In the green countryside from Uccle Calevoet station

The walk starts in front of Uccle Calevoet station, which is very easy to reach by train – a five- or ten-minute journey from Brussels Midi or Brussels Central stations. It takes about twenty minutes from Brussels North station.
By car, the station car park is located on the side facing Chaussée d’Alsemberg and Dieweg.
Tram 51 and buses 60, 70 and 43 also serve this side of the station.
To start this walk, head towards Rue Egide Van Oppem; a passageway under the station provides easy access.

(S/E) Take Rue François Vervloet, directly opposite the station. Then follow the path which continues slightly to the left into Keyenbempt Park, keeping in the same direction. After the steps, carry on straight ahead and cross the small bridge over the Geleytsbeek.

(1) Carry on straight ahead and rejoin the continuation of Rue François Vervloet. After 500 m, turn left onto Rue des Trois Rois and follow it to a T-junction. Turn right onto Chaussée de Drogenbos.

(2) At the end, turn left past Calmeyn Castle and its extensive grounds. After 250 m, turn right onto Nieuwstraat, which runs alongside the wall of the Calmeyn estate. Continue along this road for 1.5 km until the first set of streets on the right.

(3) Turn right onto the Wandelpad, signposted with a sign. Follow this path until it reaches a junction and cross the railway bridge on the right.

(4) As you come off the bridge, turn right and follow the^GR®12. After a climb, take in the view of the surrounding countryside. The path descends and joins a small road. Turn right and, just after the bridge, follow the path on the left which runs alongside the railway line you crossed just before. Continue to Beersel station.

(5) After the station, turn left and go under the railway line, still following the^GR® 12. Cross Kasteelstraat and continue along the small cobbled road that climbs (Beukenlandschap) until you reach a sign at the entrance to a footpath marked ‘Voetweg’, as well as the^{GR® 12}markings and the Way of St James sign.

(6) Continue along this path to the end, still following the^GR® 12. To do this, cross Laarheidestraat and Grote Baan.

(7) After passing through a wood, you’ll reach a main road, Sanatoriumstraat, and follow it to the left. Please note that this road is very busy, but you can walk on the cycle lanes on either side. After passing a few houses, take the path on the right which leads into the woods. Then take the first path on the left. The aim is to follow the route as it winds through the woods. You’ll come to a roundabout next to which stands a huge water tower. Cross the road and take the small road on the left (this is still Sanatoriumstraat).

(8) Carry on for 100 metres and, at the bend, continue straight ahead along the small path (easy to spot thanks to the bench and the wayside shrine at the entrance) which joins the Chaussée d’Alsemberg. Cross the road , taking great care to watch out for traffic. Follow the road to the left for about 50 metres.

(9) Turn right onto Kleerstraat and, about 100 metres further on, turn left onto Leeuwerikenlaan. Continue to the end of the street through a residential neighbourhood.

(10) At the T-junction, turn left onto Bloemendal, then take Schaveyslaan, the first street on the right. After 250 metres, you’ll come to a sign for Schaveys. This is the entrance to the park of the same name.

(11) Continue along the footpath, leaving the car park on your left. In the park, at the T-junction, turn right and follow the main path to the dog park (joining the^GR®512). Follow the^GR® through the woods to the exit. Continue to the right until you reach the start of trail 26, which you should take across the fields. You will arrive in Linkebeek.

(12) Continue to follow the^GR® 512.

(13) Cross a road (Hollebeekstraat) and take the alleyway opposite. Continue in the same direction on the^GR® along the road (Rue de Perk) which slopes down opposite the alleyway and passes under the railway line.

(14) Take the first path on the left, which climbs through meadows. At the crossroads, carry on straight ahead towards a stream. Cross it and climb straight up alongside a meadow and the Ferme Saint-Éloi. Join Avenue des Hospices in Uccle.

(15) Turn left, then ignore the first street on the right (Rue de la Forêt) and take the next small path, which climbs between the gardens of the Homborch housing estate to Rue des Faons. Walk a few steps to the right to find, on the left, a path that winds through a small wood and joins Avenue Reinaert De Vos at an unusual cross-shaped sculpture.

