Belgium

Hiking the Iconic Koppenberg Route in Flanders

With two guys in the house that absolutely love cycling. We had to hike this route. It is a 15.3 kilometer hike, starting in Nukerke in the Flemish Ardennes. The hike takes you along some of the famous climbs of the tour of Flanders. This time not with a bike, but we hiked on foot. 66% of the hike is paved, as it takes you along the beautiful back roads of the Flemish Ardennes. But you also cross through some of the most beautiful forests in the Flemish Ardennes. Especially in the spring, when all the spring flowers are blooming and the trees are starting to turn green.

We parked our car next to the church in Nukerke. Which is free of charge. In front the church you will find the first node. Which will take you out of town. Up until the road N60. which you have to cross, both at the beginning and at the end of the hike. But after the crossing you will walk along the most beautiful back roads and through the winding forests. The first forest that you will walk along is the Spijker Forest. It is one of the few forest laying on a south slope. Which means you can enjoy the sunshine here the entire day. Which we did, as we chose a beautiful sunny spring day to hike this route.

When you leave the forest of Spijker. You will walk along the beautiful country side of the Flemish Ardennes. With a beautiful view over the rolling hills. You will also have some climbs on your way. After a while, you enter back into the Spijker forest. When we were there the Spijker forest was covered in forest anemones. Which was incredibly beautiful. We also spotted a few bluebells already blooming.

Unfortunately we had to leave the forest again, and we headed over to the famous Koppenberg, with its 22% incline. Lucky for us, you hike up the Koppenberg from the side. You hike down the path the tour of Flanders comes up the incline. Ofcourse you can’t visit this iconic place of the tour of Flanders, without spotting a lot of cyclist. I wouldn’t have liked to trade places with them cycling up. If you are a cycling enthusiast, this is a perfect way to explore this iconic incline. You can do so without the pain of cycling up.

After the Koppenberg it was time to head back into the forest, this time it was the Koppenburg forest. If you don’t feel like hiking an incline, you can skip the hike up in the forest. As when you hike along the road you will end up at the same point again. As the nodes will only take you up the stairs in the forest and back down. We did hike up and down though. After this it was back into the Koppenbergforest for the last stretch of the hike. The Koppenberg forest is a beautiful forest. In the forest you will find information boards about the role the forest played in World War I. In spring you will also find bluebells in this forest. We didn’t spot any blooming yet, but the first signs of their leaves are already popping up everywhere. This forest path takes you through the forest back up the N60. Where you will hike parallel to it for about one kilometer. You have to cross it one last time to finish in the village of Nukerke.

Let me know if you would go and hike this beautiful route.

Starting point: Nukerkeplein, Maarkedal
Length: 15.3 kilometers
Starting point: Nukerkeplein, Maarkedal
Elevation: 350 meters
Time: we hiked this in 4 hours, with a lunch break

Discover the Haller Forest: A Spring Hike in Belgium

The beautiful forest of Haller is located near Brussel, Belgium. It is famous for the beautiful blue bells in spring. But the Haller forest is beautiful in every season. In March we hiked the 7 kilometer yellow roe deer route. It takes you through 3 of the 4 valleys you will find in the Hallerforest. And about 50% of the hike takes you through the blue bell areas in the forest. During blue bell season there are special blue bell hikes set out.

We started our hike at parking 1. There are different parking areas in the Haller forest and they are all free of charge. Since we parked at parking one, we had to hike about 1 kilometer to the start of the trail. We wanted to hike further than 7 kilometers, so this wasn’t too bad. One of the things we love about hiking in the Haller forest is that it isn’t flat like the Netherlands. So you start off with a descent and ascent right away. The other thing I love about the Haller forest is the variety in trees. Even in March, the forest wasn’t completely bare. It was actually still quite green in some areas with needle leave trees. And a big plus is that the needle trees smell amazing.

This hike completely takes you through the forest. If you want to hike even further, you can connect the yellow and the blue hike. This connection makes for an even longer hike. We decided while hiking up to the start of the route from the parking lot. We would only do the yellow route.

