Available LanguagesLanguage En Niel - Interpretation center of NatuurpuntOld clay quarries - Waelenhoek nature reserve, and Nature.house ‘The Horse stabled’ the interpretation center of Natuurpunt - the Flemish association of natural reserves. From the 1960s and the 1970s, one after the other of the brickworks closed in the region. The following years, many clay quarries were filled with garbage, both domestic and industrial. A fate that originally seemed doomed for the ‘Nielse kleiputten’ (the clay quarries of Niel), but fortunately they got an other future. After harsh campaigns by the municipality, the neighbourhood and the young and emerging nature and ecologist movement, these plans were eventually abandoned. The result of this is a varied landscape with large ponds, pools, reed borders and brushwood, situated completely on the territory of the municipality of Niel. There are 20 ponds with a surface area of 17ha, 4 till 6 metres deep - the result ogf the clay diggings. There are currently 13 of them open for fishing. There is woodland where you can go hiking, there is a rich fauna and flora where more than 500 kinds of mushrooms have been registered. Great crested grebe,, mute swans, tufted ducks, coots and moorhens are present almost throughout the year. Cormorants and blue herons are also regularly seen here. Most of the area is managed by the Flemish Nature and Forest Agency, and the have galloway cattle grazing to manage some parts. The south corner of the former clay quarries (6.5 hectares) was purchased by the municipality of Niel and administered in 1954 to the ‘Belgische Natuur- en Vogelreservaten vzw’ (Belgian Nature and Bird Reserves non profit trust), now 'Natuurpunt' (Naturepoint) The purpose of their management is to develop as rich a flora and fauna as possible. By cutting willows, open spaces can be maintained. This is of course important for some plant and animal species. The annual mowing of certain plots will then provide a high variety of plants. The Nature interpretation centre "De Paardenstal" is located on the edge of the Waelenhoek and the ideal base for discovering its nature, as well as the traces of former clay extraction. On a wider paths one can walk on, once small trains used to pull wagon nets that brought the clay to the brickworks. Gallery:
Typology: Walk Travel time: 3 h Route Difficulty: Easy Places to visit Alternative activities Hotel and Restaurantes Places to visitAlternative activities Hotel and Restaurantes Alternative Activities Rumst - Clay quarries Rumst - The origin of the ‘Rupel’ Rumst - Wienerberger brick works Kortrijk - The former brick and tileworks of Marke Klein-Willebroek - Canal locks Boom - Provincial Recreation Area ‘The Schorre’ Place to visit Ecomuseum and Archive of the Boom Bickworks Hemiksem - Gilliot en Roelants Tegelmuseum Terhagen - Brick works museum Rupel clay Niel - Interpretation center of Natuurpunt Boom - Brickworks museum ‘t Geleeg - former Frateur brickwork Noeveren EXPLORE THE STAGES OF THE ITINERARY Day 1Day 2Day 3Day 1Day 2Day 3 day 1 day 2 day 3 Every dayDay 1Day 2Day 3 Apply