Paulette's walk in the Rouge-Cloitre on August 30th 2010

The continuous rain of the last 3 days made the paths of our lovely walk extremely muddy. Nevertheless the attendance was high, the mood was good and the forest green colours were brilliant. The walk took us on little meandering paths, on boardwalks, across a bridge on a little pond where you can watch nuthatches and dragonflies when the sun shines, then up some stairs to wider and more comfortable trails. It was nice to re-emerge from the forest at the old Rouge-Cloitre property along the big ponds. As we were a little before schedule when we came back, we were able to get into the ADEPS café next to the car park.

Paulette's walk in Ohain/Lasne on August 27th 2010

With road works in the main square, we were happy to discover a very convenient car park near the maison communale. This is the real “walk in the woods” type of walk, first following the Smohain stream as it meandered along, then forging a path through a tall cornfield, like something straight out of Gulliver’s Travels! We even found a mini Christopher Columbus boat in front of a pond! The walk took us past the Waterloo golf club to Lasne, where we were warmly welcomed with delicious muffins, cheesecake and biscuits by Christa into her lovely house.

Veronique's photos of the Fagnes walk

To see Veronique's photos, click on the green text above.

Sue's walk at Plancenoit

 

Here is the map. We walked for 7.1km, took 1hr 45mins at an average speed of 4.4kph and used 375 calories. The red line fills in for the bit before I remembered to turn on the Garmin. Hmm. I have adjusted the times etc to compensate!

 

 

We gathered in the square at Plancenoit for Sue's walk.

 

 

 

After the rain we'd had it was a miracle that we walked (relatively) mud-free, despite the puddles. One or two hills tested our ability to chat whilst walking, but we won through!

 

 

Charlotte and Friend ...

The sun eventually came out and we could have tea outside on Sue's terrace. Wonderful cake, WIC Walkers to talk to and sunshine. What more could you want?

Sheila and Keith's special walk in the Hautes Fagnes

Today Sheila and Keith took 24 intrepid walkers on an expedition to the remote Hautes Fagnes area in the far east of Belgium. We were happy to welcome many husbands and partners on this special weekend walk and to meet up again with some of our walking friends that we have not seen for a while.

We began our walk at Baraque Michel, where Keith gave us a very interesting talk on the history of the area and showed us our route on the map.

It was difficult to get such a big group to stay still for a picture.....

We had perfect weather for our walk today - sunny and warm with a cool refreshing breeze. The countryside was lush and green after the recent rain but thankfully there was not too much mud.

Mid-way through our walk we stopped for lunch at the restaurant beside the Signal de Botrange, the highest point in Belgium at 694 metres! We were pleased that they served our refreshing drinks quickly, but we had to wait a while for the food. However, that gave us plenty of time to catch up on all our news!

Thank you Sheila and Keith for organising this splendid trip for us. We all had a great day and we're looking forward to the next one!

View Dolphine's Photos!!!

To view the photos Dolphine took on the Saturday walk follow the instructions then hit the back arrow to return to the blog. Click here for photos!

Paulette's walk in Ittre on August 20th 2010

The walk in Ittre was very pleasant, as usual. This time, the sun was high in the sky, the temperature soared to 25C and we had to add sun cream before starting our two-hour walk.

At first, we walked on a shaded path along a stream for 45 minutes. A lovely surprise was waiting for us when we emerged into the open. A new-born foal, its coat like a cuddly toy, was standing next to its mother, all fluffy and cute, very interested in all the ladies cooing their delight. Viviane tried to offer it some grass, but it was more interested in suckling.

One hundred meters further on we discovered another newborn colt, struggling to its feet to suckle. Such a delicate, slim animal.

Even the police were moved to stop and have a look!

Finally we arrived at the Theatre de la Valette tavern where we quenched our thirst. Sheila was already sitting on the terrace and welcomed us with her big smile.

Paulette's walk in the Foret de Soignes on August 16th 2010

Eight of our bravest walkers showed up rue Nisard determined to walk in the forest in spite of very pessimistic weather forecast. And indeed, once we began to walk prepared for the worst (sturdy shoes against the mud, umbrella, raincoat, hat and stick) the “sky fell over our head”, in other words it began to rain copiously. We walked at such a good rhythm and the temperature was so mild that we had to take off raincoat and pull-over. The forest was breathing peace and our little group was walking briskly enjoying the beauty and the silence of the landscape surrounding us. At a certain point, we had to stop to admire the mist through the high green trees. It was magical! Two hours later we arrived at the Repos des chasseurs to join Sheila and 2 other brave easy walkers already sitting in front of a very desirable hot cappuccino. How comfortable to sit amongst friends in a warm and fun atmosphere on a rainy day! Sandy will be happy we did her lovely walk.