🌳Witch hazel Arboretum Kalmthout + National park Kalmthoutse Heide hike 20km🌳

Important! You can only sign up after paying directly in advance Eur 5,- Meet up fee (without reminder). See notifications for the tickie.

We will visit the stunning botanical garden of Arboretum Kalmthout with blooming Witch hazel (Hamamelis), and hike further through Grenspark Kalmthoutse Heide National Park (-+ 20 km). Last year it was a huge success (see pictures for an impression). The arboretum is amazing with a lot of flowering plants in February giving you an early spring feeling!
After the Arboretum and a lunch break at the restaurant of the park, we will hike a loop trough the park on the Belgium side and end up back at the Kalmthout train station.

Gathering point at 10:40 @ train station Kalmthout in Belgium, nearby the Dutch border. We leave short after meeting & greeting.

Witch hazel (Hamamelis) festival @ Arboretum Kalmthout
The winter season is a special time for Arboretum Kalmthout. When most other gardens are hibernating, Kalmthout is fully alive with winter blossoms, celebrating the Witch hazel festival. The witch hazels, Hamamelis, one of the winter-flowering plants, are truly magical. Indifferent to cold or snow, the yellow, orange and red blossoms on bare branches spread a powerful but wonderfully sweet perfume through the entire garden.

This arboretum was founded in 1865, this 12,5 acre garden houses 7000 different types of plants and trees from all over the world. The witch hazel collection is the largest in Europe and contains some of the oldest recorded examples.
A special walking route takes you through this beautiful plants.
See www.arboretumkalmthout.be

Ticket
The entrance fee is € 9/ online-ticket € 8
https://webshop.arboretumkalmthout.be/Exhibitions/Overview

Grenspark Kalmthoutse heide National Park
After seeing the gardens, we will discover Grenspark Kalmthoutse Heide. This diverse and dynamic piece of 60 km2 nature in Flanders is an unreal beautiful nature reserve with different fauna and flora. It is situated on both sides of the Belgian-Dutch border and has a variety of different landscapes such as: forest, fens and lakes, heath and moor lands, land dunes and small scale farm land. Here, we will enjoy the variety of plants, trees and animals. We will also walk to the Stappers watching tower, from there we can admire the Stappers lake, the most quiet place in the park.
See https://grensparkkalmthoutseheide.com/

It will be a long day, at the end of the hike we can have drinks/bites or Belgium fries in a restaurant nearby the station before leaving home.

Notifications

• Meet up contribution fee: Euro 5,- to be paid directly when signing by tickie:
  https://www.ing.nl/payreq/m/?trxid=MbCCRHlUKudB92NGeQCXKTOFuHAcLwOU
• We walk fast at (4 to 5 km an hour average) with 2/3 breaks, you should be fit for it and used to long distance walks of -+ 15 to 20 km ;-).
• Be aware that the hike will take the whole day and that the ending time is approximate.
• Bring sufficient water, snacks and lunch, although we might stop at a restaurant.
• I advise to wear comfortable hiking shoes and gear with layers and a rain coat.
• Carpe Diem is an amateur activity group, participating is at your own risk.
• The hike might be cancelled or postponed in case of extreme bad weather or few people signed up. Check messages for last-minute updates the evening before.
• Please only sign up if you are attending to join. And change your RSVP if something unexpected occurs. Last-minutes cancellations are not appreciated and NO SHOWS will be recorded! No refund. Thank you.