Venusberg - red - 8,9 km

Go from the dry hill ridges to the wet valley of the Zwarte Beek and get to know all aspects of this unique stream valley during a vigorous hike. Be sure to put on your boots, because it can get quite wet here! Discover the many gnarled pollarded oaks that are so typical of this region.

The Zwarte Beek in Limburg is one of the ecologically most valuable watercourses in Flanders. Yet works are needed there as well to further improve the water quality and fish population.

The downstream section of the Zwarte Beek was straightened in the past. Weirs were installed, causing the contact between the watercourse and its valley to be lost. In 2017-2018, a re-meandering project was carried out by the Vlaamse Milieu Maatschappij in collaboration with Natuurpunt.

The creek restoration project of the Zwarte Beek improved the structural quality of the watercourse over a length of more than 2.5 km. In the areas ‘Bocht van Laren’ and ‘Schurfert’, (historical) meanders were excavated again and the straightened parts of the Zwarte Beek were (partially) filled in. This restored the flowing character of the Zwarte Beek. The alternation between inner and outer bends with associated variation in flow speed, erosion, and sedimentation processes now creates new opportunities for flow-loving fish species such as chub, dace, and other water-loving plants and animals.

Fish migration bottlenecks in the Zwarte Beek such as the weir near the Gestelse Heide and the Gestelse mill were made passable for fish. Besides improving the watercourse structure, the project also increased the valley’s water retention capacity and restored the landscape and ecological values in the nature reserve.