As I said the hike takes you through 3 of the 4 valleys of the Haller forest. I love the diversity of the different valleys, with different trees and different plants. Besides blue bells, you will find many wild flowers during spring here. We already spotted the first sign of wood anemones.

Also the height differences makes for a beautiful sight. It also makes this hike a little bit more challenging than the average forest hike in the Netherlands. Even though we have had a lot of rain this winter, the trails weren’t muddy. Which made for a pleasant hiking experience during this time of the year.

If you plan to visit during the blue bell season, check the forest’s website. This will guarantee you know which parking areas are open. You can also check and see if the bluebells are in bloom yet.

Let me know if you decide to visit this forest in Belgium this year.

Make This Valentine’s Special with Outdoor Dates

I am not a big fan of Valentine’s Day to be honest. But I never mind an outdoor date whenever possible. I prefer it much over a date night in the city. I prefer to spend my time outdoors. Like going for day hikes or an outdoor activity, like riding my bike. If you are an outdoor lover like me, you will like one if these five date ideas.

An outdoor picnic
Going for a picnic is always a good idea. You can bring some delicious food with you while you go hiking. Alternatively, you can go outside just for the purpose of having a picnic. Both are good choices. All you need is some blankets and some food and you are good to go. You can choose a spot somewhere in nature. If it is a rainy day, you can use the booth of your car for a car picnic. Just make sure to park your car somewhere with a beautiful view. For example in Zeeland you can park your car at the lighthouse in Westkapelle.

Bring some food you normally wouldn’t take. Try some tapas and some gluhwine. Enjoy a picnic with just the two of you.
Go stargazing
When the weather is clear, you can pack up some blankets to go stargazing together. Put them in the boot of your car to create a cozy spot to just sit back and relax. Find a spot where you have a free view of the sky. Make sure there is not a lot of light pollution. Bring some hot beverages and blankets to keep you warm. Also don’t forget some snacks. A stargazing trip without snacks isn’t complete. I went stargazing on La Palma once and it was the most perfect date night ever.
Go camping
Head out for the weekend with a tent. Find a campsite where you are allowed to pitch a fire next to your tent. In the Netherlands you can look at the ‘Natuurkampeerterreinen’. And bring some marshmallows to roast and enjoy a cozy night next to the fire. Afterwards you can bundle up together in the tent.
Try a new outdoor sport together
It doesn’t matter if you are both into climbing, or hiking, or something else. Try something new together, try out a new trail, or go to a different climb spot. Or just try something new entirely, something you both have never done before, like tennis or golf. You for sure will have a fun filled day together.
Go for a sunset walk on the beach

It is always a good idea to go to the beach in my opinion. It is even a better idea to go to the beach for sunset. Walk along the beach, even in winter time, this is a fun date idea. After your sunset walk, visit one of the many beach restaurants along the coast. Enjoy a drink or even a meal together to end this beautiful night.

Let me know in the comments if you will try one of these five date ideas. Or let me know what are your tips for a perfect outdoor date idea.

Hiking the Red Route in Hoge Kempen National Park

National park Hoge Kempen is located in Belgium. We decided to start our hike from the visitor center in Maasmechelen. There is a new walking and cycling bridge across the lake. You can park your car at the Maasmechelen outlet village. You can start your hike to the visitor center.

There are multiple day hikes available starting from the visitor center and they are clearly marked. The hiking routes start as easy as 3,6 kilometers and the longest is 15 kilometers. We decided to hike the red route which is 9,5 kilometers with a 200 meter elevation gain.

The hiking trails at Terhills are known for the lake and the hills. The hills provide a stunning view over the surrounding area. This area was a mining area for a long time, but it is not longer in operation. Now you find a beautiful nature reserve here.

We started our hike at the parking lot of Maasmechelen village and we headed over to the visitor center. At the visitor center, you will find some restrooms. There is also a small cafeteria where you can get something to drink or eat. You can also buy a hiking map here if you would like. We didn’t use a hiking map as the paths are clearly marked. We took the red route and at the first fork in the road we decided to hike clockwise. So we started out our hike flat up until the lake. We hiked all the way along the edge of the lake. We saw a lot of beautiful birds and we even saw a kingfisher near the edge of the lake.

