ending. Distance 11 km Terrain completely unpaved; wear boots in wet weather Signage