The best hikes from bus stations in Demervallei Tussen Aarschot En Diest

Stevige houten brug gebruikt door voetgangers en fietsers. Bij een warm zonnetje kan het er soms druk zijn.

The unpaved rural Demerbroekstraat winds through the water-rich and scenically valuable flood area of the Demer Valley between Testelt and Langdorp. The path is part of the long-distance trail Streek GR Hageland.

The village center of Testelt is protected as a village view. The protection includes the Sint-Pieter parish church with the surrounding streets, including the town hall, the presbytery, the oil store, the water mill, and village houses and townhouses from mainly the 19th century.

The Watermolen van Testelt, also called the Abdijmolen, is a historic, protected water mill located on the Demer. It is one of the oldest known water mills in the region and has a rich history closely linked to the nearby Averbode Abbey. The mill already existed before 1150 and was first mentioned in writing in 1151. Around 1594-1598, the mill was destroyed by Spanish troops. In 1608, the building was restored, a year that can still be read on the side facade. The mill has a heavy substructure of typical Hageland iron sandstone and features a wooden undershot wheel. Since 1981, the water mill has been officially recognized as a protected monument.

The village center of Testelt is protected as a village view. The protection includes the Saint Peter parish church with the surrounding streets, including the town hall, the rectory, the oil store, the water mill, and village houses and bourgeois houses mainly from the 19th century.

The Sint-Pietersparochie in Testelt is first mentioned around the 12th century. Until the French period, the patronage of the church was owned by the Abbey of Averbode. It is a church with a Gothic west tower built in 1511-1514 in iron sandstone. Previously, the church was three-aisled, but in 1768 the nave was rebuilt in the classical style and without side aisles. The transept is Gothic. The north and south gables are 17th-century and built in brick with layers of iron sandstone.

The Demerbroeken form an extensive piece of nature in the wide valley of the river Demer, between Testelt, Zichem, Averbode and Diest. For centuries, this landscape was used as meadowland and by peat cutters, which left traces in the fens and quaking bogs. You will walk through open grasslands, wet swamp forests and along quiet bodies of water. Writer Ernest Claes also found his inspiration here. The backyard of his birthplace borders the Demerbroeken.

The Demerbroeken form an extensive natural area in the wide valley of the Demer, between Testelt, Zichem, Averbode and Diest. For centuries, this landscape was used as meadowland and by peat cutters, which left its mark on the fens and quaking bogs. You walk through open grasslands, wet swamp forests and along quiet bodies of water. Author Ernest Claes also found his inspiration here. The backyard of his birth house borders the Demerbroeken.