Beautiful observation hut – Front Luys Watermill loop from St. Maartensheide - De Luysen

Running trails & routes

Beautiful observation hut – Front Luys Watermill loop from St. Maartensheide - De Luysen

Moderate

runners

Beautiful observation hut – Front Luys Watermill loop from St. Maartensheide - De Luysen

00:47

7.02km

10m

Running

Moderate run. Good fitness required. Mostly paved surfaces. The starting point of the route is right next to a parking lot.

Last updated: August 17, 2026

Tips

Your route passes through a protected area

Please check local regulations for:

Kempen~Broek

Waypoints

Start point

Parking

Get Directions

55 m

Nature house – starting point for hiking loops

Highlight • Rest Area

There is a free forest car park here, which is an excellent starting point for hikes in the nature reserve. Around noon, the capacity of the parking lot should slowly run out. So get there early!

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95 m

Information board "Welcome to Sint-Maartensheide-De Luysen"

Highlight • Rest Area

The board includes an overview map. Unfortunately, the information is only written in Dutch.

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288 m

Beautiful observation hut

Highlight • Mountain Hut

I have never seen anything so great in any nature reserve. This observation hut is located in the immediate vicinity of the swamp and is ideal for observing the waterfowl. Inside, a clean hut awaits the hiker. The seats face the lake. You can open small flaps and watch the birds wonderfully. The animals are not disturbed in any way and the hobby ornithologist can take his photos.

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3.16 km

Front Luys Watermill

Highlight • Monument

Do you still know the nursery rhyme: "The mill rattles on the rustling belly"?
The mill only rattles on mill days and on special occasions, and the Aabeek (a.k.a. Aabach) doesn't really rustle either. But a loud "aaah!" (as in Aabeek) is certainly appropriate given the good condition of this mill from 1515.

Petrus Luys was the first miller on this water mill (hence the name), which was in operation until 1965. Originally, no grain was milled into flour, but the fibers used to make fabrics were milled in a so-called fulling mill. From the 19th century it served as a flour mill.

The watermill is open every 2nd and 4th Sunday of the month from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., also on mill days.

An information center for Kempen-Broek is located next to the mill and is open from Tuesday to Sunday. You can also get a coffee or a snack here.

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