The people at Bruxelles Environnment have come up with some cool ideas for living in the city.
One of their most ambitious projects was to create a 63km green route for walking and cycling around the edge of the city.
The Promenade Verte (Groene Wandeling) links many of the city’s parks, ponds, streams and forest trails. It is divided into seven sections, some more green than others.
You might start with an 8km ramble that begins near the Woluwe Shopping Centre and ends at Boitsfort town hall, taking you through several parks, across streams and along an abandoned railway line.
The wildest section runs through Uccle commune in the south of the city where a motorway was planned but never built, leaving behind patches of woodland, meadow and farmland.
You might, if you are fit, run around the entire route in a few hours. The record to beat was set recently by Koen Galle who did it in 4 hours, 13 minutes and 11 seconds.
You can download a detailed guide from the Brussels Environnement website. Most spots along the route are close to a public transport stop.
Derek Blyth’s hidden secret of the day: Derek Blyth is the author of the bestselling “The 500 Hidden Secrets of Belgium”. He picks out one of his favourite hidden secrets for The Brussels Times every day.
