The days are getting shorter, and the weather is getting cooler. Which means it is time to hike more again. I love to go out for hikes on Sunday mornings, when the air is still crisp after a cold night and the grass is still wet. Early morning hikes are the best way to start a Sunday in my opinion. A couple of weekends ago we headed out for our first fall hike in Moerbeke, Belgium. We headed out to the heather forest in Moerbeke (het heidebos).
There are multiple parking lots at the forest, but we always park our car at parking lot 1, which is located at Keizershoek, Moerbeke. From here you can start 4 hiking trails, varying in length from 2,1 kilometer up to 6,4 kilometer. Since we didn’t bring our dog Indy on this hike, we decided on the AS Adventure route of 5 kilometer, which dogs aren’t allowed on.
Unfortunately we decided to hike counterclockwise, which isn’t the smartest thing, as the signs are set up to hike clockwise. It is a well marked route, so even having to look back for the right signs, it was easy to follow the route. The route is unpaved, and takes you through the forest, as well as through the heather fields, where cows roam free. We didn’t encounter any on our hike this time, but due to the cows, dogs aren’t allowed in this area.
The first signs of fall were already starting to show in the forest, with leaves starting to turn color and fungi popping up along the trail. You can take some time to rest at multiple places with benches. The perfect spot to just take in the beauty of this forest.
It is just a short, but beautiful hike. You can combine this loop with the longer yellow one for a longer hike.
Let me know in the comments if you will visit this beautiful forest in the future.
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