Discover Duffel: Nature, Castle Ruins and Pilgrimage History

Duffel combines wetlands, historic buildings and distinctive trails to create a varied destination. In the Mosterdpot-Goorbosbeekvallei, you can expect more than 30 hectares of wet meadows, wooded areas and waterways. This is complemented by the protected Ter Elst castle site, the pilgrimage history of Onze-Lieve-Vrouw van de Goede Wil and several nature reserves with both short and longer trail sections. If you are looking for a holiday apartment in Duffel, you can therefore plan your trip around the experiences that are especially interesting for your travel group.

Nature among meadows, waterways and woodland

The Mosterdpot-Goorbosbeekvallei is located in Duffel and Sint-Katelijne-Waver and offers a landscape of wet meadows, wooded areas and waterways. The Mosterdpot-Goorbosbeek walking trail is 7.4 kilometres long and starts in Duffel at Zandstraat 10, by Jeugdzorg Ter Elst. The valley is connected to the Rivierenland walking network via nodes 333 and 334. This makes it possible to incorporate this landscape into a walking itinerary without reducing it to a single experience.

A shorter nature experience is offered by the approximately 1.2-kilometre nature trail along the outer edge of the moat around Fort Duffel. Five informative viewpoints accompany the trail. The Babbelbeekse Beemden on the border with Lier cover 4.5 hectares of nature reserve; there, a raised wooden walkway leads through marshland. The associated walking trail is approximately 500 metres long and starts near Bremstraat. In the Oude Spoorwegberm nature reserve, open countryside, woodland and meadows come together across almost 20 hectares.

Ter Elst and Duffel's historic sites

The Parochiekerk Sint-Martinus in Duffel is a protected monument. Ter Elst offers a different focus: the castle ruins are considered a rare example of a late-medieval moated castle in the Rupel and Nete region. The protected castle site includes the castle ruins and the surrounding grounds. Guided tours include the interior of the ruins and the stair tower, the walled castle island and a walking trail through the former estate. The courtyard of the Ter Elst castle ruins has been made freely accessible to the public.

Domein De Locht also tells the story of how the area has changed. The site was originally an industrial location before the municipality transformed the castle estate into a park. Anyone wishing to combine cultural history and landscape in Duffel will find various starting points here for planning a day out.

Pilgrimage, art and trails for different interests

A pilgrimage site developed at the Parochiekerk Onze-Lieve-Vrouw van de Goede Wil after two children found a statue of the Virgin Mary in a willow tree in 1637. The stone chapel at this site was consecrated in 1646. The church also contains a Baroque marble high altar by Huybrecht and Norbertus vanden Eynde, dating from 1653–1654. These details give a visit a historical and religious dimension that clearly differs from the nature trails and castle ruins.

The Curieuzeneuzemosterdpad passes through a section of the Mosterdpot nature reserve managed by Natuurpunt Oude Spoorweg. The trail includes an adventure woodland playground, a birdwatching screen and a barefoot path. When children have different interests, such features can provide their own focal points alongside nature observation and historical discoveries. When looking for a holiday apartment in Duffel, it is therefore especially important to consider which combination of landscape, culture and activities should shape your trip.

Discover more destinations

For further trip planning, you can also find Arendonk, Kalmthout, Ravels, Westerlo, Puurs, Schilde, Mortsel and Wijnegem at this level.

Back to the higher-level travel overview: Province of Antwerp.