Holiday homes for hikers in Belgium

The Ardennes are Belgium's most popular hiking region, with routes along river valleys, through dense forests and past panoramic viewpoints. The High Fens offer a very different experience: open, bare and striking. The Semois valley and the Gaume are lesser known but no less beautiful.

A good walking holiday starts with a house that understands what hikers need: a drying room for wet clothes, a proper kitchen for a good evening meal and a comfortable bed to set you up for the next day. It is the small things that make the difference.

Belgium's GR trails are of excellent quality and well signposted. The GR 5, GR 15 and GR 56 in the Ardennes are particularly popular with walkers. The High Fens are unique in Europe and offer hikes through a protected peat bog. The Flemish Ardennes have rolling paths past farms and hedgerows.

Hosts in walking regions know their surroundings inside out. They can recommend the finest routes, know where the tricky sections are and how best to plan the return leg. That local knowledge is worth its weight in gold when you are walking in unfamiliar terrain.

The Ardennes are the most popular walking region in Belgium. Along the Ourthe and the Lesse, long-distance waymarked routes such as the GR 5 and the GR 15 lead through valleys, forests and along rocky ridges. Those who prefer quieter paths will find them in the Semois valley and the Gaume: a winding river landscape with little tourist infrastructure and trails that can feel entirely deserted. The High Fens are a world apart, open wind-swept peat bogs with a stillness that is hard to find anywhere else.

Anyone who prefers rolling woodland to open moorland will find a surprisingly beautiful walking landscape in the Flemish Ardennes between Ronse and Brakel. The routes here are shorter and less demanding than in the Ardennes proper, but the character of the area, with ancient hollow lanes, orchards and stream valleys, makes it very appealing for day walkers.

Location counts most. A property that sits directly on a waymarked long-distance path or local trail saves the drive or cycle ride to the starting point. You step out of the door in the morning and you are immediately on your way. Ask the owner whether the GR or a local route is accessible directly from the house: in some areas this is the norm, in others a genuine rarity.

After a long day on the trail you need accommodation set up for what walkers actually need. A drying room or a boiler cupboard for wet boots and clothing is not a given, but it is a real asset. A proper kitchen to cook a warm meal in the evening rather than relying on the village restaurant, a hot bath or shower after the last kilometre and enough space for maps and gear: these details are what separate a genuine walkers' property from an ordinary holiday flat.

Belgium has a dense network of long-distance walking routes. The GR 5 is one of the most well known: it runs from the Dutch border through the entire Ardennes all the way to Luxembourg, offering multi-day stages that can easily be broken into day sections from a base property. The GR 15 runs parallel through the valleys and is often a little gentler on the knees. The GR 56, also known as the Cantons of the East route, winds through the High Fens and the Cantons of the East and is particularly spectacular in autumn.

For less experienced walkers, day circuits of 10 to 15 kilometres along the Lesse or the Ourthe are an ideal introduction. These paths are well waymarked and pass through varied landscapes without major changes in altitude. Those looking for more ascent and technically more demanding sections will find them around Vielsalm, Malmedy and the Baraque Michel on the High Fens.

Good maps are not an optional extra but essential. The IGN topographic maps at a scale of 1:25,000 give full coverage of the Belgian walking regions and show contour lines, paths and landmarks in detail. Apps such as Komoot or RouteYou work in many areas with downloaded maps offline, but always carry a paper map as well: a flat battery or no signal in the forest is not an unusual situation.

Autumn is the best time for walking in the Ardennes: fewer tourists, vivid woodland colours and milder temperatures than in high summer. October and November are ideal for multi-day route walks. In spring, expect soft ground and muddy sections through the undergrowth. Boots with a good grip are not a luxury then. Ask the owner about trail conditions in the relevant season: they know their patch better than any app.