What is the nature whispering us?

Forêt de Soignes or The Sonian Forest is a proper cure for an acute nature deficit. Bois de la Cambre park serves as a decent quick-fix, but only few kilometres away there’s more nature and less people.

In Belgium it’s very difficult to escape the man-made structures while outdoors, as the whole country is built up one way or another . Brussels is full of wonderful parks, but for a bit of open space and tranquility, it’s worth going the extra mile or two. To reach a forest doesn’t require travelling for hours, because the nature is relatively close.

Some 20-minute train ride from Brussels, in the Rixensart commune is the pictoresque Genval. One can also hop off few stops earlier at Groenendal station and in the same neck of woods is the lavish Château de La Hulpe.

Koningsvijvers, Hoielaart

King’s Ponds, Koningsvijvers are located some 500 metres northeast from Groenendal trains station.The actual Groenendal area can be found across and inside the the ring road within the same riverbed. The area is part of Forêt de Soignes and is located next to the ring road. The train connection serves in two ways: People without car can reach it easily and on weekends there’s plenty of empty commuter parking.

Quiet mornings

On weekends, outdoor areas are pretty empty until noon, as most people are still at the breakfast table. Using public transport or bicycle is also not a bad idea, because many outdoor spots suffer from lack of parking or overflow of cars, depending on one’s point of view.

The paths are well maintained and there aren’t really any organically formed paths which is good, as with average Belgian rainfall, they’d be muddy most of the time. In Koningsijvers, walkers, joggers, cyclists and equestrians enjoy the space in peace and harmony.

Most outdoor areas have very good signage, maps and enough benches and tables to have a picnic. Different outdoor possibilities can be discovered at the website: http://www.foret-de-soignes.be/ .There one can find tips listed for walking, jogging, riding, cycling, mountainbiking, fishing and eating.

Lac de Genval

The village of Genval is located in the Rixensart commune and bordering Overijse. Genval as a part of Rixensart belongs to Walloon Brabant and Overijse to Flemish Brabant. This provincial and linguistic border follows the river Argentine and in the 1800s in Genval there was nothing but a small pond.

Businessman Gustave Smets-Mondez (1861-1938) had the idea of building a lake that became the Lac de Genval of today. His idea was to develop the area as a spa resort. He bought some 18 hectares of the surrounding land and hired one Adrien Hubaut as the landscape architect.The lake was constructed between 1903-1904. There is indeed a spa that focuses on wellness treatments and such.

Have a seat and enjoy the view

Due to landscaping and the surrounding buildings the place is very beautiful. For a Finn used to everyman’s right a.k.a. freedom to roam,  the amount of signs prohibiting this and that is staggering. Obviously, one cannot swim in the lake, nor fish, nor sail without permission. Why anyone would bother taking a boat onto a lake that is 1km long and 250 metres wide is beyond me. But small country, small tolerances. However, admiring is free.

There are half a dozen restaurants with a lake view and the Italian restaurant La Laguna had a tasty parma ham-gorgonzola pizza that went down well with the Belgian beer on a sunny autumn day.

Meet me at the station

The lake is some 800 metres from the Genval train station. The train takes about 20 minutes. We visited the lake by car on a Sunday and it’s only few kilometres from the ring road. There’s also a cycling route following the lakeside, the Randovelo route (RV10) between Brussels and Namur.

Winter is coming

On a sunny day Lake Genval is a stunning place, but still worth a visit on a grey day. One can escape the elements to the restaurants. A walk around the lake is about 3 kilometres. The area is urban, so it’s no muddy walk in the forest. The lake is surrounded by beautiful houses from the Belle Époque, preceding the WW1.

Château de La Hulpe

In the same direction, southeast corner of the ring road is the castle of La Hulpe. It’s situated in the Domain regional Solvay park. The castle itself closed for public, but the green areas are open to the public, within the rules and regulations of course.

There’s also an art gallery La Fondation Folon and there’s no need to be hungry at this location either. In the same courtyard with the gallery is a nice Taverne de l’Homme bleu that serves earthy food and a selection of some 20 Belgian beers. 

The castle can be reached by TEC bus line 366 that departs from Place Flagey in Ixelles. Then one gets off at the stop ‘La Hulpe Etangs Solvay’. By car, exit the ring road at the junction La Hulpe/Terhulpen. There is plenty of parking near the gates and another one 200 metres away.