Discover Ravels: Forest, Cycling Routes and Nature Experiences

Ravels combines varied nature with cycling routes, historical discoveries and a special offering for younger children. In Gewestbos Ravels, deciduous and coniferous forests alternate with old moorland lakes, heathland and meadows. This allows you to plan your trip in very different ways: with a bike tour, a walk to a nature museum or a short play and walking trail.

Gewestbos Ravels: experience nature and choose your routes

Gewestbos Ravels provides the setting for several of the experiences described here. Anyone who wants to discover the landscape consciously will find a small nature museum in the Boshuis visitor centre. Four signposted routes, ranging from 2.8 to 10 km, also start at the Boshuis. The different route lengths help you adapt your daily planning to the desired distance without having to commit to a single route length.

Another option is the Natuurloop Gewestbos Ravels – Hoge Vijvers. It comprises three loops measuring 4.1 km, 9.2 km and 10.9 km. This gives you several clearly distinct distances to choose from. Those who want to combine exercise with observing nature can make the length of their preferred loop the deciding factor in planning the day.

Cycling routes with different focuses

For mountain bike enthusiasts, the Pierelierebinkenpad includes a 20 km mountain bike loop in Ravels, the Pierelus. In addition, the blue and red loops of the Pierelierebinkenpad pass through Ravels and carry a child-friendly label. Alongside the longer mountain bike loop, there are therefore also routes where the stated child-friendliness can provide important guidance when planning together.

The Smokkelaarsroute has a different focus. It is a cycling tour along the smuggling history of the Kempen border region around Poppel, Ravels and Baarle, passing eleven large smugglers' clogs. History and exercise come together here. Those who want to choose a cycling tour not only by its length but also by its theme will find a distinctive feature in this route.

Windmill, nature museum and regional stories

The cultural attractions include the De Nachtegaal der Maatvennen windmill. It is a stone grain windmill dating from around 1869. Together with the small nature museum in the Boshuis visitor centre, it creates a varied range of experiences: on the one hand, there is the forest-shaped landscape, while on the other, there are technical and regional landmarks that offer their own reason to visit.

For planning your trip, you can therefore switch between nature trails, cycling routes and culturally focused experiences.

A short trail for the youngest children

The Grave Ravenpad is a 2.5 km play and walking trail in Gewestbos Ravels. It was created especially for the youngest children, aged 0 to 6. Access to Het Grave Ravenpad was possible from sunrise to sunset. For a stay with young children, the trail can therefore be scheduled alongside longer routes.

When looking for a holiday apartment or holiday home, you can take your preferred focus for the trip into account: a nature museum and signposted routes, a specific cycling loop, the historic windmill or an offering for children aged 0 to 6. Ravels offers several clearly distinct ideas, without requiring you to limit your trip to just one activity.

Further destinations for your planning: Antwerp, Kontich, Lille, Schilde, Rumst, Heist-Op-Den-Berg, Essen, Herentals.

For the main travel overview: Province of Antwerp.