Amphibians in the peat pit

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6.93 km
23 m
01h23
Medium

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Route information

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Last verified: 3 July 2025
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Description by the author

On the border between Lede, Erpe and Aalst lies the protected natural landscape Honegem-Solegem-St.-Apollonia since 1992. Along the road from Erpe to Lede signs point to Restaurant Cottem and 200 m further is the Cottemmolen, starting point for this walk. The Cottemmolen, a restored overhead water mill from 1572, is protected together with the surrounding landscape. On the annual mill day in April and usually also on the open monument day in September you can see this beautiful piece of industrial archaeology in full operation.

1. Fifty meters past the mill is an information board of Natuurpunt: leave the grove here and follow the blue arrow. After 1 km you will arrive at an asphalt road: go straight ahead towards Lede and take the field road on the right a hundred meters further, next to number 46. After fifty meters, choose the narrow path straight ahead, ignore the path to the left a few hundred meters further on an information board and go straight on again. You walk along the Solegem forest, relict of an old forest on the south flank of the Keiberg. In the spring you will still find many slender primrose, forest anemone, dotter flower and even one berry and especially the rare forest yellow star. After the forest, turn left at the T-junction and turn left again 250 m. 150 m past two right-angled bends turn right into Hendrikstraat. After 200 m you will see a waterhole on the left, 150 m past this pool you take a field road on the right. This takes you after a left turn and one to the right on a single-lane concrete track. Here you go to the right and 100 m further you will see next to a hawthorn tree the Dorelaarkapelleke, rebuilt in 2005. 150 m further at the T-junction to the left and on the asphalt road to the right. About ten meters past the name sign Aalst you turn right into the field road.
2. After 250 m you will arrive at the birdwatching hut 't Rot. Bird lovers can watch the numerous water and meadow birds from here and take a look at the peat pits and the adjacent lakes, with many pollard willows and wood edges. Where a meander of the Molenbeek once plunged, peat was cut in a traditional way until the end of the 19th century. Now the peat pits are a unique swamp biotope with many amphibians. In addition to frogs and toads, you will find the four species of water salamanders, including the spectacular crested salamander. To continue the walk, return to your steps until the asphalt road Honegem and turn right. Where the asphalt track bends to the left, walk straight ahead and after 100 m to the right, to the left and again to the right.
3. Soon you have the Molenbeek with (too) many giant balsamen on your left and the Honegemmeersen on the right. Until the middle of the 20th century, these lakes were owned by the municipality and one large common meadow without fences. Every year, on June 29, the feast day of Peter and Paul, the ranger came with a municipal official to the lakes to sell the hay by auction. The next day, everyone started mowing with the scythe, and the chiefs or hay riders appeared. The Honegemmeersen then became the playground of the children who herded the cows, sheep and goats during the holiday months. The open character of the lakes has been completely lost, but in some plots you can still find the characteristic, flower-rich vegetation of the sparse hayland. 100 m before the buildings, choose a narrow path on the right between the barbed wire fences (red arrow Natuurpunt). After 300 m, just past a red arrow Natuurpunt, turn left on the wide field road and turn left again on the asphalt road, the Honegemstraat. Before the bridge you turn right into the Molenweg past the beautiful centuries-old square farm the Gillekeshof, which was recently restored. 'Gillekes Hof' takes its name from one of its inhabitants, namely Juliaan De Boeck (1803 – 1876), popularly called 'Gilleken'. Along the strongly meandering Molenbeek you walk back to the Cottemmolen.

Route origin

Route description

Region

Statistics

Difficulty level: Medium (57/100)

Length: 6.93 km

Duration: 01h23


Total ascent: 23 m

Maximal slope: 2.4 %

Net ascent: 0 m

Total descent: 23 m

Roads and subsoil

Paved roads: 2.16 km (31 %)

Cobblestones: 0 m (0 %)

Scenery

Car free roads: 5.57 km (80 %)

Noise pollution

Amount of traffic


Natural area

Urban area

Water rich area

Characteristics

    Themes

      Groups

        Start and end of the route

        Closest address to start: Meuleweg, 9420 Erpe-Mere, België / Belgique / Belgien
        Closest address to end: Krimvelddreef, 9420 Erpe-Mere, België / Belgique / Belgien

        Navigate to starting point

        Places of interest

        1. 17a

          0 · POI
          dwijnants
        2. Starting point sports complex De Ommegang Lede

          0 · Route start
          Municipal sports complex 'De Ommegang' Ommeganglaan 60a Lede
          Sport Vlaanderen - mountainbike routes
        3. Closed farmhouse

