Enjoy a walk around Westerlo, taking in a river, two castles, an abbey and a nature reserve
Westerlo is in the province of Antwerp. I parked my car outside the Tourist Office in Sint-Lambertusstraat. If you’re thinking of reaching Westerlo by public transport, it’s difficult if you don’t live in the area. It falls into one of the Belgian rail network’s Black Holes, in that there’s no station nearby. The nearest are Heist-op-den-Berg and Geel, and then you’ll need a bus.

I headed off on my pre-planned 12 km walk. I had selected this particular walk for a number of reasons. I could walk along the banks of the Grote Nete River. Investigate the marvellously named Rothoek-Kwarekken nature reserve. Pass by not just one but two castles. And spend some time in the grounds of a Norbertine Abbey. What more could I ask for?
Westerlo is called the “pearl of the Kempen”. This municipality comprises the seven towns of Westerlo itself, Oevel, Tongerlo, Heultje, Voortkapel, Oosterwijk and Zoerle-Parwijs. Together they have a population of about 25,000.

Grote Nete River
After passing through the town I headed down to the Grote Nete (Big Nete) River. This river is about 85 km long and has its source near Hechtel in the province of Limburg. It flows west and passes the towns of Geel, Westerlo and Heist-op-den-Berg before joining the Kleine Nete in Lier.

I was most impressed by this river, and especially the wide, well-maintained footpaths on either side of it.

It also has a few benches which might give you the opportunity to quietly listen to the birds in the trees above or the waterfowl on the river, or practice whatever spiritual practices you find helpful and enjoyable.


Castle of the Prince of Merode
I soon came across the first of the two castles on this route.

Also simply called Westerlo Castle, it was built by the Prince of Merode, who belonged to one of the most powerful families (the de Merodes) of 15th and 16th century Brabant. It’s a fine example of early Flemish Renaissance style. Built on the ruins of an old Roman watchtower, its strategic position on the banks of the Grote Nete River gave it a dominant position in the neighbourhood.
The present castle was constructed in the mid-16th century, although the stone dungeon — with walls 2.5 metres thick and a 10-metre high ceiling — dates back to the 14th century.
The castle is only open on selected weekends — usually around Christmas and in July to coincide with the local summer fair. During these weekends you can explore most of the rooms and admire a large collection of portraits, tapestries, porcelains, and original furnishings from the 16th centuries.
The castle is still owned by the de Merode family, and is currently the home of Prince Simon de Merode.
Rothoek-Kwarekken nature reserve
Next stop was this nature reserve, which is an interesting mix of grasslands, mixed woodlands and ponds.
Tongerlo Abbey
I have to say that approaching this abbey from a distance is quite an impressive sight.

The origin of this Abbey dates back to 1133 when a religious community was formed in Tongerlo by a group of monks from the Norbertine Abbey of St. Michael of Antwerp, who had been invited by the wealthy landowner Giselbert Castelre to settle on his Tongerlo estate.

The Abbey gained prestige through the 13th century when the Pope placed Tongerlo at the centre of a number of parish churches in the region. The Abbey gradually grew in size, population and power. At one time the abbey was providing priests for forty parishes in the area. It was an important centre of learning and housed a large library.

Conflicts in Tongerlo Abbey
The rise of Calvinism in the Netherlands led to conflict and the martyring of three of the Abbey’s monks between 1557 and 1572. All Catholic worship was banned and many monks were exiled away from their parishes. Even worse, in 1796 the French Revolution swept into Tongerlo and the Abbey came under private ownership.

However, soon after the Belgian state came into being in 1830, a religious community was once more established at the Abbey. Unfortunately a huge fire swept through and destroyed many of the buildings in 1929. The grounds are openly accessible.

The Castle of Countess Jeanne de Merode
I wasn’t finished yet! There was still one castle to investigate. In 1910, Countess Jeanne de Merode decided to build a new and smaller castle on some ground not too far away from the one built by her distant relative. She lived there until her death in 1944. It’s built in the 16th century Gothic Brabant style.

