The Hoge Kempen National Park Trail hike in the Limburg province in Flanders received a European quality certificate, the first of such walks in the region to receive this distinction.
The 110 km loop trail with seven climbs is located in Belgium's first and only national park – for now, as Wallonia and Flanders will be adding more – and is a long-distance route that shows hikers around the most beautiful spots of the site, including vast heathers, beautiful fens, wide water lakes, dunes and fragrant forests.
On Thursday, Flemish Nature Minister Zuhal Demir received the 'Leading Quality Trail - Best of Europe' certificate from the European Ramblers Association, a pan-European umbrella organisation representing more than 60 associations and over 3 million members active in hiking recreation.
The landscape of Terhills – which used to be called Connecterra — is branded 'the most beautiful panorama in Flanders.' Credit: The Brussels Times/Maïthé Chini
"With this recognition, the Hoge Kempen National Park not only confirms itself as a wonderful place in our bronze-green oak wood, but it is also the fantastic cradle for hiking, cycling, mountain biking, horseback riding or other entertainment," said Demir during the presentation of the certificate.
"With more than 1.2 million visitors a year, this park is a pole of attraction for those seeking an authentic nature experience and also proves to be an economically viable 'product' that we can all be proud of."
Meaning of the certificate
To qualify for the 'Leading Quality Trail - Best of Europe' certificate, the trail has to meet a set of conditions: for instance, at least 80% of the route must be on unpaved paths, and more than 90% must run outside built-up areas, while no more than 3% can run along a busy road.
The National Park in misty conditions. Credit: Visit Limburg
The group also looks into practical criteria for hikers themselves, such as the "per day" stage and "per route" segment, labelled per 4 km. In Europe, only 21 walking routes still met these conditions. The Belgian-Luxembourg Escapardenne Eislek Trail is one of them, but for Flanders, this marks a first.
The recognition is valid for three years and came after an "intense" evaluation process based on strict quality criteria.
About the National Park Trail hike
The hike, which was only recently created and became freely accessible in June this year, realised with support from the Countryside Plus programme, is one of the few in Flanders where people will see few buildings and traffic for more than 100 km (unlike in Wallonia, of which the landscape is much more vast and rural).
Terhills' Connecterra is now home to various species of butterflies and plants and features two mine shafts (one in its original state, one renovated), three slag heaps full of nature, extensive ponds, creeks as well as swampy and wooded areas.
The Terhills mining site in Maasmechelen. Credit: Belga/Pino Miruraca
The trail offers a wide number of stages, directions, and starting locations, meaning wanderers can easily choose the number of kilometres they walk, from the full 110 km loop to shorter variants, starting from 1.4 km. Most walkers opt for four to five-day-long stages of about 20 km.
Looking for more exciting hiking trails in Belgium? Look no further, we listed our favourites here. The other walks that were included in the list of "Leading Quality Trails – Best of Europe" can be discovered here.
