Walking between West Flanders hidden fields, Belgium

Living in West Flanders we are surrounded by beautiful forests and open fields. These are the three places I think are the most beautiful and peaceful to go walk and explore. In each one, you can easily follow the signposts without getting lost. It is not easy to know the existence of these hidden fields if you are not a local.

The Blankaart

One of my favorite places to go walk is the nature park "De Blankaart", located in Diksmuide. Starting from the information center at the castle of the Blankaart, you are surrounded by trees and water. Later on you get to open fields and because there are many farmers in the neighborhood, there is a chance of finding cows, sheeps or even some donkeys on your route. These animals are used to seeing people, so you can just walk around them and continue your walk. This is also the ideal place to go to for spotting birds.

Every first Sunday of the month there is the option of a free guided tour, starting at the castle at 14:30 as well. If it has been raining a lot, it might be better not to go and walk since the walkways will be flooded by water and mud.

The forest of Wijnendale

This forest is known for its beautiful oaks, and so the ideal spot for a relaxing walk in the fall. I have heard that late in the evening you can even spot bats, but I myself haven't been there in the evening yet. This is one of the more quieter forests, so an ideal place if you are looking for a place to relax. It is also the ideal place to go for a walk furry friend.

Drie Kastelenroute

The name of this walk is "the three castles route", and as the name suggests is situated between three castles in Bruges. The thing I like the most about this forest is that there are multiple starting points for this walk. You can take different walks in this forest for multiple days in a row and still see different places of the South of Bruges. In the summer (until October 31), you can also visit the herb garden of the Tudor castle.

These places full of forests, open fields and animals are a true resting spot from the busy cities. If you like walking around nature in West Flanders and discovering hidden places then you will probably also be a big fan of the village Moere.

Blankaart

Iepersteenweg 56, 8650 Diksmuide, Belgium

Forest of Wijnendale

Fonteinpad 2, 8480 Torhout, Belgium

Drie Kastelenroute

Bruges, Belgium