Blossoming Orchards of Haspengouw – Alken to Sint Truiden (27 km)
Details
**This weekend’s hike takes us through the heart of Haspengouw at the peak of the blossom season.**Expect gently rolling landscapes filled with flowering apple, pear and cherry trees turning the region into a sea of white and soft pink.
We start our hike in Alken, walking through the nature reserve De Grote Beemd, following the river Herk and passing the historic Graetmolen.
From there the route leads us straight into the orchards where the blossom landscape changes with every turn. Along the way we may even come across a pop‑up bar between the orchards — the perfect place to pause, enjoy the moment and soak in the spring atmosphere.
We’ll have our lunch break near the elegant Mariagaarde Castle before continuing mostly along the GR 128 (Vlaanderenroute) towards Sint‑Truiden on quiet paths with wide views over blooming Haspengouw.
After our hike we can continue our good habit, of taking a nice beer/pancake/snack in a local pub in Sint-Truiden before returning to Brussels.
Don't forget to pay Maikel a drink :-)
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 08h20 in front of the Starbucks in Brussels Central. The train ( IC1507 Hasselt) leaves from platform 3 at 08h41. We arrive at our destination Alken at 09h49 and start our hike to Sint-Truiden.
●● Train tickets
- single ticket Brussels to Alken (11,40 € weekend / 6,80 € with train card+)
- single ticket Sint-Truiden to Brussels (10,20 € weekend / 6,10 € with train card+)
●● Trains back to Brussels:
There is a direct train train every hour from Sint-Truiden to Brussels at XX:19 from platform 1.
LAST TRAIN = 22h19
●● Specifics
distance: ~ 27 km
elevation gain: ~ 101 m
net walking time: ~ 6h00
level: easy – open to everyone
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/breaks
- sun protection oil, a hat 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 day 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.