Pepinster-Spa (22km, 600m up)

The weather forecast for Saturday is dry but very hot. As a result, we will leave home early for this challenging hike in the Ardennes. We start in Pepinster and the track will lead us to the ruins of the Franchimomt castle after 8km. Afterwards we walk to the village Polleur, where we will cross an ancient bridge. The last part of the hike is through the Chawion nature reserve, before starting the descent to Spa, where we finish the hike with a beer (or two). We intend to finish not too late in Spa. Those who wish can stay longer and visit the thermal baths afterwards (It is quite expensive for what it is, I must say). Don't forget to bring a swim suit and a towel in case you want to visit the thermal baths.

As the number of participants is limited, it is important that you manage your registration responsibly: only sign up if you really intend to come and cancel as soon as you know you can’t (this also goes for people on the waiting list!). We will try to keep close to an average speed of about 4 km/h. We will walk mainly on unpaved roads. I’ve not tested this track beforehand, so it’s possible that there are some mistakes in the planning (i.e. it may become longer ;-).

Important: this will be a challenging hike due to hot weather and a lot of elevation gain. So, only join if you are fit enough for this. Bring a lot of water!

●●You can find the gpx track here:
https://www.komoot.com/nl-nl/tour/521670853#previewMap
●●Link to the thermal baths center:
https://thermesdespa.com/home/
●●Meeting point:
We meet at 9h45 in Pepinster (in front of the railway station). If you start from Brussels-Central, you should take train IC 506 towards Eupen at 08h01. I am starting from Ghent, so I will be on that train already. You can find me in the second car of the train. In Liege-Guillemins you need to change to train S41 5009 into the direction of Aachen Hbf at 9h19.
●● Train tickets:
I think that you need two separate tickets, because Pepinster and Spa are not on the same railway line.
●● Back to Brussels:
From Spa you have a train every hour back to Brussels (with a change in Verviers).
●● Specifics:
Distance: ca 22km
Elevation gain: 600
Net walking time: ca 6h
Weather forecast: More than 30 degrees but dry!
In the unlikely case of too bad weather, we may cancel a hike, even few hours before the event. If this must happen, we will of course update the Meetup website and send out an email to those registered. So it is important to have access to either the [[[Meetup.com](http://meetup.com/)](http://meetup.com/)](http://meetup.com/) website and/or your emails.

●● What to bring:

• Comfortable hiking clothes &shoes
• rain gear (just in case)
• water + food for the breaks
• sun cream
• Compeed for blisters
• some small money for drinks

●● Basic rules:
Please RSVP only if you really intend to come. And if your plans change, update your RSVP asap, even hours before the walk. This is basic courtesy towards others. Repeated late cancellations are not well considered (at all). No-shows are even worse.
Do not show up for a hike unless you are on the “going” list.

●● Acknowledgement of member responsibility and release of liability:
You are responsible for yourself and should be fit enough if you want to take part. As the participation in the events is strictly voluntary and you freely choose to join, it is the responsibility of individuals participating to ensure that they are fit enough and have adequate coverage to protect themselves. By signing up for this event, you agree to release the organisers from any responsibility and liability. Moreover, the organisers aren't tour operators, so they don't feel obliged to answer to every text message or email!