Should you ever find yourself in Belgium between mid-April and early May, consider a trip to the Hallerbos (Flemish for Halle Forest), located near the boundary of Flanders and Wallonia and a mere 20 km from Brussels. During this time, bluebells as far the eye can see, carpet the forest floor.

 

 

The Hallerbos cover an aera of 552 ha (1,360 acres) and can be reached by car or public transportation. According to Eupedia, access is through the Walloon village of Wauthier-Braine, between Waterloo and Braine-l’Alleud. Discovering Belgium adds: TEC bus 115A travels between Halle and Braine l’Alleud. Step off at Vlasmarkt and walk up Vlasmarktdreef into the forest. Entry is free!

 

 

Many other wild flowers can also be found in these woods, along with a variety of songbirds and forest critters. Below you will find a route map and Google map of the exact location of the Hallerbos.

 

[googlemaps https://www.google.com/maps/embed?pb=!1m18!1m12!1m3!1d40433.44022579386!2d4.2913953613904345!3d50.69971412663169!2m3!1f0!2f0!3f0!3m2!1i1024!2i768!4f13.1!3m3!1m2!1s0x47c3cec9bca0345d%3A0xaf2c22c42f615d5c!2sHallerbos%2C+Belgium!5e0!3m2!1sen!2s!4v1411658380199&w=800&h=600%5D

 

 

The stunning photos in this post were taken by photographer Vincent Brassinne. You can find the complete 16-picture gallery on Flickr here.

 

 

Sources

– Hallerbos on Wikipedia
– Eupedia: Bluebells in the Woods of Halle
– Discovering Belgium: The Bluebells of Hallerbos
– Photography: Bois de Hal – Bluebells by Vincent Brassine