It is a beautiful path along the lake, after you take the entire lap around the lake. You will find yourself at the foot of two hills. The hiking trail takes you up those hills, with our first 19% incline. But it is worth it. The top of the hill gives you an amazing view of the national park. You can also see the surrounding area and the lake you just hiked along. There are three hills to climb in total and they all offer a beautiful view of the surrounding area. There are also a lot of benches where you can sit and enjoy the view. As we hiked this on a cold winter day, we decided to not stop and keep on hiking.

A new attraction on this hike is the new walking and cycling bridge across the lake. Which is beautiful, as you get to see the lake from a completely different angle. As well as a lot of water birds that life on this lake.

It was a beautiful hike through the forest, along the edge of the lake, as well as hiking to the top of the hills in the national park which provide an amazing view of national park Hoge Kempen. I especially loved the view with the trees frozen over this time of year.

The map at the entrance said it will take about 2,5 hours . We did the entire hike in 3,5 hours. We did stop for pictures and the trail was very muddy, which took some slowing down on our part. Overall we loved this hike and we will return to do this hike in spring or fall. I assume it will be even more beautiful then when the trees aren’t bare. It did surprise me though that there are so many coniferous trees in this area. Which even in winter provides a beautiful green backdrop.

If you are a first time hiker, I would suggest to do this hike in either spring or summer. As this time of the year the trail was extremely muddy. Especially with the descents it can be quite tricky to hike down. If you do want to do this hike in winter, consider putting on good hiking boots. You could also choose shoes that provide a lot of traction.

Let me know in the comments if you ever hiked this trail or if you would in the future.

Hiking in the valley of Zwalm, Belgium

Since The Netherlands is relatively flat, I love to go hiking in Belgium. One of the areas I love to visit is the Flemish Ardennes. A beautiful area with rolling hills and beautiful forests. But you will also find beautiful valleys with winding rivers, like the river of Zwalm. This is the area I would like to tell you a bit more about in this blog post.

We picked the Zwalmriver hiking route, which is 13,2k long. We started our hike at Rekengemstraat, in Zwalm. Where you will find the Zwalm Mill, a beautiful piece of history of this area. As the mill was used to process grain.

You can park your car next to the mill. But there are multiple other parking lots along the route, where you can park your car. Along the route you will also find multiple little restaurants where you can stop for a drink or a bite to eat. Unfortunately restaurants “Klein Zwitserland” wasn’t open when we were there, but it truly looked so picturesque and it was situated right along the river.

The first part of the road you will walk along the river the Zwalm the entire time. You will pass multiple watermills. The calming sound of the water will join you the first part of the hike.

At the halfway point you will enter the backroads of the area. Here you will hike along the roads until about 1k until the end. I don’t like hiking on roads, but it does provide for some beautiful views. You can even watch the windmill on the “Molenberg”, which is the “Huisekoutermolen”. Which was a beautiful sight.

For the last kilometer you will hike along the river the Zwalm again. At first we thought we didn’t take the right turn, as it didn’t seem like a path, but after continuing for just a bit, we found that we were in the right place and we came across the route markings again.

We finished our hike back at the mill in Zwalm.
All in all a beautiful hike, but if you don’t like hiking along roads, this might not be the hike for you. Even though the roads aren’t busy with traffic, you will still have to watch out for cars now and then.

Let me know if you try this hike.

A bluebell hike in the Kravaal forest in Belgium

If you are looking for a hike to witness the beautiful bluebells in Belgium, but you don’t want to beat the crowds at the popular places, this forest might be the place to be for you.

During the month of April multiple forests are covered in a beautiful sea of blue flowers, bluebells. A magical sight to behold that is for sure. We explored a new forest to us which is famous for it’s bluebells. A smaller forest that is, but still beautiful. The bluebells were just starting to bloom. So now would be the perfect time to visit this forest.

