The curious nineteenth-century Hof ter Saksen is surrounded by beautiful rambling grounds planted with ancient trees. The house was occupied by the German military in the First World War, and remained a ruin until just a few years ago with trees growing through the roof.
It has now been carefully restored, along with the former stables and orangery. You can wander in the herb garden, get lost in the arboretum or follow a meandering boardwalk through a small nature reserve.
There is also a cobbled road leading to an orchard with grazing sheep and more than seventy varieties of fruit trees, while the former orangery has been turned into a summer café serving local beers.
Derek Blyth’s hidden secret of the day: Derek Blyth is the author of the bestselling “The 500 Hidden Secrets of Belgium”. He picks out one of his favourite hidden secrets for The Brussels Times every day.
