These are the most beautiful days in the wood. Wonderful weather to walk and to enjoy the magnificent intense colours. Direct sunlight, or shade on the bluebells changes them from light purple to intense dark blue purplish. The translucent, fragile green beech leaves start to hide the grey beech stems on the plateaus and start to fill the sky above the carpet of flowers. From the late afternoon, the air is full of a wonderful scent of flowers.
Just a few high beeches are coming into leaf yet, and even then, it are small leaves. That seems promising for the next days and the next week. Unfortunately the weather forecast for the weekend is not that bright. Every sunny day is a day to enjoy the purplish blue and translucent green spring colours in the wood, it is simply incredible that only two colours can bring such enchantment. On some places, fern leaves are unfolding between the flowers.
Let us hope that all visitors stay on the paths. This fairytale forest is so much more beautiful without trampled flowers and barren patches from people that sneaked their way into the forest.
A quiet morning and wonderful weather for a walk. Spring is at its peak in the wood that is more purplish blue by the day. Lots of anemones still bloom beautifully. On the slopes lots of bluebells are ready to bloom, on the plateaus where the bluebells can profit from the sun longer, they are thriving. The scent of the flowers in the late, sunny afternoon is an added bonus, but the real appeal are the deep purple-blue flowers and the green delicate young beech leaves that create an enchanting fairy-tale atmosphere. Not all high beech trees get leaves yet. The magical spring colours will certainly remain until after the weekend, and maybe longer, but that depends on the beech trees. It is extremely beautiful now. Do not postpone a visit. A walk in the forest is a wonderful experience on any sunny day.
These days, you can enjoy the fairy-tale colours and lights, from sunrise to sunset. Young transparent beech leaves fit perfectly with the purple blue sea of bluebells. Together they give a peaceful sensation. Even in those parts of the forest with oaks, hyacinths bloom beautifully.
In the forest, there are a lot of official paths along which this wonderful spring event can be enjoyed. But even then, a lot of visitor leave these official paths, to walk on tree leaves or through the flowers, or to sit down in the flowers to take pictures. That is a big pity, because that is exactly what bluebells can not handle. Right now, their leaves are forming a new flower bulb for next year. By trampling them, this tiny flower bulb is destroyed and there will not be a flower, only a bare patch next year. The same goes when stepping on dry beech or oak leaves between the flowers. The small root that comes from the hyacinth’s seed will not be able to penetrate the soil there, and there will be no new flower there in the future. This is how the bare patches along the paths get bigger every year and some consider them paths (but they are not official paths at all). Do you want to enjoy this beautiful forest and protect it? Then always stay on the official paths and never step on places where there are dry tree leaves, do not trample on the bluebells and their leaves. Thank you!
If the forecast is correct, Monday to Thursday will be very nice days in the forest, dry and a bit sunny. Less good news is that a number of high beeches are coming into leaves (= less light for the bluebells), that is a few days earlier than last year. Hopefully the forecasted cold at the end of the week delays this, and the purple-blue spring lasts until next weekend. Definitely on the slopes lots of bluebells need some warmth to thrive.
Saturday afternoon, 23 April is the annual “bluebell jogging”. The start and finish are outside the forest. The runners pass through some of the main avenues in the forest. This doesn’t cause a lot of trouble for walkers. But the fairy tale atmosphere is better experienced during the week, when it is much quieter in the woods. The light comes through the living stained glass window of blue-violet flowers and delicate fresh green beech leaves. If you come in the morning, you get delightful birdsong on top.
The fairy-tale atmosphere has started in the wood, with the young, fresh, translucent green leaves of the low beeches over the purple blue carpet of the wild bluebells. On the plateaus there are a lot of bluebells that give this purple blue colour. And there are quite some bluebells on the flanks getting there as well. Every day is different in the woods now. Let us hope the high beeches do not form their leaves before all the bluebells in the valleys are in bloom. The wood anemones are still beautiful, but they have suffered from the recent showers. This is the time to enjoy in the wood. Come on a sunny day in the week rather than at a busy weekend. The lights and sounds of the sun, the bluebells and the young beech leaves will create a unique experience for at least another 10 days
Early visitors could enjoy a beautiful, misty morning in the wood. The purple blue flower carpet is getting bigger and more intense by the day. Low beeches are getting their translucent green leaves. Please stay on the paths at all times.
This weekend, the Nijvelsesteenweg will exceptionally be open in one-way direction: from Halle in the direction of Vlasmarktdreef. Parking 2 Forest Museum, Parking 3 and Parking 8 Achtdreven in these can be reached. In the area between Parking 2 (Forest museum) and the bridge over the RO there can only be parked on one side of the road (direction exit Nijvelsesteenweg).
It is recommended to use Parking 1 Hogebermweg or Houtveld, as Parking 2, 3, 8 will quickly get full in these busy weekends. The wood can easily be reached via the wildlife tunnel (see map). There are toilets on parking 1 and at the hunting lodge (‘pavilion’ on the hiking map).
As forecasted, the fresher days slow down the evolution of the bloom. There are more blooming bluebells every days. The flanks of the valleys as well are slowly changing from green to purple blue. But the weather forecast isn’t very promising, no sun nor warm temperatures. Fortunately we can enjoy the current white-blue play of colours thanks to the anemones and the bluebells. The birds are in full spring mood. The most beautiful period of the bluebells is yet to come. The anemones are at their most beautiful. We can enjoy them for some more days, if there aren’t too many showers the next days.
Some blooming daffodils can still be found here and there. The bloom of the anemones is at its most beautiful. There are more flowering bluebells every day and the wood is getting more and more purple. In the late afternoon they send out a nice smell in the woods. Due to the higher temperature the flanks and valleys are also slowly getting a light purple-blue colour. It is only on the plateaus that the deep blue purple carpet of flowers starts to be seen. The first beech leaves appear on the dominated (low) trees. Hopefully this does not go too fast, so that the hyacinths in the valleys get a chance to all get in full bloom first. If you can, see all this beauty during the week, it is much quieter in the woods then.
Sun and lots of flowering wood anemones, a marvellous combination that brings a real spring atmosphere into the forest, great to walk and enjoy. The higher temperature acts as a stimulus to the hyacinths. On the plateaus which the sun reaches more easily than the valleys, beside the snowy carpet of anemones, a blue violet colour of bluebells is appearing. It’s not the deep blue purple carpet yet, but the typical fairytale starts spreading in the forest.