The name Bekendelle comes from Bek-en-Delle (Beek en Dal). In the Achterhoek also called Bigendelle. De Bekendelle is a nature reserve in Winterswijk (Woold). The brook Boven-Slinge meanders through the nature reserve. The stream fills up with abundant rainfall and when it is dry for a long time there is only a small stream of clear running water. Over the years, the course of the stream changed, resulting in high, steep and sandy banks. An ideal place for the kingfisher to make its nest. Besides the kingfisher there is a lot of special flora and fauna.
- The Bekendelle
- Upper Slinge
- Worth knowing
- National Landscape
- Fauna
- Management
- Threats
The Bekendelle
De Bekendelle is a nature reserve south of Winterswijk, near the Woold in the Gelderse Achterhoek. The current forest of Bekendelle was created at the end of the last century. Originally this forest was jointly owned by the local residents (Markebos). In 1972, the Natuurmonumenten Association buys the Bekendelle. The first act was to cut several elms in connection with elm disease control. These elms were very rich in epiphytes (a kind of moss).
Upper Slinge
The brook Boven-Slinge meanders through the Bekendelle. In the Netherlands the stream is called Boven-Slinge and in Germany Schlinge and has its source about 20 kilometers away in Germany, north of Südlohn. The Boven-Slinge is in rainy weather, full of water, flows wildly and overflows its banks. Due to changes in the course of the brook, the Boven-Slinge has a high calving bank on the outside and a growing sandy bank on the inside. The stream has a walking path next to it, so that the high bank is clearly visible. Trees that fall remain and lie over the stream as a natural play element. The water in the stream is very clear. East in the Upper Slinge area, where flooding is the order of the day, it is full of shavings. The rare forest yellow star, slender primrose and musk herb can be found along the hiking trail in the spring.
Precise location and accessibility
Bekendelle is located about 5 km south of Winterswijk (Woold) near a water mill and a bakery. The nature reserve the Bekendelle is a deciduous forest with a stream running through it. The Boven Slinge is also called Slingerbeek or Aaltense Slinge. From the Winterswijk railway station, the Bekendelle can be reached by bus from Winterswijk to Bocholt (get off at the Berenschot stop) or by (rented) bicycle.
Worth knowing
The site is free to enter on the paths and the Bekendelle area has been owned by the Vereniging Natuurmomumenten since 1972. The Bekendelle is a Natura 2000 area. A Natura 2000 area is part of a European network of protected nature areas, which represent the conservation and restoration of an area. For the Bekendelle this means:
- make more space for the oak hornbeam forest
- preserving the forest that accompanies the stream
- repair and maintenance of the water system and
- reduce nitrogen. Many plants do not grow well if there is too much nitrogen in the soil.
National Landscape
The Bekendelle has also been known as National Landscape since 2005. Winterswijk, together with 19 other areas, has been declared a National Landscape by the Dutch government (Ministry of Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment). The National Landscape Winterwijk includes:
- the entire municipality of Winterwijk and lies on the borders with
- the Municipality of East Gelre
- a small piece of Berkelland
- the Municipality of Aalten.
Areas in the Winterswijk National Landscape
National Landscape Winterswijk is an area of 220,000 hectares. Well-known areas that are certainly worthwhile are not far away. Areas like it:
- Korenburgerveen, a high moor area with Meddosche peat, Corlese peat, Vragender peat and Korenburgerveen Winterswijk. There are walking routes and excursions. Never enter the peat on your own!
- Wooldseveen (on the border with Germany). A piece of cross-border high moor. Together with the Burlo-Vardingholter Venn, it forms an extensive piece of nature
- the quarry
- the scenic landscape with its cycling routes
- beautiful old farms
- witch forest
- a vineyard
Fauna
A variety of rare and less rare animals live in the deciduous forest De Bigendelle. The kingfisher lives in the vicinity of water and breed in the steep bank walls of the Boven-Slinge. We can hear and see the middle spotted woodpecker in the Bekendelle. A rare woodpecker that stands out for its large red crown. Or the striking azure-colored forest brook damselfly (Calopteryx virgo). A rare species of damselfly that likes to flutter above slow flowing water. Good quality water.
Management
Bekendelle is a nature reserve with idle management. A management where the ecological process takes place. There is no timber harvest and recreation is controlled. This means that certain paths are kept free for visitors to the nature reserve and other paths are closed with branches and trees. In the breeding area, for example, and people regularly intervene to control the recreational pressure. There is no hunting in the nature reserve.
Threats
The biggest threat to the natural character of Bekendelle is water pollution. Under the influence of the intensive agriculture around, the clear water is still too rich in nutrients. This can cause strong algae growth and a lack of oxygen in the water. The flora and fauna suffer greatly as a result. Another threat is the people themselves. The Bekendelle is busy with walkers. People who enter the stream banks or deviate from the paths. This is not the intention of the natural nature reserve.