Meensel-Kiezegem Blossom Walk

Chasing spring fever

Never heard of Meensel? Of Meensel-Kiezegem at least, the hometown of Eddy Merckx? But even prouder than the famous cannibal, they are here for their fruit. Nowhere in Flemish Brabant will you find so many apple and pear plantations. For a few weeks around the beginning of April, the entire village is permeated with a fresh-sweet, fruity fragrance brought by the beautiful sea of blossoms.

1st stop: pink and white blossoms

We start our blossom hike at the local meeting center and follow the delicious scent to the first plantations. These seem endless! One plot flows into another as far as we can see in the gently rolling landscape. Concrete farm lanes and unpaved paths lead us behind houses and between blossoms. The spring sun plays between the delicate blossom petals, creating a pure springtime feeling. Pink blossoms become blushing apples, white blossoms elegant pears.

In full blossom time, it sparkles with experiences among the fruit trees of the Hageland.
Plan your blossom visit at www.visitvlaamsbrabant.be/bloesems.

2nd stop: Courses with Eddy

Just when you think it's time for a little break, you arrive at 't Klein Verlet. A cozy village pub where Eddy Merckx is reliving his prime years in front of the door. Cast in bronze, anyway. The grand master of racing was born in the house across the street.

Equipped? Between two houses, a somewhat hidden road leads you back into the fields and plantations. The futuristic building surrounded by fruit trees is Meensel's water tower. The view up there must be fantastic!

3rd stop: A walnut tree through the roof

At node 901, a tree grows right through the roof of a house. A walnut tree, not an apple or pear tree. It is an extraordinary work of art by Hagelander Wilfried De Cock. In total, there are thus eleven fruit sculptures in the Hageland blossom region as an ode to the fruit grower and the region. The open house around the walnut tree is called Symbiosis and symbolizes the fruit growers as family people, fused with nature, fruit growing and the landscape.

A little further on, you can't miss the artwork The Journey: as if a shiny aircraft engine towers above the landscape. It is designer Steve Spilstyns' nod to the journey of the pollen, the journey of fruit pickers from different cultures, the journey of the harvest.

4th stop: Fruit Shop

The blossom splendor is the result of patient pruning and maintenance work, often by family farmers who have nurtured the craft for generations. Like the Stockx and Vanhellemont families, names familiar to everyone here. Past De Reis artwork, it is a detour of several hundred meters to the farm store of Fruit Vanhellemont. Even when the fresh apples and pears are finished - and that is rarely thanks to the most modern storage techniques - you can browse among the jams, genevers, eggnog and many more fruity derivatives. Tip: order your farm picnic in advance via fruitvanhellemont.be.

We shouldn't carry our loot too long, because we're almost back at our starting point. But first we pass the Boerenhof café, where there's always a cycling team taking a break. And then The Wollekesthe sheep farm with the most delicious farm ice cream!

5th stop: Tip! Museum44

A great contrast to the frivolous spring atmosphere in the blossom village of Meensel, but you absolutely must enter Museum44. It tells the staggering story of the last war months of the hard-hit village.

PRACTICAL

• Meensel-Kiezege walk - 14,4 km
• Departure: Ontmoetingscentrum, Kapellekensweg 30, Meensel
• Follow the virtual nodes 255 - 323 - 256 - 250 - 253 - 252 - 268 - 901 - 900 - 92 - 93 - 254 - starting point (direction 255)
• You can shorten this walk to 5,7 km: 255 - 323 - 256 - 250 - 253 - 254 - starting point (direction 255)

Digital hiking
The nodes of the Meensel-Kiezegem Blossom Walk are not signposted on the property. Follow the nodes on the map "Walking network Hageland hills and valleys" or via the app Wandelknooppunt on your smartphone.