Top 20 Lakes around Beauvechain

Meldertbos is actually more than a forest; it's a nature reserve consisting of forest, including wet areas (with the Mene), open spaces with hay meadows, ponds, and here and there remnants of the former castle garden. Even in early spring, you immediately notice that this could be an ideal place to find orchids. And it is, as you can read on the Natuurpunt website. Among the inhabitants, we find the grass snake. The scarlet elf cup can also be found here. From some of the diverse boardwalks, be sure to also look at the faded glory of the castle, including remnants of the swimming pool and even the changing room. This entire area is actually what the people from the Inventory of Immovable Heritage call a "sleeping garden". But sleeping doesn't mean dead. And as you can read on an information board from Natuurpunt: "Park awakens after 60 years of sleep". Be sure to combine it with the immediate surroundings of the castle, preferably outside of school days. There are more than enough remarkable trees. For those interested in garden architecture, there is also history to be found here. About Meldertbos at Natuurpunt: https://www.natuurpunt.be/natuurgebieden/meldertbos About the forest and the domain (with garden history and list of remarkable trees): https://inventaris.onroerenderfgoed.be/erfgoedobjecten/134188

The pond, which has been there for years, has a small wooden platform for those who are interested, and is located near the small bridge over the stream once you've descended the paths leading to the higher village center. You are now at the same altitude as the road to Aarschot and can walk around the pond, which is connected to the meadows by the path. The Rozendaalbeek is a tiny stream that rises just outside Tienen on the northwest side in two amphitheater-shaped slopes. After just a few hundred meters, the two separate branches meet and together form the Roosdaalbeek, which is indicated on maps as the "Vlietende beek" (Flying Brook). Typical of the Rozendaalbeekvallei nature reserve is its secluded location between the two parishes of Vissenaken. Yet, you hardly notice this as you walk through the valley. The wet grasslands furthest downstream between Metselstraat and Hymelinusstraat, which were purchased first, are the most visible. The other plots are less well-known because they offer less visibility. Source and much more at http://www.velpe-mene.be/tienen/rozendaalbeekvallei.htm

Where water and reeds feel connected...

beautiful pond, surrounded by willows and reeds

beautiful pond, surrounded by willows and reeds

You better be quick because in the meantime, in the context of a land consolidation, almost all the nice roads are being paved 😢. You can still respond to the Omgevingsloket from January 22 to February 20, 2025.

The walk is actually the signposted Mene-Jordaan walk. It is better to park the car at the Sint-Ermelindis church. Then walk 200 m to end up in the corner of the forest to the castle. And then back to follow the Mene-Jordaan.

Rebuilt eclectic country house designed in 1916 by architect Chrétien Veraart and surrounded by a park in landscape style, approximately 16 hectares, laid out from 1859; numerous old (sweet chestnuts and brown beeches) and rare trees. First, the Hof te Laar stood here, known since the fifteenth century as a leasehold farm of the monastery of Gempe. In 1789, it was sold to the son of the Baron van Roosbeek. Between 1800 and 1810, the Hof te Laar was purchased by Charles-Lambert-Joseph de Maurissens. He left it to his nephew, knight Edouard Godefroid de Maurissens (1793-1853). And a few years after his death, the south wing of the court was converted into a "castle". After WWII, the then owners left the castle domain and in 1948 the heirs sold the castle and park to the University of Leuven to build a 'sanatorium' (clinic for tuberculosis sufferers) on the edge of the park. Inventory of Immovable Heritage: Domain de Maurissens, https://id.erfgoed.net/erfgoedobjecten/303094