"I pull the door shut behind me and step out into the world. That's the sweetest thing I do," says Koen Jansens from Mollem. Punishment, because after a serious motorcycle accident, Koen had to learn to walk again. Since then he has been unstoppable. The Death Walk, the Hageland 101, the Western Front Trail ... He takes on all major hiking challenges. But he prefers hiking close to home. The Streek-GR Green Belt, for example. Three stages take him and his wife Sandra Moyson from Kortenberg over Grimbergen to Tenberg, near Asse. A surprisingly green route through the heart of the country with knightly castles, beautiful forests, authentic pubs and rolling fields. With Koen's tips, you won't miss a single highlight!
Day 1
From Kortenberg to Grimbergen
- 25 km
- 74% unpaved paths
- Start: Station Kortenberg
- Arrival: Grimbergen Abbey
Spotting planes
The station of Kortenberg is only just behind us and the inhabited world seems to fade away. One more chicory farm passes and then only fields remain, as far as we can see. Suddenly we are startled by the roar of a plane flying low over the salt marshes to land at Brussels Airport. A little further on, we see to our left the airport' s radar installations and control tower and the church tower of Steenokkerzeel. We are clearly under a busy approach and departure route because the planes follow each other in rapid succession. The summer vacation is approaching.
Tip!
The best place to spot planes is just a detour: from the spotter's spot in Nossegem, you have a breathtaking view of runway 25L/07R.
In the hamlet of Lemmeken, we deviate briefly from the GR trail to make a stop at the memorial to the largest airplane disaster on Belgian soil. On February 15, 1961 a Sabena Boeing 707 crashed here. The 72 passengers, including the entire American figure skating team, and a farmer in the field perished. We then continue our route, cross the Haachtsesteenweg and soon find ourselves back in the peaceful greenery of the Hellebos.
Between nature and industry
We briefly cross the center of Eppegem and then continue along the quiet green banks of the Zenne. After the junction of the Zenne and the Tangebeek we follow it through the beautiful nature reserve of Dorent-Nelebroek until we finally reach the industrial area of Vilvoorde and the famous 'Verbrande Brug' (burnt bridge), a bigger contrast could hardly be greater.
Our final destination (Grimbergen) comes in sight, because once we pass the parish church on the Verbrande Brug we follow the Grote Kerkvoetweg which brings us in - almost - a straight line to the center of Grimbergen. We pass the Veldkantkapel, and in the distance we can already see the tower of the abbey. Because all that hiking made us thirsty, and our backpacks started to weigh heavily, we made a (sanitary) stop at café De Veldkant. Then we follow the Maalbeek and encounter some nice watermills, the Tommenmolen and the Liermolen to end up in the center of Grimbergen. Passing the People's Observatory Mira and the abbey brewery of Father Charles (or is it Don Carlo as it says on the license plate of his VW van) we reach today's final destination, the Basilica of Saint Servatius.
Now first go check in at B&B Den Biesthoek. We get to know Hilde and Bart, the beautiful cozy garden with all sorts of 'biestjes' (animals) and their friendly dog Koda. Quickly freshen up because tonight we dine in style in Het Fenikshof. Get the Magnus Opus Brut cold.
Day 2
From Grimbergen to Asse
- 19.1 km
- 46% unpaved paths
- Start: Abbey of Grimbergen
- Arrival: Assesteenweg in Asse (900 m from the train station)
It is 8 am and as agreed host Bart brings breakfast to our room. We enjoy it and leave in the direction of the Basilica of Saint Servatius to start our second hike.
From the abbey we head for the Prinsenbos, a beautiful large park with the ruins of the Prinsenkasteel in the middle. Beautiful and mysterious, but the ruins are only a shadow of what was once the mighty water castle of the Lords of Grimbergen. Its history goes back at least to the twelfth century and the knightly family of Berthout. In 1944, German soldiers set fire to the castle, but the keep is accessible.
Past Botanical Garden Meise
We reach the pedestrian bridge over the A12 and arrive at Botanical Garden Meise, one of the largest botanical gardens in the world. Unfortunately, our time is limited, but we will definitely return for a visit. The Streek-GR route bypasses the Botanical Garden past a lavish residential area and occasionally we can still catch a glimpse of the Botanical Garden's giant greenhouses and greenhouses. Thus we reach the Amelgem water mill on the Amelvonnebeek.
