Hike Eupen - Lac de Gileppe - Hoëgne Valley - Spa (28 km)

During this hike we will mostly follow the GR 15. Once out of the city of Eupen we walk in the “Westhertogen” forest until we reach Lac de Gileppe with its oldest dam in Belgium. There we can enjoy the beautiful view over this reservoir from a panoramic tower.

We continue walking trough forests and fields until we reach the beautiful Högne valley which we pass trough until Polleur, a historic village that dates back to the Middle Ages and once played a key role on the route to Santiago de Compostela. For our last part we descend through the forest to our destination Spa.

After our hike we continue our good habit of taking a nice drink/ice cream/snack in a local pub in Spa before returning to Brussels.

Please don't forget to pay Maikel a drink :-)

We will walk at an average speed of 5km/h. We will walk both on paved and unpaved roads. I’ve never walked this road before, so it’s possible that there are some mistakes in the planning.

●●Meeting point
We meet at 07h45 in front of the Starbucks in Brussels Central. Our train (IC 506 - Eupen) leaves at 08h01 from platform 3. We arrive at 09h42 in Eupen where we start our hike to Spa

●● Train tickets
The cheapest way to travel is to use a railpass (€ 10.20 for each way)
www.belgiantrain.be/en/tickets-and-railcards/railpass

●● Train back to Brussels
There is a train every hour in Spa (L6863 – Verviers) at XX:41 who brings us to Verviers (X1:06) where we change to train (IC537 – Oostende) who leaves from platform 2 at X1:38
LAST TRAIN = 21h41

●● Specifics
distance: ~ 28 km
elevation gain: ~ 545 m
net walking time (breaks are not counted in here): ~ 6h00
level: intermediate – hiking expercience is an advantage

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 website and/or your emails.

●● What to bring
- warm comfortable hiking clothes – waterproof hiking shoes
- extra socks to change + compeed for blisters

• enough water (min 2 l) and food for lunch
  - sun protection oil, a head and sunglasses OR a raincoat
  (please consult the weather forecast on www.meteo.be)
  - some money to pay Maikel a drink ;-)

●● Basic rules
Please RSVP only if you really intend to come. And if your plans change, update your RSVP latest 1 day before the hike, so other people still have the possibility to join. This is basic courtesy towards others. People who cancel at the last minute or don’t show up for the hike will be blacklisted for future hikes. Do not show up for a hike unless you are on the roster (i.e. Yes RSVP, but not Wait Listed).

●● Acknowledgement of member responsibility and release of liability
By signing up for this event, you agree to release the organizers from any responsibility and liability in all claims. As the participation 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.