The best dog-friendly hikes and walks in Grote Netevallei Te Balen Met De Most

The Boskapel in Olmen (a sub-municipality of Balen) is a historic field chapel with a rich history dating back to the 8th century.

A small, hidden gem of the heath. Heather blooms here from mid-August to mid-September. Flora and fauna in harmony. With a bit of luck, you might spot a deer frolicking through the vegetation.

A huge marker with rounded curves on which is engraved Geodetic Station.

After the clearing of the former weekend homes, this area has returned to its exuberant wilderness and has become a quiet haven; it's ALWAYS a very wet environment, but well-maintained with boardwalks. You'll hardly encounter anyone.

This neoclassical brick chapel — popularly known as the 'Haveskapel' or 'Heivoortkapel' — was built in 1841 with the stones of the demolished 'Boskapel'. A chapel, called the 'groot heyligen huyske' (great holy house), had stood here for centuries. Prayer meetings were held here in the month of May. When people used to drive back to Stotert after a funeral service, the 'wipkes' that lay under the coffin were thrown from the carriage here. 'The canal was sometimes full of them', they say. The chapel has a rectangular plan under a slate saddle roof. The pointed gable has a round-arched recessed field and a rectangular door under a bluestone lintel. You can see small semicircular windows in the side walls and a surrounding diagonal brick frieze. In 1991, the original wooden Madonna was stolen and replaced by a plaster copy. Source: https://www.balen.be/product/1179/onze-lieve-vrouw-van-altijddurende-bijstandkapel-heivoertkapel

There are two benches at the chapel. Inside the chapel are chairs for those who want a moment of reflection. If you would like some extra space: cross the street diagonally and you will find a lawn with a few benches in a quiet and beautiful setting.

The church of Olmen is dedicated to Saint Willibrord. This was also the case with the first church that stood on the site of this Forest Chapel. The fact that it was dedicated to Saint Willibrord probably places its origins in the 7th-8th century. Most historians place the shift of the village centre with church to the north in the 11th-12th century. The heath chapel, which grew into an important place of pilgrimage for Our Lady and Saint Willibrord in the 16th century, is from later. The current chapel was rebuilt in 1841 with the original stones from the demolition in 1833. See also the Saint Willibrord Church of Olmen at https://www.komoot.com/nl-nl/highlight/7615236

See, do and experience! No fewer than 250 different animal species, some hairier and noisier than others, all live in the exotic Antwerp Kempen. But a visit to Pakawi Park (formerly the Olmense Zoo) is much more than a day of watching animals. In Pakawi Park you will not only see with your own eyes how elephants take a mud bath on the African savannah. You will imagine yourself on an expedition when you quietly observe how wolves and bears live together from the footbridge between the treetops. And you will feel enchanted when the most colorful birds fly past right in front of you in an exotic plant garden. Pakawi Park not only wants to teach you how exotic animals live, but also wants to touch you, inspire you and grab you by the scruff of your neck. Come and take a look and experience it for real! Triggered? Click through to https://ontdekbalen.be/doen/uitstap/pakawi-park