The best running trails around Hasselt

Terhills? Isn't that in Maasmechelen?

The original flat heath landscape in Limburg changed its relief thoroughly when coal mining started. The coal that was brought up had to be separated from the unusable stones. For this, the coal was 'washed' and the waste was piled up. This is how the mine dumps were created. Today, the dump and its surroundings have been transformed into a nature reserve with a variety of flora and fauna.

The original flat heath landscape in Limburg changed its relief thoroughly when coal mining began. The coal that was brought up had to be separated from the unusable stones. For this, the coal was 'washed' and the waste was piled up. This is how the mine dumps were created. Today, the dump and its surroundings have been transformed into a nature reserve with a variety of flora and fauna.

The Beringen slag heap stands in the middle of the Beringen-Beverlo-Koersel triangle and is flanked by the Valley of the Black Stream. The ANB manages this area, which covers an area of 60 hectares. After the mine closure, slag heap 2 and the surrounding land were repurposed as a Flemish nature reserve. On the steep slopes of the Beringen slag heap, groves of pedunculate oak, silver birch, hawthorn, dog rose, and wild clematis thrive. St. John's wort, oxeye daisy, common tansy, yarrow, and wild carrot compete for a spot in the sunnier, open areas. Birds such as the skylark, tree pipit, and meadow pipit enjoy this abundance of herbs. It is an excellent biotope for them to breed in. Moreover, there are snacks aplenty thanks to the many insects present, including the remarkable blue-winged grasshopper and the swallowtail butterfly.

On the Avonturenberg you can scramble, climb and discover. Via a forest of 1,600 poles you reach the top of the spoil tip via stairs, rope courses, climbing structures, crawl tunnels and hiking trails. The path leads you from one viewpoint to another and offers background information on the history of the coal mine. At the top you can catch your breath on the sunken coal square and enjoy the peace and the view.

De Klaverberg is a largely wooded sand dune and also the name of the surrounding nature reserve on the border of the Belgian municipalities of As, Genk and Oudsbergen. It borders the Opglabbekerzavel heathland and other wooded nature areas. The area is named after the cloverleaf-shaped blown sand dunes, which form a, mainly wooded, dune ridge over a length of approximately 1.7 kilometers. The sand dunes probably originated as a result of the blowing away of sand that was exposed by overgrazing and too frequent turf stripping of southwestern heathlands. Klaverberg on an 18th-century Ferraris map De Klaverberg is overshadowed by the remediated spoil tip of the former Waterschei coal mine, with a top of up to 155 meters above sea level. These scenically most striking witnesses of the mining past cover a part of the dunes.

The Klaverberg is a largely wooded sand dune and also the name of the surrounding nature reserve on the border of the Belgian municipalities of As, Genk and Oudsbergen. It borders the Opglabbekerzavel heathland and other wooded nature reserves. The area is named after the cloverleaf-shaped sand dunes, which form a mainly wooded dune ridge for about 1.7 kilometers. The sand dunes possibly originated from the blowing sand that was exposed due to overgrazing and too frequent sod cutting in southwestern heathlands. Klaverberg on an 18th-century Ferraris map The Klaverberg is overshadowed by the remediated slag heap of the former Waterschei coal mine, with a summit up to 155 meters above sea level. These most visually striking remnants of the mining past cover a part of the dunes.

The Klaverberg is a largely wooded sand dune and also the name of the surrounding nature reserve on the border of the Belgian municipalities of As, Genk and Oudsbergen. It borders the Opglabbekerzavel heathland and other wooded nature areas. The area is named after the cloverleaf-shaped drifting dunes, which form a predominantly wooded dune ridge over a length of approximately 1.7 kilometers. The sand dunes probably arose as a result of the wind-blown transport of sand that was exposed due to overgrazing and too frequent turf stripping of southwestern heathlands. Klaverberg on an 18th-century Ferraris map The Klaverberg is overshadowed by the remediated spoil tip of the former Waterschei coal mine, with a top up to 155 meters above sea level. These most striking landscape witnesses of the mining past cover a part of the dunes.