The best walks and hikes around Ixelles - Elsene

Known for its distinctive shape with three protrusions that resemble the toes of a goose foot.

Just rest...

A monumental stone circle resembling a miniature version of Stonehenge. Located in a clearing in the woods near Duboislaan, this monument consists of eleven menhirs arranged in a circle around a large dolmen. Although it resembles an ancient megalithic monument, it is actually a memorial dating from 1920 for the forest rangers who died during the First World War. The stones are made of Wéris puddingstone, the same rock used in the prehistoric megaliths of that region. The monument was designed by artist Richard Viandier, who drew inspiration from Celtic burial rituals. This place symbolizes the forest rangers' connection to nature and therefore also has spiritual significance, similar to ancient Druid symbolism. The monument is a peaceful spot in the heart of the forest and also attracts visitors interested in history, nature, and mysticism.

one of the most beautiful trails in the Soignies forest

Any time of year... here with goldenrod. Bosvoorde pond, Vuursteenweg near IS. Just review it.

A 1600m long racecourse ideal for interval training. It has a fine gravel surface.

Here we see a watercourse, which is enough for a beaver. If the beaver builds a dam here, it can become a pond or a lake in two or three years. The animal can change an entire ecosystem, simply because its dam retains water and rain. These natural beaver dams are very efficient in combating floods and droughts, because they regulate the flow of small watercourses. Locally, they can shape the forest through flooding by flooding parts of the forest, causing the tree vegetation to die. When the beavers leave their dam and their beaver pond, a succession from pioneer forest to climax forest can start again after the reservoir has drained.

Beech forests are the end point of spontaneous forest evolution, they form the climax vegetation in places that are not too dry, too warm or too wet. If nature were to take its course, the beech would cover most of our continent. Old, almost untouched beech forests are extremely rare in Europe today and are mainly found in places that are difficult to exploit or develop. Compared to the rest of the world, beech forests are among the seriously endangered habitats in Europe, even though the beech as a species is not endangered. For this reason, the few remaining old and untouched European beech forests that have not or hardly been changed by humans have been included on the UNESCO World Heritage List. This cross-border heritage includes 94 sub-areas in 18 countries. Since the end of the last ice age, the European beech has spread from a few isolated refuges in the Alps, Carpathians, Dinarides, the Mediterranean and the Pyrenees over a large part of the continent in a relatively short time, a few thousand years. The success of the beech throughout Europe is due to its adaptability and tolerance to different climatic, geographical and physical conditions. These forests contain an invaluable population of old trees and a genetic reservoir of beech and many other species that depend on these old forest areas. Throughout the year and during their life cycle, beech forests undergo different stages and processes. From the germination of young trees that grow close together in their first years, to decades of competition for space, water and light, the growth into impressive trees, and finally the decay and breakdown. Without human intervention, these natural processes unfold in an undisturbed way. Together, over tens and even hundreds of years, these typical wilderness phenomena shape the forest. Please note: this information is a general description of the UNESCO World Heritage site, which is located elsewhere in the Sonian Forest. In 2017, five parts (located in Ticton, Joseph Zwaenepoel and Grippensdelle) of the Sonian Forest were recognised as UNESCO World Heritage as part of the ‘Ancient and pristine beech forests of the Carpathians and other regions of Europe’. It is the only UNESCO natural world heritage site in Belgium.