(16) Turn right and continue straight on in the same direction. The street continues as Avenue du Hérisson. At the T-junction, turn right onto Avenue de la Gazelle.

(17) At the next junction, on the left, climb a flight of steps and continue along a footpath. In the woods, join another footpath: this is the Promenade Verte, which circles the Brussels metropolitan area. Then turn left. Pass under the railway bridge and, just after that, on the descent, veer left, still following the Promenade Verte. Shortly afterwards, turn right.

(18) Turn left to cross the Kinsendal nature reserve. Continue along this path past Rue Engeland, leaving the Promenade Verte behind as you head north-west. Join Rue du Roseau (cobbled) and follow it to the right.

(19) At a large junction, turn left and go under the railway bridge. Immediately afterwards, turn right into a small park, alongside the Geleytsbeek stream. Follow a concrete path for pedestrians and cyclists, which leads to the entrance to Keyenbempt Park. Turn right to reach the starting point (S/E).

There are one or two restaurants opposite the station, one of which is well-known.
Near the entrance to Keyenbempt Park, at point (1), at the end of the route, before turning right to head back up towards the station along the same Chaussée d’Alsemberg, turn left at the junction. 50 metres on, there’s a chip shop, and opposite it, a good ice-cream parlour.
In Beersel, near the castle, there is a brasserie.
There is also a restaurant just as you come out onto the Chaussée d’Alsemberg. Check opening times in advance.
Finally, you can have a picnic in Schaveys Park, where there are benches.

In centuries past, the region was picturesque, and more than one castle was built there. The walk passes two castles.

(1) . Calmeyn Castle in Drogenbos is a private, Italian-style castle, designed by the architect Jean-Pierre Cluysenaar and built in 1852 and 1853 on a 50-hectare estate that was once part of the Soignes Forest (Wikipedia). Unfortunately, it is not open to the public, which is a shame, as the grounds must be magnificent and still well-preserved.

(4) Beersel Castle was built in the 1300s. It is a typical ‘lowland’ fortress with an asymmetrical shape, surrounded by wide moats, featuring three towers but no keep in the traditional sense. It was restored in the 15th century and remained well-preserved until the 18th century. At that time, the owners deemed it rather uncomfortable and abandoned it, leaving it to fall into ruin. This castle is open to visitors and events are sometimes held there. The place is full of charm, but unfortunately only ruins remain.

(14). The garden city of Homborch was built between 1928 and 1930 by the architect Fernand Bodson to reduce the large number of dilapidated dwellings and shanty towns. It was a low-cost project, and it is said that the final stages of the build were complicated, with the architect having to regularly go to the station himself to recruit workers and bring them to the site! Here, there are no opulent villas like those seen in other parts of Uccle, but rather small white houses, a village-like atmosphere, and a very diverse population today. This housing estate blends much better into the landscape than the new developments that continue to spring up everywhere.

(16) The 60-kilometre-long greenway that circles the Brussels metropolitan area passes through protected areas. Unfortunately – and this is very evident here – beyond the steps, the woodland surrounding the path has been severely impacted to make way for a ‘modern’ housing development, rather misnamed ‘Les promenades d’Uccle’.

(18) The pressure from property development is enormous in Brussels and the surrounding area. This is why neighbourhood committees, particularly in Uccle, are fighting hard to preserve natural areas such as the Kinsendael, which is rich in wetland flora and fauna. This is one of the sources of the Geleytsbeek.

The Geleytsbeek is a small stream that flows into the Senne. Upstream from the Kinsendael there used to be numerous small ponds, which were frequented by anglers right up until the 1960s. As a result of urban development, some of these ponds have been drained or surrounded by buildings. Until recently, it also served as a sewer. Major works have enabled the separation of the sewerage pipes and the restoration of the stream. See also the website ‘The sources of the Geleytsbeek in Uccle’. This is an 8.5 km guided walk around the stream.