Hautes Fagnes: Signal de Botrange – Spa (28 km)

The “Hautes Fagnes” nature park is located in the east of Belgium and is one of the most special nature reserves in Europe. It’s an exceptional biotope with colorful heathlands, special plants and animals. We wil start our hike in “Signal the Botrange” (694 m), the highest point in Belgium and mostly follow the GR 573 to Spa.

On our way we walk through heathland and forests and pass by the beautiful Hoëgne valley.

After our hike we continue our good habit of taking a nice beer/pancake/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 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 07h45 in front of Starbucks in Brussels Central. The train (IC506 - Eupen) leaves from platform 3 at 08h01. It arrives at 09h22 in Verviers, where will take BUS 390 (Rocherath) at 09h45 at the sation to “Signal de Botrange”. We arrive at our destination at 10h14 and start our hike in Les Hautes Fagnes to Spa.

●● Train tickets
- single ticket Brussels to Verviers (14,90 € weekend / 9,00 € with train card+)
- single ticket fort he bus (TEC) fort he last part to Signal de Botrange
- single ticket Spa to Brussels (14,90 € weekend / 9,00 € with train card+)

●● Train back to Brussels
There is a train every hour at XX:41 (L6866 – Verviers) from platform 1. It arrives at X1:06 in Verviers where we have to change to train (IC541 – Oostende) who leaves from X1:37 from platform 5.

LAST TRAIN = 21h41

●● Specifics
distance: ~ 28 km
elevation gain: ~ 218 m
net walking time (breaks are not included here): ~ 6h30
level: intermediate – hiking experience 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.