The bluebells are coming: Where to see purple carpets this spring
While the Hallerbos in Flemish Brabant is truly the queen of bluebell forests, there are others in Flanders that have far fewer crowds and are sublimely beautiful in their own right
Hell’s Kettle
Make no mistake: Hallerbos is the queen of bluebell seekers for a reason. The sheer mass of forest floor blooms is a sight that is tough to match. Criss-crossed by trails, the Hallerbos is a serious fairy-tale experience in April, and anyone who lives in Belgium should see it at least once.
There is a dark side to being number one of course: crowds. Tens of thousands of people arrive in April via trains, cars and tour buses to see one of Flanders’ most beautiful spectacles. If you do go, try to make it on a weekday, preferably by 10.00 or after 16.30. There are free De Lijn shuttle buses from the Halle train station to the forest on the weekends of 13-14, 20-21 and 27-28 April.
But very pretty – and much quieter – forests with an abundance of bluebells can be found dotting the southern edges of West and East Flanders. Most of them have signposted walks going through them.
Flemish Ardennes
Kluisbos in the Flemish Ardennes is a great place to start. Home to a whole recreation area, it has several signposted walks ranging from 3.2 to 9.5 kilometres. They take you through the lush forest, which includes a few areas covered in bluebells. Set your GPS to Poletsestraat 69 in Kluisbergen and park in one of the free lots.
A bit to the east of Kluisbos is Brakelbos, with signposted walks between 1.7 and 10 kilometres. The beech forest and surrounding fields have an abundance of spring flowers, including a groundswell of bluebells. Park in the lot at Brakelbosstraat 31 in Brakel.
Both the Kluisbos and Brakelbos walks slip in and out of French-speaking Wallonia, so don’t be surprised if you pop into a café and find yourself ordering a bière instead of a bier.
Over in West Flanders, meanwhile, is the Helleketelbos – literally Hell’s Kettle Forest – a place not as devilish as it sounds. Rather, in April there are glorious blooms of bluebells underfoot. Helleketelbos sports a mix of tree varieties, and a criss-cross of paths pass over streams. It’s a great domain for families, with a play zone and a restaurant. The main entrance is at Vijfgemetenstraat 4, Abele (part of Poperinge).
Aside from signposted walks, Flanders’ Wandelknooppunt network consists of a series of numbered signposts, allowing people to create their own walks. The network has posts in both the Kluisbos and Brakelbos.
Photo courtesy Toerisme Oost-Vlaanderen
