Ruins Abbey of Villers (Villers-La-Ville to Ottignies, 25km)

On Sunday I am proposing a hike close to Brussels. We will start in the tiny village Villers-La-Ville, which is known for its impressive ruins of a former abbey. Subsequently, we will walk through a forest and agricultural areas. This region also has wine producers, so we might also encounter some vineyards on the way. At our destination Ottignies we will probably find an open bar for a drink.

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 5 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.

●●You can find the track here:
https://loc.wiki/t/252023497?wa=sc

●●Meeting point:
We meet at 10h40 in Villers-La-Ville (in front of the railway station). If you start from Brussels-Central, you should take train IC 2109 towards Marbehan at 9h37. In Ottignies you have eight minutes to change to train S61 4560 direction Jambes at 10h23. You should get out in Villers-La-Ville. In Brussels, you can find me in the first car of the train.
●● Train tickets:
Return ticket Brussels-Villers should be fine.
●● Back to Brussels:
In Ottignies there is at least one direct train per hour back to Brussels.
●● Specifics:
Distance: ca 25km
Elevation gain: 300m
Net walking time: ca 5-6h
Weather forecast: Probably 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/)](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!