From Nethen to the Meerdael Forest circular

de fr

Between Walloon Brabant and the Meerdael Forest, this walk combines nature, history and legends. The Nethen, a discreet river, winds its way between meadows and woods before joining the Dyle. Its banks are home to trout, kingfishers and dragonflies.
In the Meerdael Forest and at Les 12 Bonniers, oak and beech trees dominate a world of mosses, mushrooms and discreet animals. The Ferme de la Houlotte recalls the rural life of yesteryear, while the tawny owl watches over the grounds.
The medieval mound of Nethen and the castle of Florival bear witness to the valley's feudal past. Further on, the Nethen sandpit and the Grande Marbaise reveal an ancient seascape, now a refuge for rare flora and sand lizards. At Florival and the Pécrot pond, reeds and orchids create a peaceful scene. Between rivers, forests and memories of times gone by, Nethen invites you to explore and contemplate.

Details

n°87451374
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 9.54 mi
  • ◔
    Average duration: 5h 00 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate
  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 666 ft
  • ↘
    Descent: - 669 ft
  • ▲
    Highest point: 348 ft
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 92 ft
Downloads
Open in the mobile app
Download GPX GPX
Download PDF PDF

Photos

Passage beneath Florival station
The marshes
Petit Damme in Pécrot
path

Waypoints

  1. S/E : mi 0 - alt. 148 ft - Nethen
  2. 1 : mi 0.3 - alt. 135 ft - La Néthen
  3. 2 : mi 1.08 - alt. 282 ft - Entrance to the forest
  4. 3 : mi 3.22 - alt. 112 ft - La Néthen
  5. 4 : mi 5.63 - alt. 141 ft - Pécrot
  6. 5 : mi 5.91 - alt. 98 ft - Pond
  7. 6 : mi 6.63 - alt. 95 ft - Dyle (rivière) - Belgique
  8. 7 : mi 7.68 - alt. 144 ft - Florival
  9. S/E : mi 9.54 - alt. 144 ft - Nethen

Reviews and comments

4.6 / 5
Based on 4 reviews
Ease of following the route
4.8 / 5
Route interest
4.5 / 5
User 22780025

Overall rating : 4.5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 17, 2026
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A really lovely walk – everything was absolutely stunning.

Machine-translated

Michel josquin
Michel josquin

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 06, 2026
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Beautiful trails under clear skies and in perfect weather for walkers!
Don’t miss... 3 km before the finish, near Florival station, a little café offers a welcome break...

Machine-translated

HARDIV
HARDIV
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.5 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 29, 2026
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A lovely walk this spring.
We particularly enjoyed the section around the Pécrot ponds and the valley. (between points 5 & 7)
And what’s more, there’s very little road.

Machine-translated

User 10963885

Overall rating : 4.5 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 20, 2026
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A lovely route of just over 15 kilometres through fields and woods.
A few short sections were muddy.
But I really enjoyed riding this route.

Machine-translated

Other walks in the area

Walking Countryside and forest in Brabant around Pécrot-Nethen

Visorando Member
Campagne et forêt dans le Brabant autour de Pécrot-Nethen
↔5.45 mi ↗+377 ft ↘-361 ft ◔2h 50 ▲Easy
⚑Departure from Grez-Doiceau (Brabant Wallon)
An easy walk through woods and along the Meerdaal Forest and meadows with beautiful views of the Nethen valley.

Walking Circular in Brabant starting from Bossut

Visorando Member
Boucle en brabant(s) au départ de Bossut
↔12.66 mi ↗+696 ft ↘-686 ft ◔6h 25 ▲Difficult
⚑Departure from Grez-Doiceau (Brabant Wallon)
The villages of Bossut and Gottechain were merged in 1811 to form the municipality of Bossut-Gottechain. The 1977 municipal reform incorporated both into the entity of Grez-Doiceau.With this little page of Belgian history turned, the walk starts from the square in Bossut and takes you on a route that is more rural in Wallonia and more wooded in Flanders (Meerdaalbos), another Belgian story as the route straddles the two neighbouring provinces of Brabant.

Walking Short tour of Ottenburg

Visorando Member
Petit tour d'Ottenburg
↔9.08 mi ↗+486 ft ↘-482 ft ◔4h 35 ▲Moderate
⚑Departure from Huldenberg (Brabant flamand)
This invitation to discover Walloon Brabant, on the border between Flemish Brabant and Walloon Brabant, alternates between countryside and forest, nature and urban areas, as well as a short section in the northern zone of Wavre, passing by the unmissable GSK, one of the largest employers in Wallonia.

Walking Circular between Zoet Water and the Heverleebos Arboretum

Visorando Member
Boucle entre Zoet Water et l'Arboretum du Heverleebos
↔6.28 mi ↗+279 ft ↘-279 ft ◔3h 10 ▲Moderate
⚑Departure from Oud-Heverlee (Brabant flamand)
The Heverleebos is mainly planted with majestic beech and pine trees and criss-crossed by magnificent avenues. A few winding paths break up the sometimes overly linear appearance of this forest area.

Walking Nodebais and Beauvechain

Visorando Member
↔6.56 mi ↗+207 ft ↘-200 ft ◔3h 10 ▲Easy
⚑Departure from Beauvechain (Brabant Wallon)
A very beautiful walk. Starting near the Nodebais pond. Passing by a few houses decorated by local artists (ceramics on the facades) then along paths through the countryside. There are few roads on this walk, mainly country lanes.

Walking Circular route around Grez-Doiceau

Visorando Member
↔4.87 mi ↗+230 ft ↘-226 ft ◔2h 25 ▲Easy
⚑Departure from Grez-Doiceau (Brabant Wallon)
A short 8 km circular walk starting from the Grez-Doiceau Post Office. This walk takes you along the cycle path, footpaths, fields and woods. You will pass through a few streets in Grez-Doiceau, but the route is mostly sheltered from traffic, except for a straight stretch towards Biez. A simple yet varied route ideal for daily walks starting from Grez.

Walking Ijse Valley in Huldenberg

Association / Club / Walk leader
Vallée de l'Ijse à Huldenberg
↔9.51 mi ↗+348 ft ↘-325 ft ◔4h 40 ▲Moderate
⚑Departure from Huldenberg (Brabant flamand)
This walk is suitable for Nordic walking. Huldenberg is a municipality in the province of Flemish Brabant, not far from the linguistic border. The region is known for its table grape cultivation and the De Doode Bemde nature reserve. Doode means 'dead' (soil unsuitable for agriculture) and Bemde means 'wet meadow'.

Walking Forest walk at Fort des Voiles

Visorando Member
Balade forestière au Fort des Voiles
↔8.96 mi ↗+682 ft ↘-696 ft ◔4h 45 ▲Moderate
⚑Departure from Chaumont-Gistoux (Brabant Wallon)
The Fort des Voiles, also known as Ferme Rose for obvious reasons, was successively used as a glass furnace, a flour mill and a fish farm (trout).The name Fort des Voiles is thought to come from a distortion of "for à voires", which in Walloon means "glass furnace".In the 17th century, the glass industry required a lot of wood, which would explain its geographical location.The fish farm was created a little further down, along the Ruisseau du Glabais stream, and operated from 1950 until around 2000, when the presence of beavers and a sewage treatment plant, located upstream of the stream and inadequately protected against flooding, forced the owners to cease operations for health reasons.The current buildings date from the 1920s.

For more walks, use our search engine .

The GPS track and description are the property of this route's author. Please do not copy them without permission.