What we’re about
A group for the walking & outdoor enthousiasts in Brussels. Is it necessary to say more? Actually yes.
Activities
The main focus will be mostly given on one-day walks in Belgium. We will mostly follow GR-trails or other walking events that can be reached by public transportation. The trails are selected to show the best of the region they cross (nature, but also national heritage), while avoiding mass tourism areas.
RSVP'ing and no-shows
If you RSVP'd yes for a hike but cannot join please warn at least two day in advance. Persons who don't come or who RSVP'd yes, but change their mind at last minute will be put on the waiting list for the next activities. People who also join several activities and are on the main list of one will also be moved to the end of the waiting list.
Weather
Please note that activities are not automatically cancelled because of the weather, but they may be adapted. Some people do enjoy walking in forests during rain, really. You are asked to change your status if you don't want to join because of the weather. If there are not enough participants, the activity will be then cancelled/postponed.
Disclaimer
The Brussels Hiking Group is not meant to be a hiking club but to allow experienced hikers to announce their willingness to do a given hike, find people to go along with and have a nice day. You are not supposed to be an expert, but to know your limits and choose to participate or not to an activity accordingly. You have also to make sure that you are covered by an insurance policy that covers hiking before taking part to an activity, and you also know the risks inherent to hiking. The Brussels Hiking Group is also a platform to allow interested people to propose their own activities, on their personal initiative. The Brussels Hiking Group acts only in that case as an intermediary and its organisers could not be held responsible in case of accident.
Upcoming events (3)
See all- Summer evening hike Stockel - Cloître Rouge - Bois de la Cambre (16 km)Metro Stockel, Woluwe-Saint-Pierre
Since the weather is sunny in Brussels this week and it is always nice to get outside after a day in the office I’m organizing an evening walk in the parks and forest around our capital.
During this hike we will follow some parts of the “promenade verte” and walk the old “Chemin de fer”, pass the Cloitre Rouge abbaye, see some nice parks and ponds and walk trough the the "Soignies Forest".
After the hike we will continue our good habit of having an ice cream/pancake/ nice drink in “Le Kiosque” in Bois-de-la-Cambre before returning back home. www.lekiosque.eu
Please don't forget to pay Maikel a drink :-)
We will walk at an average speed of 5km/h. We will walk both on paved and unpaved roads. I’ve never walked this road before, so it’s possible there are some mistakes in the planning.
●●Meeting point
We meet at 17h50 in front of the Metro Station in Stockel (Avenue de Hinnisdael). Stockel is the terminus station on the Metro Line 1. We start our hike at 18h00.●● Specifics
Distance: ~ 16 km
Elevation gain: ~ 189 m
Net walking time (breaks are not counted in here) ~ 3h30
Level: easy – open for everyone●● What to bring
- comfortable hiking clothes
- water and snacks for short breaks
- a (head)flashlight for when it gets dark in the evening
- 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 minute 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. - Hike Visé – Abbaye du Val Dieu – Voeren area (30 km loop) - max 20 persBrussel-Centraal, Bruxelles
For this hike we will walk through the “Voerstreek”, with just over 5000 hectares in the province “Limburg”. In this hilly region there are six villages and sixteen hamlets that together form the municipality of Voeren. For this hike we will follow partly the GR 5 and GR 563 until the “Abbaye du Val Dieu” www.abbaye-du-val-dieu.be/en with its nice beers www.val-dieu.com where we will have our lunch. Afterwards we will follow mostly the GR 128 to return to Visé .
After our hike we continue our good habit of taking a nice drink/ice cream/snack in a local pub in Visé before returning to Brussels.
Please don't forget to pay Maikel a drink :-)
We will walk at an average speed of 5km/h. 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 07h45 in front of the Starbucks in Brussels Central. The train (IC506 – Welkenraeth) leaves from platform 3 at 08h01. It arrives at 09h18 in Liège-Guillemins at platform 1 where we change to train (S43 1819 – Aachen) leaving from platform 2 at 10h08. We arrive at our destination Wezet/Visé at 10h26 and start our hike.●● Train tickets
The cheapest way to travel is to use a railpass (€ 10.50 for each way)
www.belgiantrain.be/en/tickets-and-railcards/railpass●● Trains back to Brussels:
There is a train every hour at XX:33 (S43 18945 – Liège Guillemens) from platform 2. It arrives at XX:50 in Liège Guillemins, where we have to change the train (IC542 – Oostende) leaving at X1:39 from platform 3LAST TRAIN = 22h33
●● Specifics
distance: ~ 30 km
elevation gain: ~ 397 m
net walking time (breaks are not counted in here): ~ 6h00
level: intermediate – hiking expercience is an advantageIn 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
-sun protection oil, a head 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 minute 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. - Save the date - Coastal Hike Challange 2025 - come and do it !!!Needs location
SUBSCRIPTIONS WILL BE OPEN 2 WEEKS BEFORE THE EVENT
IN CASE OF TOO BAD WEATHER WE CAN STILL CAHNGE THE DATE OF THIS CHALLANGE
As it has become an anual tradition we will walk the Belgian coast from De Panne to Knokke-Heist again in 2025.
This hike is open to everyone who wants to take the challenge.
We plan to start our hike on Saturday around 10h00 in De Panne and finish it on Sunday morning around 08h00 in Knokke. We will walk on a mix of dunes, dikes, fields and small roads. A flat and easy landscape mixed with a refreshing sea breeze along the way.
We will devide this walk in two parts: the day part from De Panne – Oostende (where we will have a long break and some substancial dinner) and the night part from Oostene to Knokke-Heist.
People who only want to participate in the night part are welcome in Oostende to join us.
Icing on the cake is the possibility to leave by public transport almost anytime. So, everyone has the choice to decide the distance they want to do.
There is the “Kusttram” (coast tram) running along the entire Belgian seaboard, from De Panne to Knokke-Heist. At 68km in length, it is probably the longest tram line in the world with 69 stops and a tram running every 10 min. during the high season.
Stops are all listed here: www.delijn.be/nl/lijnen/lijn/5/500/2#2
Overall, this route is a great opportunity to challenge yourself with any distance (and level of fatigue) you haven’t reached yet and wouldn’t usually consider. You know it’s a safe bet, because the Kusttram is running constantly (except for the nighttime 00:30 AM – 05:00 AM), giving you as many exit doors as you wish.
Don’t think of it twice. Come and do it!
This is not a race and we don’t plan to set any record. We just want to enjoy a full day at the coast, while challenging ourselves with the distance. During this hike we can have some stops for coffee, ice cream, refreshments, beer, fries, nice views,….
Please don't forget to pay Maikel a drink :-)
●●you can find the GPX track here
will be uploaded later●●meeting point
We meet at 07h50 in front of Starbucks in Brussels Central. The train (EXP18161 – De Panne) leaves from platform 2 at 08h07. We arrive at our destination De Panne at 09h52 and start our hike.●● train tickets
The cheapest way to travel is to use a railpass (€ 10.50 for each way)
www.belgiantrain.be/en/tickets-and-railcards/railpass●● specifics
Distance: up to 80 km
Elevation gain: ~ 250 m
Net walking time: ~ up to 17h00
Level: challenge open to everyone●● What to bring
- warm comfortable hiking clothes
- fleece for the night
- light shoes for a mix of terrains (sand, asphalt, dikes)
- extra socks to change + compeed for blisters
- lots of water and enough food for the breaks
- sun protection oil, a head and sunglasses OR a raincoat
(please check the weather forecast on www.meteo.be )
- flash light or headlamp for the night walk
- some money to pay Maikel a drink ;-)●● 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.
