Belgique
Description
This small kingdom has some surprisingly lovely landscapes. The Wallonian Ardennes region in the southeast is most famous among hikers, with its densely wooded river valleys and farm lands higher up on the undulating plateaus. In the northeast are the mysterious Hautes Fagnes, an upland plain of peat moors, partly in the Ardennes and partly in the Eifel region, and now a nature reserve that offers stunning beauty in all seasons. The north and west of Belgium, known as Flanders, is mostly low flat countryside, but nonetheless traversed by a myriad of long distance hiking trails, some of which lead through historic towns like Bruges and Ghent.
The majority of Belgian long distance hiking trails are known as GR's, a conveniently bi-lingual abbreviation of Grande Randonnees (French) or Grote Routepaden (Dutch). European long distance trails E2, E3 and E9 all lead through Belgium, and coincide with GR's.
Along the GR's, small hotels, B&B's and camping sites can be found in almost every village or town. Walking Belgium is a fun experience, frequently taking you back in time to what appears to be some older version of Europe. The often somewhat ramshackle towns, quaint shops and cafe's, old-fashioned politeness, excellent food and beer, there is simply no hurry to modernize, just live for the moment.