De Luysen Sint- Maartensheide

De Luysen Sint Maartensheide

De Luysmolen, gateway to the Kempenbroek

Holiday home De Luysmolen in Bocholt near Bree is located at the gateway to the De Luysen Sint-Maartensheide nature reserve in Bree. Put on your walking shoes and step out of the front door into nature. The walking trail takes you over the Abeek bridge, where you turn left and enter the area along the Abeek. From here, you can enjoy yourself to the fullest. At the start of the walk, you first enter the enchanting landscapes of the Sint-Maartensheide, an open landscape with many wooded edges and rows of trees. You will pass the first swamp forests and reed beds that purify the water of the Abeek before it flows into the Mariahof De Luysen nature reserve.

De Luysen Mariahof, paradise for water birds

This 40-hectare pond area is a paradise for bird lovers. The three observation huts along the water are always open and from there you can observe water birds such as bitterns, kingfishers, cormorants, great white egrets, spoonbills, ospreys, etc. Photographers come from far and wide to spend a day here taking pictures.

Dragonfly abundance in the Kempenbroek

Did you know that the marshes of the adjacent Stamprooierbroek, Grootbroek, Goort, Zig and Smeetshof are considered to be among the most dragonfly-rich regions in Flanders, with no fewer than 50 different species?

This makes it the absolute top spot for this insect group!

Sint Maartensheide, variety is the spice of life!

You can then extend your walk to Sint-Maartensheide, which you got a little taste of at the start. This area used to be heathland, but now it consists of a patchwork of meadows, copses, fields, pools, rows of trees, hanging trees and wooded edges. This colourful landscape has been embellished by the manager, Natuurpunt Bree, with additional thorny bushes that attract picky species such as the red-backed shrike and the tree frog. The car park at Vakantiehuis De Luysmolen in Bocholt is a good starting point for your walks, but if you want to go a little further, you can do so from the car park at Mariahof a few kilometres further on. From here, you can make a long loop (red) through the Stamprooierbroek, the Grootboek and the Hasselterbroek.

The beaver

All these marshes are home to several beaver families. The abundant water in these marshes means they do not need to build large dams, allowing them to lead a fairly passive existence here. Small blockages of a few ditches are enough to flood several hectares. When you walk along the Abeek dyke past the nature reserve, you will discover numerous drowned trees as a result of the presence of these animals. This results in a unique landscape that does justice to the Kempenbroek.

Walking pleasure for several days

You can extend your walks towards Woutershof. Here you can cross the river on a raft at the youth centre. Woutershof can also be the starting point for exploring Het Goor and De Zig.