Mechelse Heide

Purple as far as the eye can see

The Mechelse Heide lies in the north of Belgian Limburg, just outside Maasmechelen. In August the heather turns purple. Not slightly, but completely. Hundreds of hectares of Calluna vulgaris, common heather, open up all at once. It is one of the few places in the Benelux where you can see that on this scale. If you do landscape photography, you want to stand here at least once.

Light and timing

The golden hour early in the morning is at its strongest here. The sun rises in the east and catches the tops of the heather shrubs at a low angle. That gives texture and depth to your image. Backlighting works well: the tiny purple flowers seem to glow from within. Overcast weather is not necessarily a problem. An even sky makes the colour of the heather more intense because there are no harsh shadows. Misty mornings, with the first rays of sunlight breaking through the haze, are what I enjoy most on open expanses like this.

The bloom usually begins in the second half of July and peaks around mid-August. By early September it is over. It pays to keep an eye on conditions, because the exact timing varies from year to year depending on temperature and rainfall.

Compositions and focal lengths

For wide overviews I use a wide-angle lens, 16 to 24mm. You can use the heather as a foreground with a dramatic sky above. But be careful: an empty blue sky does little. Wait for cloud formations, or shoot early when there is still colour in the sky. There are also viewpoints in the area, elevated spots from which you can look further across the plain. From those positions a 50 or 70mm works better for emphasising layers in the landscape.

Practical

You can park at the visitor centre Mechelse Heide on the Hoolstraat in Maasmechelen. From there, walking paths lead into the area. The heathland is freely accessible, but stay on the paths. Stepping off them can damage the vegetation and is also not permitted in this Natura 2000 area. At weekends during the bloom it can get busy. Arrive early in that case, before eight o'clock, and you will have both the light and the peace to yourself.

Sources and further reading

• Natuurpunt: Mechelse Heide
• Nationaal Park Hoge Kempen
• Agentschap Natuur en Bos: Mechelse Heide