Hike Godinne – Abbey of Maredsous – Yvoir (27 km)

This hike takes us through the forests of the Ardennes between Namur and Dinant passing several picturesque villages along the way. We start in Godinne where we enter the forest almost immediately after leaving the village. The route leads us to the Abbey of Maredsous where we take a well‑deserved break to taste their famous beers and cheeses www.tourisme-maredsous.be/?lang=en

After this stop we continue towards the Château de Montaigle, the impressive castle ruins near Falaën. For the final part of the hike we mainly follow the GR 129 guiding us through the Ardennes landscape to our destination Yvoir.

After our hike we continue our good habit of taking a nice beer/pancake/snack in a local pub in Yvoir before returning to Brussels.

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

We will walk at an average speed of 5km/h 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. This means it could become longer.

●●Meeting point
We meet at 08h50 in front of Starbucks in Brussels Central. The train (IC2509 – Yvoir) leaves from platform 3 at 09h07. We arrive at our destination Godinne at 10h35 and start our hike to the Maredsous Abbey and Yvoir.

●● Train tickets
- single ticket Brussels to Godinne (9,60 € weekend / 5,80 € with train card+)
- single ticket Yvoir to Brussels (10,20 € weekend / 6,10 € with train card+)

●● Trains back to Brussels
There is a direct train every hour from Yvoir to Brussels at xx:21

LAST TRAIN = 21h21

●● Specifics
distance: ~ 27 km
elevation gain: ~ 502 m
net walking time (breaks are not included 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 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, tick repellent, a hat and sunglasses OR a raincoat
(please consult the weather forecast on www.meteo.be)
- some cash 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 so other people still have the possibility to join. This is basic courtesy towards others. People who cancel at the last day (24h) or don’t show up for the hike will be blacklisted for future hikes.

When you are on the waitinglist it means you should not come to the hike. When there is no +1 function it means you can't bring any guests. Everyone should register for him/her self.

●● 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.