Westmalle: you know it as one of Belgium’s best brews, but it’s also the name of the village and the abbey in Antwerp province where the renowned Trappist beer is made.
The Westmalle Abbey was originally founded in 1794 by a group of Cistercian monks fleeing the French revolution. It’s now one of only seven abbeys in the world to produce Trappist beer. For a brewery to be blessed with the Trappist title, it has to meet strict standards. Monks must be involved in the brewing process, for example, and profits from sales have to go back into the company or to charity.
Westmalle is perhaps lesser known for its scenery than for its beer, but the beautiful, eight-kilometre Trappistenpad walking route around the Westmalle Abbey and through the surrounding farmland and Molenbos forest will not disappoint.
Begin at the brick entrance road to the abbey, across from the Café Trappisten. Here you’ll find a posted map for the Trappistenpad and also the Trappistenroute – a 44-kilometre bike path that starts here as well. You’ll see the walled-off complex of monastery buildings to your right in the distance, behind a line of trees.
The walking route is relatively well marked with orange arrows. But you can buy “Wandelen in Malle” a series of eight walking routes in the area, including the Trappistenpad, at the Malle tourist office.
The map is not terribly detailed but will help keep you on track. It also describes (in Dutch) what you’ll see along the way and gives you some historical context for the walk. Parking is available at Café Trappisten, and they have a map of the route as well.
On your left as you set out, you’ll see the Sint-Bernarduskapel – a tiny chapel built by the abbey in 1947 after it was spared in the Second World War. Two fighter planes crashed near here, and there is a memorial plaque inside the chapel dedicated to those who lost their lives.
Next you’ll pass the main entrance and gateway to the abbey, where you have a nice view of the clock tower. The abbey complex also includes a cheese-making facility and farm, as well as the brewery.
The abbey is closed to the public, but if you knock on the big, wooden door at this entrance, you can buy traditionally made Trappist cheese directly from monks (except on Sundays and holidays). The semi-hard, unpasteurised cheese is made by the monks themselves and contains all natural ingredients, including full-cream milk from the abbey’s own cows. You can choose from jong or oude (young or old), but you have to buy at least 1.5 kilos. Still, at €9 per kilo, it’s a delicious bargain.
The tree-lined path eventually turns into a dirt road and you pass some fields, where you might see horses or sheep and certainly farmhouses. You’ll pass the gates of the old Lizzie Marsily Sanatorium for tuberculosis patients (now a rest home for the elderly). Soon you’ll be deeper in the Molenbos, a 175-hectare forest with a number of marked footpaths.
A short, side trail on the right (past two stone, pagoda-style columns) takes you to the site of a late 18th-century chapel where those who were ill or in need of comfort would come to pray. The chapel was destroyed long ago, but it still features a statue of the Virgin Mary and is considered a sacred place.
On my recent visit, the surrounding forest was carpeted with fallen, golden-brown leaves. Stately, deciduous trees line much of the walk, but the forest is also peppered with conifers and bright green moss, providing a pretty contrast of colours.
Eventually the landscape turns back to farmland. After about three hours, the walking loop returns you to the other side of the monastery complex, near the brewery.
The trail was easy but muddy in some spots, so appropriate footwear is essential. It’s possible to bring a buggy on this walk (as two of my friends can attest), just make sure it’s of the sturdy, bigwheeled variety. And if you bring a dog, make sure it’s on-leash.
You can’t leave Westmalle without sampling the fruits of the monks’ labour. Café Trappisten is, wouldn’t you know it, conveniently located across the road from the entrance to the abbey and has Westmalle brews on tap. Here you can sample the complex and fruity tripel, often referred to as “the mother of all tripels,” or the darker and richer dubbel.
If you can’t decide, order a “half & half” which combines the two. While you enjoy the beer, you can also watch a movie about how it was brewed (just ask your server to set it up).
If you’ve worked up an appetite on the walk, you are in luck. The extensive menu at Café Trappisten features several hearty items like stoofvlees (beef stew), prepared with Trappist beer using “grandmother’s recipe.” Westmalle’s Trappist cheese is also prominent in the menu, with items like the Trappist croque, cheese croquettes and quiche, or the decadent macaroni and Trappist cheese with ham.
GETTING THERE
You can get directly to the start of the walk on public transport. From Franklin Rooseveltplaats in Antwerp, take bus 410 “Antwerpen – Turnhout.” It’s about a 35-minute ride to Westmalle. Ask the driver to drop you off at the Café Trappisten.
ONCE YOU'RE THERE
Café Trappisten
Antwerpsesteenweg 487 Westmalle
Open daily from 10:00 until midnight
Westmalle Abbey
www.trappistewestmalle.be
Tourism Malle Antwerpsesteenweg 246 Westmalle
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