Herselt: Nature Trails, Cultural Heritage and Distinctive Landscapes

Herselt combines diverse natural surroundings with well-told traces of local history. Between heathlands, forest areas, historic buildings and themed hiking and cycling routes, you will find a variety of ways to explore the municipality. When choosing your holiday apartment in Herselt, it is therefore particularly useful to consider what kind of day you are planning: a short cultural tour, a longer excursion through the landscape or an outing combining nature and historical experiences.

Hikes with history and varied routes

The Erfgoedwandeling Herselt presents the local heritage and historical stories with the help of 17 information panels. Along the way, you will encounter places including the Molenhuis, the Klokkenkuil and Het Rot. The route starts at Herselt Town Hall at Kerkstraat 1, where there is also a car park. There is also a shortened 1.8-kilometre wheelchair route. This means the walk can be approached in different ways depending on your preferred distance and plans for the day.

For further insights into the landscape, hiking and cycling nodes lead through Goor-Asbroek. The Schansenroute combines exercise with regional history and, as a cycling or hiking route, passes five of Herselt’s nine agricultural fortified sites. An agricultural fortified site consisted of a plot of land surrounded by an embankment and a wide ditch; access was via a drawbridge. Those interested in the historical use of the landscape will find a particularly vivid subject here.

Heathlands, forests and weather-dependent paths

The Langdonken nature reserve consists largely of heathlands in the valley of the Kalsterloop. Rare plants grow in this distinctive biotope. In dry periods, the paths are freely accessible, while in rainy weather wellington boots may be necessary or parts of the area may become inaccessible. You should take this restriction into account when planning your day if Langdonken is one of your destinations.

Hertberg-Oost lies in Herselt and partly in Laakdal. Together with Hertberg-West and the Provinciaal Groendomein Hertberg, it forms the 310-hectare Hertberg forest complex. Hertberg-Oost is home to roe deer, foxes, pine martens, goshawks, common buzzards, black woodpeckers and sand lizards, among others. The Kaaibeekdreef complements the landscape with its still unpaved route, ditches and mostly double rows of oak trees.

The De Zwarte Specht Multimovepad runs entirely along unpaved paths that are accessible to wheelchairs and pushchairs. There are around ten play installations along the way. Another nature-oriented option is the “Stiltewandeling”: via the ErfgoedApp, you can listen to three of Elsschot’s favourite poems, recorded by Martine Tanghe. The paths on this tour may be difficult or completely inaccessible in rainy weather.

Culture, Places of Remembrance and Distinctive Tours

The Sint-Servatiuskerk is a listed example of Neo-Gothic architecture and dates from the 14th century. In the former cemetery of Herselt stands a Calvarie, created in 1914 by the Janssens firm from Westmeerbeek. The Kapel Onze-Lieve-Vrouw van het Heilig Hart was built in 1883. A façade stone on its rear names the Vandingenen and Peeters families; the chapel stands on a plot enclosed by a hedge, with a lime tree behind the building.

Themed tours also give Herselt a distinctive character. “Op stap met Willem Elsschot” is a 5.5-kilometre hike that starts at the church in Blauberg. The “Stiltewandeling” explores the Helschot forest from the Mie Maan inn, where Willem Elsschot liked to walk and found inspiration for his pen name. “Gevallen vliegtuigen WOII te Herselt” is also available: a 33-kilometre cycling tour to five crash sites of aircraft from the Second World War. It points out surviving fragments of Spitfires as well as a Halifax, Lancaster and Liberator bomber, and leads to places where fallen crew members are still commemorated today.

For an unusual, radio-play-like discovery, the “Nachtelijke volksverhalen in Blauberg” tour offers listening stations at specific locations via the ErfgoedApp, featuring local stories about witches and apparitions. Kasteelpark de Merode has preserved its complete avenue structure to this day. Wijngoed Ten Kapittelberg is also regarded as a culinary and historical highlight: in 1970, Rik Bossuyt revived viticulture in Herselt and had the first vines planted there.

Herselt as a Starting Point for Planning Your Trip

The options in Herselt range from a 1.8-kilometre wheelchair route and forest and heathland paths to a 33-kilometre cycling tour. When looking for accommodation, you can therefore first decide whether short cultural discoveries, weather-dependent nature trails, longer cycling routes or historical themes should be the focus. Those who want to keep their choice of day trips open can also include nearby destinations such as Zoersel, Poppel, Mechelen, Lint, Ranst, Antwerp, Balen or Eindhout in their further research. Herselt itself offers a remarkable combination of forest, heathland, village history and varied discovery tours.

For the overarching travel overview: Province of Antwerp.