Expatica news

New hiking trails in Brussels

A one kilometre walk wears down the soles of the shoes but not the hardy GR hikers.

With over 5,000 kilometres of marked trails in Brussels and Wallonia, ASBL Grande Randonnées (Great Hiking trails) presented the latest addition of its Topo-Guides, compilations of routes marked with practical information.

Mainly focused on Brussels-Capital region, the new book reveals 12 circular walks to complete in a day.

"A guidebook to Brussels was published in 2001 but it was runaway success and you can’t get hold of a copy now,” said Henry Horn, confirmed hiker and author of the new guide.

“It was therefore necessary to write a new book, especially since we have now created hiking loops and the city of Brussels is particularly well suited to this kind of walking."

These 12 hiking routes cover the territory of Brussels and 76 green spaces in its all its variety.

For the first time the GR teamed up with Brussels environment agency to share their routes and paths in the capital.

With a total of 243.5 km of route, the new guide doubles the distance covered by the previous guidebook.

Since August of 2013, several hikes have been made available via a new application for smartphones, with QR Codes enabling hikers to find out more about a particular route.

So lace up your sneakers, pack some snacks and get out and hike.

Alain Carlier, communications officer for the association said: “Hiking is not just about walking, it’s also about discovering more about our heritage and sharing experiences."

 

Together Magazine / Expatica

 

Reprinted with permission of Together Magazine.