Distance: 13.4km
Elevation: 600m
Level: Difficult
By car: The hike starts at the parking at Col de la Schlucht. A lot of trails start here and there is a lot of space, and even a public toilet.
Le Hohneck and Sentier Des Roches, the third highest mountain and one of the most famous trails in the Vosges mountain range. All combined into one hike, a very challenging hike that is. Honestly, looking at the specs it isn't to much of a challenge, but it really is! We had some bad weather (rain, fog), so that might have influenced it a bit. At certain points we could see that some beautiful scenery was hiding behind the thick fog, but we just couldn't see it. However the bits of scenery that we could see were majestic. I'm sure that on a clear day the views won't disappoint.
It doesn't take a lot of time before the ascent of le Hohneck starts. In about 3km in the hike, you'll reach the summit of Le Hohneck. It isn't that much of a climb, but the view should be stunning! Of course we only saw a thick fog since the weather was bad. Then it continues down for a little, and after that the trails leads on the side of the mountains with small climbs and descents. The further you go the trickier the trail gets. At a certain point you'll start walking on 'Les Sentiers Des Roches', a very tricky but beautiful trail. Be warned, at bad weather conditions the trail gets very slippery and at certain spots you'll be walking on very small ledges with very deep cliffs. If you are afraid of heights I definitely do not recommend doing this trail, especially in rainy conditions. But if you are looking for an adventurous hike with some challenging parts, this is definitely for you!
Distance: 19.1km
Elevation: 570m
Level: Difficult
By car: The hike starts at the parking lot of lac noir, there are not an awful lot of spaces there but there is also space on the side of the road right next to it.
'Tour des quatre lacs' a quite long and challenging hike in the middle of the low mountain range 'Vosges' in France. As the name suggests it goes past 4 different lakes: 'lac noir' (black lake), 'lac blanc' (white lake), 'lac vert' (green lake) and 'lac du Forlet'. While the names of the lakes might seem very monotonous, the hike itself is the exact opposite. A combination of thick forest, mountain trails and even a straight run on a beautiful high plateau makes this a long but definitely interesting hike with nice variation of scenery.
Distance: 7.4km
Elevation: 10m
Level: Easy
By train: Kessel train stations is a 10 minute of walk away from the fort, where you can start the tour.
By car: The walk starts at 'Parking Kesselse Heide' a parking lot with enough space.
This walk combines the three elements that make Kessel worth visiting (Kessel Fort, the Kessel Heath (Kesselse heide) and the river 'kleine Nete') in one walk, which is only 7km long. If you want a longer tour you can easily follow the Nete for a bit longer or take a small detour in the heath.
The Kessel Heath might not be as big as the one in Kalmthout, but it surely is as beautiful, combined with the meadows of the kleine Nete and the Fort it makes a very pretty and easy accessible walk. Since it combines all these elements there is a part of the tour that will not be fully in nature. But I'll guide you through some cute streets full of beautiful houses and farms in Kessel. Almost halfway you'll pass a cosy restaurant at the shore of the kleine Nete where you can get some refreshments and something to eat. Be sure to check out the opening hours here to make sure it's open.
Distance: 8.1km
Elevation: 20m
Level: Easy/Intermediate
By train: there are two train stations approximately 15-20 minutes of walking from the start of the tour, called 'Heide' and 'Kijkuit'.
By car: there is plenty of parking space surrounding the visitor centre, which is where the walk starts. The exact address would be: Heibloemlaan 90, 2920 Kalmthout
The Kalmthout Heath (or in dutch: Kalmthoutse heide) is probably one of the better known nature reserves in Belgium. Probably because it is one of the oldest and largest, but also because of its beautiful nature and diversity. It is part of the even larger 'De Zoom–Kalmthoutse Heide Cross-Border Park' of which one half is located in the Netherlands (De Zoom) and the other half in Belgium (Kalmthoutse Heide). Since the park is so large and diverse there are a lot of different options, going from kid-friendly walks of a few kilometers to a big hike of more than 24 kilometers covering most of the park. Many walks start at the visitor center so if you change your mind right before the walk, your can still take a different route, all of them are very well indicated.
Distance: 7.2km
Elevation: 10m
Level: Easy
By train: the start of the route is near 'Hoboken-Polder' trainstation.
By car: there is plenty of parking opportunity at 'Schroeilaan', the street where the route starts.
Snugly fit at the bottom of the bend of the Scheldt, only a small bike ride south from Antwerp's city center lies the Hobokense Polder, a relatively small patch of polder filled with beautiful nature and home to friendly giants. With some luck you might even encounter them, just like we did. These peaceful Galloway cattle play a key role in maintaining the polder. If you keep your distance and don't disturb them there is nothing to be afraid of. In contrary, they are astonishing to walk past. This kid-friendly route is originally from A.S. Adventure and Natuurpunt so if you follow their directions you should get the same walk. As it is a polder you should come prepared and expect mud when it has rained in the last week(s). Because it is a rather short hike you can combine it easily with a visit to the city of Antwerp.
This route is only accessible by car.
By car: there is parking opportunity in the center of Meldert, near the church, this is the starting point of the tour. The address of the starting point is Sint-Laurentiusstraat, 3320 Hoegaarden.
If you like to take a moment to be away from it all, then this hike is perfect for you! Meldert is beautiful small town not too far from the city of Hoegaarden (you might know it from the beer) at the border between Flanders and Wallonia. Aside from a few bars and a friterie the town has not too much to offer, but it's exactly the tranquility that makes this hike so special. The tour starts of in the southwest direction, towards a small forest area, where you will find a magnificent (recently renovated) castle, that now is used as a school, the Sint-Janscollege. After the small forest that surrounds the castle, the trail takes you through the fields and meadows, with occasionally some horses, a house or two and some trees. You probably won't find tourists here, the people passing by are most likely to be locals. When the trail almost reaches its end, you will pass by a strange-looking monument, a weathered steel tower engraved with the names of apples and pears that are grown in the surroundings. If you have the time, I recommend taking the stairs and enjoy a beautiful panoramic view over the fields.
A special thanks to Karst Van Coillie and Karolien Verbraeken for mapping out the route, and for guiding us through it.
]]>Distance: 15.3km
Elevation: 150m
Level: intermediate
By train: the route starts from Sint-Joris-Weert trainstation.
By car: there is a large parking area at the beginning of the tour called ‘Speelbos Parking’ at Weertsedreef 16, 3053 Oud-Heverlee.
This walk takes you through the raw beauty of the old forest ‘Meerdaalwoud’. It is filled with giant beech and oak trees that have been there for decades, at least that’s what I’m guessing from their enormous size. Apart from the kid-friendly side-animation and modern facilities surrounding the parkinglot at the beginning, you are surrounded with vast mysterious forest for the rest of the trip, of course for as far it’s possible here in Belgium. The big majority of paths are natural and unpaved, which is perfect in good weather conditions but it can get quite muddy when it rains. But don’t let that scare you, even with the extra challenge of long muddy trails, we still had a blast there. You can find a gpx-file with the route and a link to Komoot on the bottom of the page.
Check out the route description on Komoot or download the GPX-file.
]]>