Tour de Frans - Banisveld - NL - Look-Out Towers on Waymarking.com

The Tour de Frans is named after a retired forest ranger of Natuurmonumenten, called Frans Kapteijns. This name makes many bells ring in this area of Midden-Brabant. The tower was opened in May 2019 and is funded by Natuurmonumenten and a crowdfunding campaign to which nature lovers, companies and organizations contributed. The tower is the successor of a lower viewing platform that was demolished earlier.

Although you have to climb the tower itself, it helps you a bit with its lazy stairs. You can rest and look out on both floors.

The Banisveld:

The Banisveld is an area of ??115 hectares on the border of the municipalities of Oirschot and Boxtel, which was only mined in the beginning of the 20th century and which has had a very large-scale allotment for a long time. A cattle farm was established. There was also a landfill from the municipality of Boxtel.

In 1996 this area was purchased by the Natuurmonumenten Association, which removed the buildings and removed the nutrient-rich upper layer. Thanks to the still vigorous seeds in the seed bank, rare plants soon developed.

Within a period of 10 years the area has changed from a large-scale agricultural area into nature where 300 different types of higher plants have been found.

These plants include: bellflower gentian, small sundew, round sundew, tar canopy, spotted orchid, common reed orchid, spotted reed orchid, woodland orchid, swamp wasp orchid, broad wasp orchid, true centaurus herb, ferruginous, swamp wolf's claw, greyhawk, turf squirrel , water scoop, marsh deer hay, dry forest flower, brown beak piping, galigan, soil star, creep broom and comb grass.

Among the butterflies are mentioned: small kingfisher butterfly, large weather-eared butterfly, heather blue and furry bobbed head.

Reptiles such as the livebearing lizard and amphibians such as the green frog, moor frog, pool frog, small water salamander and fin-leg salamander are found there. Digging pools has made the arrival of these animals possible.

The former rubbish dump has been covered and transformed into a lookout hill. There are walking routes in the area.

The area forms a connecting link between De Mortelen and the Kampina, and with that a part of the National Landscape Het Groene Woud. To that end, it has also been made possible for grazing herds to cross existing roads.

Source: Wikipedia

Height of Look-Out Tower in feet: 30.00 Difficulty: Opening times and fees: Entrance is for free. Tower is always accessible but acces of Banisveld is only allowed between sunrise and sunset. Parking Area: N 51° 32.999 E 005° 17.341

Visit Instructions:
Please log only if you have been up there and you must include a photo of the scenic view from the top.

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