During the Second World War it became the headquarters of the Germany Army, and then after the war it was a rest home for retired priests. In 1972 the town of Westerlo purchased the castle and converted it into the town hall and a cultural centre. The pond with fountain and accompanying artwork by Rik Poot in front of the town hall dates from 1995. The castle is accessible during normal opening hours.
MAP for a Walk around Westerlo
And that was the final stop on this delightful and interesting 12 km. I hope you enjoying your walk around Westerlo. All that remains is to mention that you can download the route and GPX directly from my page on RouteYou, and below is a map of the route with key sights (I walked clockwise):

Any questions on the route, just drop me a line.
Judging from the map I guess you missed ‘Rothoek’, which is further west but very wet indeed after the recent rain. Tongerlo abbey played an important role in the Boers War (1798), when the Great Barn was used as a meeting place for the rebel leaders against France. Greetings from very nearby 🙂
Actually Guido, just between the two of us, I got on the wrong side of the river (south) so ended up taking a detour. Thanks for the info about the Boer War, I must look that up.
The abbey is most impressive.
It was. They have a museum too but I didn’t get a chance to see it
Beautiful pictures. I’m impressed with your 12KM walk. Glad you had a nice day to do that.
A few rays make all the difference!
Yes, it certainly does.
Looks like another lovely walk with lots of variety. Nature and castles; what more could one ask for? 🙂
Indeed Henry. It was also a time to enjoy some peace and meditative solitude.
Great walk of a lovely area. Love your photos too. Much enjoyed!
Thanks for your comment. Yes I particularly appreciated the peace of the river – and those benches!
What a great walk. I’d be tempted to stop at Westerlo Castle and go inside for a look.
You could probably get away with it Carol. I’d probably be thrown out as an imposter.
I’d like to see that! 🙂
Oh, I do miss the odd castle when out walking. I am afraid there are none around here unless I can count sand castles as a “castle” 🙂 Another interesting walk Denzil.
Thanks Suzanne. Yes, Belgium has more than its fair share of castles. Perhaps it’s time to start an export business…
Perhaps you are right 🙂
Beautiful walk! Westerlo certainly packs in lots of interesting buildings to look at.
It’s a greedy place though. Fancy having two castle and an abbey? That’s just not fair. A lot of places don’t even have one castle!
Exactly! So selfish 😀
So interesting that the oldest part of Westerlo Castle is the dungeon – I guess they built first and strongest what they felt they needed the most. As for Countess Jeanne – I LOVE her castle – very beautiful. Thanks for a lovely walk along the river.
Yes I guess a dungeon is difficult to knock down and hidden from the elements. And with 7 Foot thick walls….
The walls, always about the walls, isn’t it? OK, no more politics. 😀
What a varied walk, and the nature reserve seems impressive along with seats to sit down on! Must visit Belgium again soon!
Belgium is looking forward to re-welcoming you! 🇧🇪
Indeed, there are even some connections, my husband’s grandmother was from Belgium. Movement of people in early 20th Century!
Where in Belgium, do you know? Can you remember visiting them?
Brussels, and possibly still distant cousins there or about.
Was this far from home, Denzil? 🙂 🙂 I glimpsed it in the Reader last week and meant to come back for a wander but time got away with me. 🙂 It’s a lovely walk. I’ll put it in on Monday. Wishing you blue skies this weekend!
Thanks Jo. It’s about a 40-minute drive from where I live. I was so pleased that a Saturday in January was sunny. Makes all the difference.
It most certainly does 😎 xx
what a fabulous walk . . . . I’d love to do this one, although MrB and I would be stopping so often to look at things not sure we’d get it done in a day!!
My scouts leader was called Mr. B. I doubt if it’s the same one though, unless your Mr B is about 110 years old! 🧓
lol!! Well he is quite a bit older than me but not quite that much!
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A lovely walk, interesting and varied and just my type of thing. I just love that last castle, it looks so beautiful 🙂
Thanks Eunice, glad you like it. Are you local enough or within reach of Belgium to visit Westerlo?
I could probably only do it as a holiday but a visit there is certainly something to consider for the future 🙂
What a wonderful walk, beautiful buildings, history, a river and nature. As you say, what more could you ask? I particularly liked the look of The Castle of Countess Jeanne de Merode, imagine having a place like that all to yourself! I like the idea of pausing for a spot of meditation, but seeing the frost on the river bank it must still have been a bit nippy to sit for long? Impressed with the 12km – if I’d have been with you it probably would’ve taken a fortnight to travel that far with all the stops I make!