I've been wanting to visit Sonian Forest since long. Reason one, portions of it being listed under UNESCO. Reason two, its the largest urban forest in Brussels. Though that sounds fascinating, there can be a major issue! The problem with such large areas is that, when you plan to visit a small portion, that portion's interesting features can be very very lacking! I've been in a similar scenario and had a facepalm situation - it was at Epping Forest, London's largest urban forest! The trail that I went on was too boring!!! I am someone who finds things interesting that many others find boring.... and I was bored there! So....... back to Brussels!
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No kidding! It took me a year and several questions to several locals, bloggers and tourism offices and finally I chose to walk the Groenendaal trail of Sonian Forest! All the wait, the questions paid off. To say it was surreal, is an understatement!!! I am out of words to say how beautiful it was!!!
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The Sonian forest, being the largest, spreads all over the 3 regions of Belgium - Brussels, Flanders and Wallonia. Portions of the forests are protected under UNESCO as 'Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians and Other Regions of Europe'. This is shared by 12 European countries including Belgium, and Sonian is the only region in Belgium listed under this. There aren't any predators in this forest which is both a blessing and curse! This was once the home of 46 different mammals, of which 7 have already disappeared from here. Of the 39 currently present, 14 are bats! The red squirrel is considered the ambassador of the forest with graffiti representing them in Groenendaal station. Ofcourse there are several varieties of birds, insects, amphibians, mushrooms etc.
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Originally, Sonian Forest is a remnant of the centuries-old Silva Carbonaria which has been in existence since Roman era. It was an important religious site in the 12-15th C CE when many monasteries and chapels were established here! The beech trees of Sonian Forest belong to the era of Austrian Habsburgs (1714-1795), when landscape architect Joachim Zinner organized Beech plantation in a massive scale! Other trees here include the monumental Sequoia, Oats, Chestnut and even Maple!
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The trail we took was 7km, mapped by the app Route You and it began at Groenendaal Railway Station. To begin with the murals in the railway station depict the Groenendaal Ecoduct! Its like an aquaduct but for ecology - a bridge across the highway to let the animals & birds move from one side of Sonian to another without being hit by traffic! As I mentioned earlier, it majorly depicted Red Squirrel.
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The first site we crossed was ofcourse the Bosmuseum Jan van Ruusbroec. However it was closed and would open only by noon, so we proceeded. The pathway into the forest was just surreal to say the least! Its one of the most beautiful, most natural, most stunning, most picturesque places that I've seen. The autumn leaves had completely covered the paths making it look as if its untrodden, though these are actually way marked trails!!!
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The next important site was Ruusbroec church. This has been in existence since 1304 CE. By 1350 CE this became a priory which were destroyed by fire in 1435 CE. By 1606 this was abandoned and by early 17th C it was all renovated, only again to be abandoned!!
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The next stop was Groenendaal castle, which is now a place that can be hired for events and has a restaurant as well. Behind this is a very very scenic waterbody. Further ahead is another little water body with a gorgeous wooden bridge! Further ahead is the tiny little Saint Cornelius Chapel which is completely a site from a few centuries ago! This was built in end of 19th C in the memory of the martyr St.Cornelius who died in 253 C, who was also honoured in the priory here.
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Yeah, Atyudarini was asleep all this while and woke up a bit after this point... After a long walk ahead, the path went along a little stream which had very less water as of now. Later in winter, after rains, I can imagine this brimming with water! We were the only ones in the entire space apart from some occassional joggers and cyclists and mushroom pickers as well!!!
To Stay:
Hotels and B&Bs at all price points are available in Brussels City Centre.
To Get There:
From Brussels Schuman: 16km via N3 Highway.
From Brussels Schuman: 16km via N3 Highway.
Groenendaal railway station can be easily reached from Brussels (Midi, Central, Nord, Schuman) by train. From Bru-Schuman its only a 15 minute ride!
The 7km trail that we took - Route You app
The path is both wheelchair & stroller friendly.
There are no food kiosks anywhere here. There are benches scattered all over the track to rest. You could pack your food and picnic on these benches. But make sure to bring back your trash!
Timings:
Forest: 24 x 7 all days
Museum: Wed - Sat: 1:00PM - 5:00PM; Sun: 10:00AM to 5:00PM
The 7km trail that we took - Route You app
The path is both wheelchair & stroller friendly.
There are no food kiosks anywhere here. There are benches scattered all over the track to rest. You could pack your food and picnic on these benches. But make sure to bring back your trash!
Timings:
Forest: 24 x 7 all days
Museum: Wed - Sat: 1:00PM - 5:00PM; Sun: 10:00AM to 5:00PM