Brussels is not far away. From time to time we even see the Atomium and the Basilica of Koekelberg making a guest appearance. After a short lunch break we continue our hike and soon we see the contours of the Mort Subite brewery, the church tower and the beautiful tree of Kobbegem appear in the distance. This beautiful ash tree once served as a border tree between the municipalities of Merchtem and Asse and has been protected as a monument since 2010. We descend to the village center of Kobbegem past the brewery buildings. Through the large windows we can see the gleaming copper brewing kettles.
To Mollem
Then on towards Asse. Near the Walfergem cemetery, we see in the distance the tower of Asse's St. Martin's Church, which lost its roof tiles during a storm (or was it the Hopduvel's fault). It now goes through life as "see-through church-of-den-aldi. After this it's downhill again and we reach the roundabout on the Asseteenweg near Waarbeek, the end point of this stage.
However, we continue our hike in the direction of Mollem. Tonight we stay in B&B 't Kezenestje. We're warmly welcomed by Jos and Nadine. After a welcome drink they show us our beautiful guest room. Pretty funny and special because we're now staying about a hundred meters from our own home. But today that doesn't count and we let ourselves be pampered. First we have a nice dinner at Brasserie Industria. And then to bed, of course, because two days of backpacking makes you tired.
Day 3
From Asse to Tenberg
- 18.1 km
- 87% unpaved paths
- Start: Assesteenweg in Asse (900 m from the station)
- Arrival: Kattenberg, Asse (1500 m from station)
The night's rest in the comfortable guest room did us good. We enjoy our breakfast and a glance through the window makes us happy. After yesterday's rather cloudy day, today promises to be warm and sunny.
The beautiful Kartelobos
We set off again towards Mollem and come to a fork near Kramei Brook where the trail turns left. We continue with our Regional Green Belt trail that follows the Brussels-Dendermonde railroad line for a while. It's still early and we discover a dozen young rabbits playing in the sun along the overgrown railroad embankment. On the horizon we can see the beautiful Kartelobos forest. In spring, you can admire the purple wood hyacinths here, but even now it's lovely and peaceful.
Tip!
It's a short detour, but well worth a stop at Café Bij Stinne. Stinne herself is no longer there; the café owner passed away at the age of 91. Volunteers run the popular cafe, which is legendary in the region.
After the forest comes the climb to the Koereit and then follows the beautiful creek valley of the Beekkant which we follow up to the Dendermondsesteenweg. We cross the busy stone road and continue along the source of the Puttenbeek. Before us we see the mighty Kravaal forest appear.
The cherry blossoms of the Kravaal meadow
If we deviate briefly from the route via the Groenendreef, we reach the Kravaal meadow. There used to be so many cherry orchards here that Mazenzele was called the "white village" because in spring it was colored white by the many flowering cherry trees. Unfortunately, those cherry orchards disappeared over the years. Since January 2022, native cherry trees have been replanted here on the Kravaal meadow.
The chapels of the Ommegang
Following a path of steps, we continued along beautiful paths and bushes, descents and small climbs following one another. Horses and sheep keep an eye on us. A final climb along an old castle wall brings us to Brasserie De Koekoek, where our trail crosses the Edingsesteenweg.
On the other side of the stone road we find ourselves on the Kruisborreommegang. This old pilgrimage route runs through the most beautiful parts of Asse's nature. A rollercoaster, take this literally, of small and slightly larger chapels follow each other in rapid succession. The last chapel is also the largest: the Chapel of the Crossbreaks. We reached it after a long climb, so we stopped here to catch our breath. We are not alone here, an artist is sketching his vision of this chapel. Curious to see the result.
The last beautiful kilometers go up to Tenberg, the end point of this stage of the Regional Green Belt. However, we continue for another kilometer and via the Waalborrepark we reach the train station of Asse. Convenient that the start and finish points are so close to the train station of Asse. Tonight we end this beautiful three-day hike in style with dinner and an overnight stay in Guest Rooms Eenhoorn. Life can be beautiful after all. And you really don't have to travel far for that... We enjoyed it!
