Pécrot to Leuven (21km)

It's time to put down the chocolates and lace up the walking boots for a hike from Pécrot to Leuven (~21km, 150m elevation). We will walk through the Brabantse Wouden and follow the river Dijle on footpaths and board walks, then finish in the city of Leuven where the streets will be festive and the bars warm and inviting. We will surely find one for a drink (optional) to help us recover from the cold before taking the train back to Brussels.

The weather forecast is sunny but cold (max 4C), so bring plenty of warm clothes. The path will be muddy or frozen and slippery in places.

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

You can find the GPX track here: https://mapy.com/s/cadogumoma

Meeting point and train
We will meet at 10h00 in front of the Starbucks in Brussels Central.
The train IC 3607 (Leuven) leaves from platform 3 at 10:16 (you can also join this train at Brussel Zuid 10:11, Brussel Noord 10:22).
It arrives at 10:41 in Leuven, where we change on to train S20 3081 (Ottignies) at 10:55 from platform D.
We arrive in Pécrot at 11:12.

Train tickets
- Single Brussels to Pécrot, € 5.70 or € 3.40 with Train+
- Single Esneux to Brussels, € 4.70 or € 2.80 with Train+
You probably want to buy the Train+ card for the introductory price of € 3 (1 month) or € 24 (12 months). It can be bought in the SNCB/NMBS app or at ticket machines.

Train back to Brussels
There are ~5 trains per hour from Leuven to Brussels.

Specifics
Distance: ~21 km
Elevation gain: ~150 m
Net walking time: ~5h
Level: Easy

In the unlikely case of too bad weather, we may cancel a hike, even a few hours before the event. If this happens, we will of course update the Meetup website and send out a message to those registered. So, it is important to have access to either the Meetup.com website and/or your email.

What to bring
- lunch - we will not stop at a cafe/restaurant for lunch
- comfortable hiking clothes – waterproof hiking shoes
- extra socks to change + compeed for blisters
- water (min 2l) and enough food for the breaks
- sun protection oil, a head and sunglasses OR a raincoat
(please consult the weather forecast on www.meteo.be)
- mosquito/tick repellent
- some money for drinks/snacks/etc

Basic rules
The number of participants is limited, so make sure that you RSVP only if you really intend to come. If your plans change, update your RSVP asap. This is basic courtesy towards others. Last day cancellations, no-shows and Internet warriors are not appreciated.
Only people whose name appears on the main list may come to the hike.

Acknowledgement of member responsibility and release of liability
You are responsible for yourself and should be fit enough if you choose to take part. As participation in this event 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.