Stroll past beautiful orchards, look through the lines at the reading between the lines church that is a genuine work of art and enjoy these rolling hills. Beautiful picnic spots to boot!
Take your pick out of the beautiful and easy walks in the gorgeous scenic Haspengouw area in Borgloon. The peak blossom season between April and May is for sure one you have to catch, but you can enjoy the scenery of the rolling hills and the beautiful orchards anytime of the year.
All the highlights
Almost all of the walks cover these 4 gems!
- Het Doorkijkkerkje or the Reading Between the Lines Church: not your ordinary church! This not so hidden gem anymore but still very much worth seeing is sure to stop you in your tracks - hopefully you can stop by when there's not too many people and go inside to enjoy the architectural beaut that this is!
- Make sure you stop by for a picnic or do-it-yourself BBQ at The Speelboomgaard. Pick some cherries while you're at it!
- The Roman Villa sculpture by Hans Lemmen is also highlighted along the way.
- All the orchards: Cherries, apples, pears, see all these beautiful trees blossom in Spring or when the fruit is ripe later in the season in August to October. Keep your eyes peeled for farmers that allow you to pick your own fruit!
All the hikes
We recommend starting your walk at the entrance path on the Sint-Truidersteenweg. Here you have your choice of 4 walks to explore these beautiful orchards spread out on the Haspengouw rolling hills.
- Green Rectangle Route (4KM): this one will take you around 1 hour max and is short and easy and covers the reading between the lines church and the roman villa. It's also paved some of the way making this an easy choice if you're with little ones and taking the strollers along. Plus they can play in the "church"!
- Blue Diamond Route (6KM): Another easy walk that takes you where the green route takes you plus the Speelboomgaard. Bring your lunch and have a picnic or stay a bit longer and barbeque.
- Orange Cross Route (8KM): This one gives you all the sights of Blue and Green but takes you deeper into the rolling hills lined with the pretty orchard farms. See all kinds of fruit!
- Yellow Rectangle Route (12 KM): Take a wider loop giving you all the sights of the previous 3 and takes you past the quaint old 17th century farm grounds called Manshovenhof
Tips and Tricks
- If you're interested in a day trip to check out the wider area go read our blog How to see Haspengouw in the Spring. Go explore Haspengouw on various forms of transport (bikes, vespas and a Citroen 2CV!)
Getting There
- By Car: parking available on Sint-Truidersteenweg or on Grootloonstraat
Route details
Starting point: same as address
All these routes are clearly signed there and come with GPX files as well. No need to come prepared much and you can choose the route or choose part of the route once you're there!
Dawn until Sunset
Spring, Summer, Autumn
Free
Open: Local COVID guidelines apply.
Book a nearby experience
The beautiful rolling hills make this a sight to see, we did the Blue route with my little niece. She enjoyed playing in the reading between the lines church and we stopped by for lunch at the Speelboomgaard. Seeing all the orchards with all the different fruit was fun, we just missed the peak blossom period but it was still really beautiful.
— Zoë, Antwerp local