Wild Belgium
Committed hikes in the Ardennes, via ferrata at Pont-à-Lesse and Marche-les-Dames. A proper outing without crossing the border.
Let's be honest: Belgium is not the Alps. Summits rarely break 700 m, glaciers are in museums, and the steepest slope in the kingdom gives you ten minutes of climbing. But for whoever really looks, this country delivers fine trails, deep forests, peaty plateaus, and more via ferrata than you would guess.
I am Belgian. When I come home for a few weeks of work, one thing saves my head: heading back out to walk. It is not the committed high-mountain terrain I practise in the Alps, but it is my region, I know it by heart, and it deserves far better than the top 10 circular loops rehashed everywhere else.
Hiking in Belgium
Wild itineraries between 15 and 25 km, often off the beaten track. Deep Ardennes, peaty Hautes Fagnes, lost valleys of the Famenne, the real thing, raw and lived.
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Few but fearsome. Marche-les-Dames, Pont-à-Lesse, Fond des Cris (ED), Durbuy. With gear advice, CAB access and detailed route sheets.
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