The best traffic-free bike rides around Hoeilaart

Definitely stop by Ernesto koffie (right at the roundabout Walensebaan and Smisstraat), a cozy little food truck right by the ponds. There are also cozy seating areas provided at the food truck itself. Delicious coffee and wonderful pastries. Ideal for a refueling stop. Super friendly service. Open Wednesday to Sunday from 10:30

This tour goes for kilometers through the forest. In spring it is beautiful with the hyacinths and wood anemones. In summer nice and cool.

Delicious rolling gravel

From here you have a good view of the landscape in which the Battle of Waterloo was fought, you can still clearly see the slope in the landscape that allowed the British to take up a good defensive position.

The Groenendaal racecourse was built in 1888-1889 on the initiative of Leopold II in the middle of the Sonian Forest, next to the road to Waterloo, and in 1892, as part of easy access, it received its own railway connection to Groenendaal station. To realize this racecourse, approximately 100 hectares of forest were cleared at the end of the 19th century. King Leopold II had his own box there, located between two metal grandstands for the public. After the First World War, this area was used for the dismantling of weapons and ammunition left behind in the Westhoek. German prisoners of war had to clear mines under the supervision of the Belgian army. During a fire and the subsequent explosions of ammunition on May 6, 1919, the hippodrome's grandstands and buildings were heavily damaged. After another explosion in November, the ammunition depot was completely dismantled in 1920. Two years later, the racecourse was restored and the grandstands were rebuilt. The royal box for Albert I was not rebuilt until 1924. Its appearance was completely different from the pre-war grandstand. When the current appearance came about is not entirely clear, although the current box is attributed to Albert I in the literature, see also monogram. Inventory of Immovable Heritage: Royal Box and remains of bookmaker's room, https://id.erfgoed.net/erfgoedobjecten/302991

Here in the courtyard you can get something to drink and eat (be careful, it is only open until 6 p.m.), which is a bit of a shame.

A beautiful place for rest and walking: you can stroll along it, enjoy the greenery and water, and it is part of the historical and natural charm of Tervuren.

The stream rises in the Sonian Forest near Tervuren. The Voer's sub-basin encompasses almost the entire territory of the municipalities of Tervuren and Bertem, and the western part of Leuven. The source of the Flemish Brabantse Voer is in the Kapucijnenbos (Capuchin Forest) in Tervuren, at an elevation of approximately eighty meters above sea level. Via the ponds of the Warande, it flows through Vossem, Leefdaal, and Bertem to Leuven, where it flows into the Dijle at an elevation of approximately twenty-four meters. The stream is over fifteen kilometers long. The headwaters, which are quite significant in the upper reaches, average five meters per thousand. The Voer has no tributaries other than a few streams that connect several water sources to the stream. Its basin has a surface area of approximately 5,130 hectares. It is elongated in shape, with a width that varies between three and four kilometers. The stream has undergone significant human intervention. Ponds were created, several watermills were built, and a z