From Rhodes-Saint-Genèse to the Solvay Estate through the forest

Park at the end of Rue Brassine in Rhodes-Saint-Genèse, near the entrance to a golf course. This street is easily accessible from one of the traffic lights on Chaussée de Waterloo.

(S/E) Continue on foot for 180 m past the barrier, then take the path on the right, across the fields. Follow it to a small road, which you should take to the left. At the junction with the main road, turn right and go downhill to pass under the ring road (motorway). Take care: although this road is quiet, it also serves as an access ramp to the ring road.

(1) After passing under the ring road, take the first path on the left (closed to cars: Drève de la Ramée). Follow it to a T-junction.

(2) Take Drève de la Sapinière,^{the second} path on the right (ignoring the small path reserved for horses).
At the next three-way junction (this junction forms a three-way junction), take the Drève Joséphine on the right. This is also the^GR® 126 (Brussels – Membre-sur-Semois). Continue to the Y-junction at the bottom of the valley and leave the^GR® to take the path on the left which winds its way up to the farm pond.

(3) At the pond, turn left and follow this main path uphill. At the top of the climb, the route crosses a lawn offering a view: to the right towards Solvay Castle, to the left towards an obelisk.
Continue along this main path until you reach the next lane.

(4) Turn left. The path runs alongside a large meadow, sometimes grazed by cows. A little further on, you’ll notice a group of three remarkable sequoias; continue along the meadow via the first path on the right. At the next bend, you’ll reach a crossroads.

(5) Leave the meadow and continue straight on along the path, ignoring a path on the left and one on the right. The path descends very steeply. At the bottom of the valley, follow it to the left and, after a steep climb, continue on the main path which eventually veers to the left and joins the Chemin de la Longue Queue.

(6) Turn right and, 200 m further on, reach a crossroads with five paths. Take the first on the left, the Drève de la Meute (Meutedreef). After about 500 m, follow the path to the left after the descent and the ravine (Drève Joséphine), then the first path on the right,^GR® 126. Follow it in the same direction until you pass under the motorway.

(7) Continue the walk along the^GR®, which then becomes the Wildetijmdreef. At the next junction, turn left, still following the^GR®, and continue in the same direction.
When you reach a meadow, let the^GR® branch off to the right and continue straight on for about 200 m until you reach Rue Brassine (S/E).

Avoid doing this walk at the weekend, as the forest, particularly around the Solvay Estate, is very busy.
It is possible to visit all or part of the Solvay Estate. Here is a suggestion that will extend the walk by 2 km.
At (3), turn left onto the path that goes round the pond. After walking along three sides of this rectangular pond, you’ll reach some buildings, a former farm converted into the Folon Museum (see the section ‘During the walk or nearby’). A tavern has also been set up in these buildings.
Walk through these buildings and take the first path on the left. You will enter Solvay Park proper. The path climbs towards the castle.
Walk past the castle (on the west side) and take the first path on the right. It descends towards the Longue Queue pond. Follow the pond to its northern tip. Note the rhododendron beds along the way, which are in full bloom in spring.
At the end of the path and the pond, at the crossroads, ignore the main paths and take the one on the left – barely visible – which crosses a lawn surrounded by woodland (the Pré des Pettes), climbing steadily as it follows the crest of the hill. Walk along the left-hand side of the meadow to the end (left-hand corner), where a clearly visible path leads into the woods. Continue in the same direction along this main path. At the Y-junction, turn right and continue to the meadow. Take a moment to admire the view. The path skirts part of the meadow and then joins the junction mentioned at (5). Turn right to continue.

This walk allows you to enjoy the Sonian Forest. Covering 4,383 hectares, it is the largest green space among Europe’s capital cities. As such, it is strictly protected.
It also provides easy access on foot to Solvay Park.
This is an estate that was originally part of the Sonian Forest. In 1833, the Marquis Maximilien de Béthune decided to create a park within the 341 hectares of woodland he had just purchased and cleared. In 1842, he had the château built there, modelled on the châteaux of the Loire Valley. Later, the industrialist Ernest Solvay bought the estate and bequeathed it to his two sons. They redesigned it to give it its current layout.
His grandson donated it to the Belgian State in 1968 on condition that it be preserved in its entirety and that cultural events and gatherings be promoted there.
Since then, the Folon Foundation has set up an exhibition in the château’s farmhouse featuring over 500 works by the Belgian artist Jean-Michel Folon.
The castle gardens constitute an exceptional heritage site, featuring remarkable trees, rhododendron and azalea beds, and water features. In short, there are over 450 species of wild plants, as well as a highly diverse fauna, as the park serves as a refuge for numerous birds and small mammals.
The redwoods found at (5) are a symbol of the Solvay estate, as Ernest Solvay, along with Leopold III, is said to have been one of the first to introduce redwoods. They can live for over 2,000 years and reach heights of 100 metres, with a diameter of 6 to 8 metres.