We decided on a 8 km hike through and along the beautiful area next to the Kravaal forest. We parked our car at a little bar called “Bij Stinne” from where we started our hike. First we hiked along the edge of the forest and unto the open fields. Which at the moment where blooming with beautiful yellow rapeseed. Which gave a lot of color to the landscape. The first leaves are also starting to show on the trees. So finally it is time to hike through some lush landscapes.

The hike is mostly unpaved, and passes in between the acres, but also through some beautiful villages close to the forest. After about 4k, you enter the forest. Which was quite muddy this time of year with all the rain. But we didn’t let the mud stop us. As we entered the beautiful Kravaal forest we had to hike a little before we reached the area where the first bluebells where showing their colors and the blossom trees where also in full bloom. As I said before this week would be the perfect time to visit this beautiful forest.

Where to start the hike?

The hike starts at Dorpveld 1 in the town of Asse.
You can park your car at the local bar called “Bij Stinne” from where you can pick up the trail.

Let me know in the comments if you try out this hike.

A winter hike in the forest of Brakel

Even though it is still cold, hiking in winter is always a good idea. Just layer up and get outside. Which is what we did on a winter’s day in February and headed to the small town of Brakel, Belgium, to visit this beautiful forest. Where you will find bluebells in just a month or so. The first bluebell leaves are already popping up everywhere.

We started our hike at the parking lot, which is free. You will find the parking lot at the end of the Brakelbosstraat, in Brakel.

There are two routes set out throughout the forest, but since these aren’t too long, we decided to make our own route, with our AlpenVerein app. We hiked a total of 8k in this beautiful forest toward the village of La Houppe, and back through the forest. From La Houppe we also climbed the Pottelberg, which is 157 meter. If you have ever visited The Netherlands, you know we would even call this a mountain. Even though it is not of course.

The forest will be home to thousands of bluebells soon, which you can already see popping up everywhere underneath the trees. The forest isn’t very big, but you can also combine this forest with other forests for longer hikes, like the two forest hike.

We enjoyed a beautiful afternoon in this beautiful forest, with it’s little wooden bridges and it’s beautiful trees. I would love to come back here during spring to see all the bluebells bloom. Would you?

Weekend getaways in The Netherlands and Belgium

Are you looking for a perfect weekend getaway in The Netherlands or Belgium? In this post I will share some of my personal favorites with you.

The Forest, Belgium

On a private domain in Belgium, you will find this tiny house, the Forest. Where you can take a bath within the forest. The tiny house has room for two people and the cabin is heated by a cosy fire place.

In summer time there is a BBQ you can use, or you can cook on open fire and roast some marshmallows.

There is a large pond next to the cabin and you can take the canoe out for a spin.

Buitenplaats Beekhuizen

In the middle of the forest at the Veluwezoom, you will find pods and glamping tents from Buitenplaats Beekhuizen. It is the perfect place to go when you love to go hiking in the forest.

I love the fact that you are surrounded by the forest, wherever you look. At night it is still completely dark here and you will need a lantern to go outside. It is the perfect place to enjoy a campfire and watch the stars.

Bed and breakfast Zuidoord

This beautiful bed and breakfast is located on the island of Voorne Putten, only a short ride away from the city of Rotterdam, but still in the middle of nature. Surrounded by the countryside of The Netherlands, you will have a beautiful view for miles right from the garden of the bed and breakfast. The perfect place to relax and recharge.

Close to the city of Hellevoetsluis and surrounded by beautiful beaches and nature. You can rent a bike and go for a bike ride along Voorne Putten. Or you can put on your hiking boots and take a long walk along the beach of Rockanje or Voorne Putten.

Hotel de Sterrenberg

Right outside of national park the Veluwe you will find Hotel Sterrenberg, an adults only hotel, with an amazing restaurant. If you want a little bit more luxury this is the place to go. You can start your visit to the national park right from the doorstep of the hotel or you can stay at the hotel and enjoy a relaxing day at their spa and afterwards an amazing dinner at their restaurant, Woods.

