The best running trails around Heusden-Zolder

Beautiful view of the castle

Brings back memories, of my grandparents when we came here for a walk on Sunday afternoons, of a - perhaps harder - but much simpler life that they used to lead. It really makes you think...

In 1154, Count Lodewijk I of Loon granted the area to the Norbertines of Averbode Abbey. Manuscripts from that period also referred to the estate as Bolderberg Winning and Laethof. A square farm was built here in the Haspengouw style. During the French Revolution, the wining came into the hands of private families. Initially, Paul Hermans became the owner, and later it passed to the Jacobs family. In 1849, Johanna Jacobs married Joseph Bovy, who became governor of Limburg in 1872 and died in 1879. Thus, the estate acquired the name Goed van Bovy, or the little castle. In 1972, the municipality of Zolder acquired the estate, and from 1975 to 1984 it was renovated and made suitable for recreation. The estate features woods, lawns, and ponds, and there is a restaurant at the entrance. This is located in a farm complex that was restored from 1975 to 1983. It's an 18th-century house with a stable, a 17th-century Kempen cross-barn, and several 19th-century service buildings, all of half-timbered construction. The original herb garden has been restored, and there's also an apiary. For children, there's a playground and a walking trail. The boardwalk over the marsh pond leads to the fishpond and offers beautiful views of the historic buildings. A diverse nature reserve surrounds the marsh pond. Signposted walking trails have been laid out on the estate. In addition, five walking trails, ranging from 5 to 10 kilometers, begin here, exploring the area surrounding the estate. The GR5 long-distance hiking trail also passes through the estate.

The summit of the Bolderberg has been awarded the "2-star landscape spot." Imagine yourself standing by the sea. Millions of years ago, it was! The Bolderberg, a "heritage hill," was once a sandbank left behind after the sea retreated. At 60 meters, the summit of the Bolderberg is among the highest peaks in Limburg. The Bolderberg is located in the Wijers region, where you'll find more than 1,000 ponds! These are fed by the Echelbeek and Laambeek streams. They make the region a valuable nature reserve for numerous bird species and other animals. From the star-studded spot, you can look out over the ponds and Terlaemen Castle. These ponds were created around the 13th century by the mining of iron sandstone. Later, they were used as fish breeding ponds by the abbeys of Herkenrode and Averbode.

In 2022, around 30 slow roads in Heusden-Zolder received nameplates. A brilliant move to raise awareness of the many unknown church paths, country lanes, and shortcuts to the general public. More walkers and cyclists passing along slow roads means more safe travel, less congestion, and a greater experience for users. And the slow roads themselves are less likely to become congested.

Nicely refreshed with fun bits for the younger ones among us. With landscape elements that tree frogs love around it—and also people, as you can see when the blackberries are ripe.

On the Bovy estate itself, there are three short themed walks for the whole family (preferably with kids). You can see them on the information board (see photos): a 1.7-kilometer "blue" walk called "Find Martin the Kingfisher," a 1-kilometer "red" walk called "The Hare Path," and the 2-kilometer "green" Wildplukpad (Wild Picking Trail).

For those who haven't been to the Bovy Domain in a while (or not yet), it reopened in September 2024 after a somewhat delayed renovation as the first gateway to the De Wijers nature reserve. You can read about this at https://www.vrt.be/vrtnws/nl/2024/09/20/domein-bovy-klaar/ and see it in more and more recent photos.