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A tale of two woods

— Almost all of this walk in Flemish Brabant is under tree cover. Perfect for a hot or rainy day!”

This route runs very close to our earlier walk around Leefdaal and the Dijle.

I planned it with the expectation of rain that never came. Hence only about two kilometres actually pass through open ground, the majority rolling out instead through the woodlands of Meerdaal and Heverlee. These mixed woodlands contain some interesting features.

In the northern portion of the Heverleebos, for example, an arboretum of many different tree species from around the world occupies a roughly triangular space abutting the A3 motorway.

Meanwhile the army maintains a closed zone of the Meerdaalbos, where it operates an internationally recognised landmine detection test facility. Belgium became the first nation to ban anti-personnel landmines in 1995; until then it had been one of the world’s foremost producers of them.

• Walking route: Het Zoet Water – Heverleebos – Arboretum – Meerdaalbos – Het Zoet Water (loop) detailed commentary
• Distance: 21km
• Part of the route through the Meerdaalbos adapted from an original route by Godfried

Both the Meerdaalbos and Heverleebos were once the properties of the aristocratic Dukes d’Arenberg. The Arenberg family, one of whose titular castles stands at the north end of the Heverleebos, once presided over vast tracts of territory throughout Europe. The Belgian state sequestered the two woodlands following the First World War, possibly in the events following the Treaty of Versailles.

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Heverleebos - Meerdaalbos

The extensive woodlands south of Leuven are popular with hikers, bikers and horse riders alike.

Larger map of this route

I haven’t described this route in more detail because it would be difficult to recall the precise features beyond the general description of “trees, everywhere!” However, it should be easy enough to put together a GPS route from the map above.