Suburb of the Brabant Kouters & the Pearl of Brabant

A surprisingly green walk of nearly 24km through the Tangebeek and Maalbeek valleys in Flemish Brabant. This between the suburbs of Brabant's Kouters - Vilvoorde & Grimbergen - Pearl of Brabant.

A worthy title for a village center with 6 protected village views and its beautiful abbey basilica, which we see rising like a phoenix in this landscape with historic castles, watermills, and farms. We explore various nature areas such as Tangebeek Forest & Park Drie Fonteinen and see the scars of a World War in the Lint Forest & the Prinsen Forest.

A small parking lot gives us the opportunity to start immediately from a beautiful piece of nature. Tangebeek Forest located in Vilvoorde, right on the border with Grimbergen, formed by the Tangebeek. We search for some nice paths through this forest and then climb between large fields towards the top of a hill, where we get a beautiful view over Brussels' Neder-over-Heembeek and further out the Atomium. After this unpaved agricultural road, we arrive almost directly in the Prinsen Forest and the ruins of Prinsen Castle. This castle with a keep was used during World War II as an ammunition storage by the German occupier, who set it on fire in 1944 after the advance of the Allied troops. Even after these heavy explosions and fire, the western wall remained standing, which you can still see reflected in the castle pond today. In the meantime, it has been partially restored and is part of the MOT - Museum for Older Techniques - where we encounter several points along our route.

When we leave this Prinsen Forest at the level of the sports hall and football fields, we come directly into the village center of Grimbergen. This municipality in Flemish Brabant is also called the 'Pearl of Brabant', partly thanks to the beautiful Sint-Servaas basilica. A charming village with six protected village views and 28 protected monuments, including the basilica or Abbey Church of Grimbergen and the oldest still inhabited Norbertine abbey in Belgium. This abbey and its beer has the phoenix as its emblem, symbolizing the repeated rebuilding of this abbey after countless wars and pillages. Meanwhile, their beer has also been plundered and this 'abbey beer' is brewed in Alken. Fortunately, you can still visit the Abbey Beer Museum, but only by appointment.

We are lucky today that there is a market - like every Sunday every two weeks - where we can stock up for the journey. A path next to the Maalbeek takes us further, where we first encounter the Liermolen and a bit further the Tommenmolen. Both are grain watermills that were long owned by the abbey and were sold after confiscation by the French. Meanwhile, both mills are part of the MOT, where you can learn about these old techniques. A municipality with some heritage, just like the old farm - Hof Te Poddegem - a bit further along our route.

When we arrive at the Lint Forest, we notice that this forest served a different purpose. Wide asphalt roads are gradually being overtaken by this planted forest of indigenous trees and wild roses... The roaring sounds of sport planes at the nearby airport of Grimbergen confirm our impression of this atypical image of a forest. In the past, this forest was part of the airport, which was built in 1939 as a military auxiliary airfield. Unfortunately, this base fell into hostile hands as early as 1940, who expanded the airport until the liberation in 1944. After a few years of being used for other Allied missions, it has primarily been used for training pilots (at the time of Sabena) and for sport planes that are now numerous.

The northern exit of the Lint Forest leads us to Lint Castle, where we follow some open paths towards Humbeek and the Brussels-Scheldt Canal. This canal offers us a car-free but windy connection to the hamlet of Verbrande Brug. A hamlet of Grimbergen that owes its name to a bridge from 1577. This bridge was set on fire by the Spaniards to prevent an attack on Vilvoorde by the Geuzen. Also in 1914, this bridge was the scene of a counterattack on the German conqueror by our Belgian army.

We leave the canal just before the industrial area of Grimbergen, to head back towards the Tangebeek into Vilvoorde. Upon arrival at the Tangebeek, you can follow it upstream to Tangebeek Forest (the starting point) OR you can choose an extra loop to Park 3 Fonteinen. A park purchased by the city of Vilvoorde in 1956, but its origins date back to a Brussels banker at the end of the 18th century. He had his castle built here with an orangery, surrounded by beautiful gardens in the style of Versailles and an English landscape park. The orangery has since been transformed into a stylish brasserie overlooking these beautiful gardens with ponds and bridges.

A path brings us from this Drie Fonteinen Park, over the old Roman road, behind the VTM buildings and next to the Brussels Ring back near the Tangebeek Forest. With the main aim of our trails - 'as much unpaved as possible' - we do not choose the Albert I lane, but head back to the Tangebeek to choose the nicest trails back towards the parking lot.