Camping de Blauwe Haan

If you are looking for something different, right in the middle of nature, camping the Blauwe Haan is the place to go. It is a beautiful campsite situated in the beautiful province of Drenthe, The Netherlands. You will find this campsite right at the entry of the forest, so you can hike straight from your tent or rental property. We stayed in one of the domes, which houses up to 4 guests. With a fully furnished kitchen and a toilet. The only thing you will need to leave the dome for is a shower. It is close to the beautiful nature reserve of Dwingeloo, where you can take beautiful hikes.

Hiking in Saeftinghe, Zeeland

The sunken land of Saeftinghe is a nature reserve situated on the border of Belgium and The Netherlands. It is the place where the river the Scheldt meets the sea the Western Scheldt. That is why the water in Saeftinghe is brackish. It is the biggest brackish husky in Europe. Due to the constant change of the tide, Saeftinghe is an ever changing nature reserve.

You can visit Saeftinghe on your own or your can book a guided tour at the visitor centre located in Emmadorp. Which have started up their tours again as of the 17th of May 2021.

The hiking routes which you can visit on your own also start from the visitor centre in Emmadorp, where you can also park your car for free.

There are two walking routes, “het ruige laarzen pad” and the “plankierpad”. On “het ruige laarzen pad” you will need rain boots. On the “plankierpad” they aren’t required, but I would wear them anyways, since it is really muddy. They are both short trails, 1 and 2 km long, but you can combine them for a longer hike. If you want to hike longer then just this short hike, you can also walk along the Dyke or along the backroads.

Plankierspad
I have hiked both, but this time I am concentrating on the Plankierspad.
Starting at the parking lot at the visitor centre in Emmadorp, located at Emmaweg 4, Nieuw-Namen. The trail is about 2 kilometers long. You will walk over footbridges and through the mud.

First you cross the dyke, where you will find a map of Saeftinghe. Because of the elevation of the Dyke it is a good viewing point, where you can oversee the nature reserve. On the right side you will see the cooling towers of Doel and the port of Antwerp in the distance. In front of you, you will see the Western Scheldt, where you can see the boats pass by on their way to the port of Antwerp.

From there you hike down to the gate to enter Saeftinghe. Immediately when entering you will find a sign indicating both trails.

At the sign you will go right, where you enter the trail. It is an easy to follow trail as there is only one to follow. There are little wooden signs along the way with assignments for the kids. You can get a booklet with the assignments for the kids in the visitor centre. If you pay attention, you might spot some birds that live in Saefthinge.

How to get to Saeftinghe?

You can park your car at the visitor centre in Emmadorp.
Emmaweg 4, Nieuw-Namen
There is a big parking lot in front of the visitor centre. You just have to cross the dyke to enter Saeftinghe.

Let me know in the comments if you have visited Saeftinghe.

A night at the Forest, Belgium

I am always looking for unique places to stay close to home. I have been following The Forest for a while now on Instagram and this winter I could snatch up a last minute night at this beautiful cabin.

A private domain

The cabin is situated on a private domain, which is completely fenced off. You arrive along a beautiful tree lane from which you can already spot the cabin. The cabin is next to a small pond, where a kingfisher has taken up his residence. While we were staying at the cabin, we watched him fly his rounds along the pond from the bed in the morning. A beautiful sight.

A forest getaway
Since the cabin is situated on a private domain, it feels like you are in the middle of the forest. On the other side of the main road you can hike in the Troostembergbos. Which makes this cabin the ideal getaway for forest lovers like me.

The cabin
The cabin is equipped for two people. Keep in mind though that there isn’t a shower in the cabin, only a bath tub.

You do have the possibility of using their barbecue or grill on an open fire in the fire pits that are provided at the cabin.

One of the things I loved the most about this cabin is the canoe that is available for your use the entire stay. Even though it was freezing when we stayed there, I took the canoe out for a little tour of the pond.

Afterwards I could warm up next to the cozy fire place, which heats up the cabin in winter. The owners will start the fire place before your arrival, so the cabin is nice and toasty when you get there.