          0 · Farm
          Closed farmhouse, whose eastern stable wing with rectangular entrance gate delineates the bend of …
          Onroerend Erfgoed Vlaanderen
        4. Ommegang The Need of God

          0 · POI
          Ommegang "The Need of God" or "The Seven Sorrows of Our Lady". The ecclesiastical history of Lede …
          Onroerend Erfgoed Vlaanderen
        5. Honegem-Solegem-St. Apollonia

          0 · Natural area
          Past junction 17 you cycle from Gasthof Ter Vaerent (note the millstone on the wall) on the edge …
          windmolens
        6. Pollard lime tree as a corner tree with tree chapel

          0 · Tree
          Along the Solegemweg, at a crossroads with a field road and in the corner of a meadow, there is a …
          Onroerend Erfgoed Vlaanderen
        7. Mirabella

          0 · B&B
          tvl
        8. Nature reserve Honegem - Solegem - Sint-Apollonia

          0 · Nature park
          The nature reserve Honegem - Solegem - Sint-Apollonia is located on the border of Lede, Erpe and …
          Sport Vlaanderen - mountainbike routes
        9. Two pollarded hornbeams as corner trees

          0 · Tree
          Two pollarded hornbeams were planted at the back of the farmyard in the corners of the plot. The …
          Onroerend Erfgoed Vlaanderen
        10. Semi-closed farmhouse

          0 · Farm
          At the bend of the road, semi-enclosed farmhouse with brick buildings under gable roofs (tiles) …
          Onroerend Erfgoed Vlaanderen
        11. Honegem - Solegem

          0 · POI
          The area of Honegem - Solegem, which is intersected by the Molenbeek, contains a wide variety of …
          Onroerend Erfgoed Vlaanderen
        12. Closed farmhouse

          0 · Farm
          Closed farmhouse with single-storey brick service buildings under continuous gable roofs (Flemish …
          Onroerend Erfgoed Vlaanderen
        13. Farmstead

          0 · Farm
          Medium-sized semi-closed farmhouse with single-storey buildings under gable roofs, grouped around …
          Onroerend Erfgoed Vlaanderen
        14. Hoeve Oscar Boelaert

          0 · Heritage
          De Hoeve Oscar Boelaert is a Flemish farmstead in the Honegem nature reserve in Erpe, a village in …
          Wikipedia
        15. Railwayman's house

          0 · POI
          Type of railway-bareel keeper's house, probably from the second half of the 19th century. Diephuis …
          Onroerend Erfgoed Vlaanderen
        16. Cottem Mill

          0 · Watermill
          The Cottem Watermill is located between cycling junctions 17 and 24 on the edge of the …
          windmolens
        17. Watermill Cottemmolen

          0 · Watermill
          So-called "Cottenmolen", beautiful overshot mill still in operation on the Molenbeek, with …
          Onroerend Erfgoed Vlaanderen
        18. Cottem Mill

          0 · Monument
          The Cottemmolen is a watermill on the Molenbeek-Ter Erpenbeek near the Honegem nature reserve in …
          Wikipedia
        19. Farmstead

          0 · Farm
          Semi-enclosed farmhouse with single-storey buildings under tiled gable roofs grouped around a …
          Onroerend Erfgoed Vlaanderen

        Comments

        Activities

        Nearby

        Routes nearby

        Lodging nearby

        Services nearby

        17a
        Starting point sports complex De Ommegang Lede
        Closed farmhouse
        Ommegang The Need of God
        Honegem-Solegem-St. Apollonia
        Pollard lime tree as a corner tree with tree chapel
        Mirabella
        Nature reserve Honegem - Solegem - Sint-Apollonia
        Two pollarded hornbeams as corner trees
        Semi-closed farmhouse
        Honegem - Solegem
        Closed farmhouse
        Farmstead
        Hoeve Oscar Boelaert
        Railwayman's house
        Cottem Mill
        Watermill Cottemmolen
        Cottem Mill
        Farmstead
        0 km0.2 km0.4 km0.6 km0.8 km1 km1.2 km1.4 km1.6 km1.8 km2 km2.2 km2.4 km2.6 km2.8 km3 km3.2 km3.4 km3.6 km3.8 km4 km4.2 km4.4 km4.6 km4.8 km5 km5.2 km5.4 km5.6 km5.8 km6 km6.2 km6.4 km6.6 km6.8 km6.9 km8 m20 m
        PLUS
        200 m

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