Nele and Stijn are a young couple in their thirties who brought their two sons – Tuur and Sep – to the Beestige Boelbos in Maasmechelen. “Our boys are very outdoorsy,” says Nele. “They prefer to play outside every day, regardless of the weather.
We have a large garden at home, but it’s different from coming to the forest to hike and play. They inherited that love of the forest from Stijn. He works as a foreman for a landscape architect and knows a lot about trees, plants, and animals.”
The Beestige Boelbos is easily accessible with small children. There’s a spacious car park at the Mechelse Heide gateway. A short five-minute hike then brings you to the Beestige Boelbos. “From the car park to the Beestige Boelbos, you pass through the Mechelse Heide gateway, an imposing wall of boulders. “Is this where it starts?” Tuur asks Stijn enthusiastically. “We have to follow the Beestige Boelbos arrows.” Stijn points to the signposts they need to follow.
In the Beestige Boelbos, kids and their parents learn about the animals of the national park. A fox creep, a snake creep, a toad and deer jump, and a wild boar disappearing act. It’s an interactive hike where kids are challenged to balance, crawl, jump, and climb. “Tuur (6) can do most of the obstacles on his own. Sep (2) still needs some help with the different parts,” says Nele. “It’s nice that there are some toys that parents can do together with their kids and others where they have to do the job alone. That’s a nice change. And while it’s a relatively short walk, you can spend some quality time here,” Stijn continues. “We have climbed or travelled over every piece of equipment or obstacle at least twice, if not more. It is quiet here and we like being in the forest. Can you hear the birds?” Stijn asks Sep.
“After the Beestige Boelbos, we also hiked a little on the Mechelse Heide along the Zandloper Path. Tuur had already seen the climbing tree and the sand dunes when we arrived. We were just walking out of the Beestige Boelbos and he was already running towards the climbing tree,” says Nele. While Stijn and Tuur were climbing and jumping off the tree, Sep and mum were playing in the sand. “Sep won’t be able to stay awake for long in the car when we drive home, I think. His eyes are already closing,” says Nele as they head back to the car. Tuur is already imagining his next visit to the Beestige Boelbos.
Would you like to come and play in the Beestige Boelbos with your kids? Find out all the info here!