Top 20 Lakes around Gent

Definitely recommended. Every now and then we encountered a jogger or walker, but it was negligible. It's so nice to be able to enjoy the beautiful nature this way.

It's a beautiful location full of greenery, trees, and beautiful plants that you'll see along the way. You can walk for ages without encountering too many people. Really cool!

The Leeuwenhof domain is not located in the city centre at all, as suggested here, but is located about 5 km west of the historic city centre. It is one of the 3 official access zones to the green pool Vinderhoutse Bossen. In addition to a pond with a seating platform, you will find many valuable grasslands, old trees, an orchard and natural play stimuli here. In the north, the domain connects to the valuable historic forest core of the Vinderhoutse Bossen. You can start here or join one of the 5 walking routes through the green pool. Source: stad.gent

The Aelmoeseneiebos (or Aalmoezenijebos) is a nature reserve on the territory of the municipalities of Melle (Gontrode) and Oosterzele (Landskouter). The forest is 28.5 hectares in size and is owned by the University of Ghent. The forest area is now managed by the university Lab for Forest & Nature. The railway line Ghent-Geraardsbergen divides the forest in two. The Aelmoeseneiebos is an old forest area that already appeared on the Ferraris map in 1775. The forest was owned by the Saint Bavo's Abbey of Ghent for centuries. During the French period (1794-1815) it was transferred to the public poor relief of the city of Ghent. In 1967-1968 the Belgian State bought the forest so that the University of Ghent could use it as a test forest. The most important tree species are summer oak and beech, with ash and maple in the stream valleys. The Aelmoeseneiebos is known for its spring flora such as wood anemone, slender primrose, yellow dead-nettle and small periwinkle. During the First World War, the forest was largely cut down but replanted in 1920. Adjacent to the western part of the Aelmoeseneiebos, 10 hectares of plots of land belonging to Natuurpunt, Oosterzele department, are located in the valley of the Gondebeek. With the 'Rodeland landscape project' [1], the aim is to connect the Aelmoeseneiebos with the Makegemse forests through afforestation in the valleys of the Gondebeek, Kerkesbeek and Driesbeek[2][3]. In 2021, 5 amphibian tunnels were constructed in the Gondebeek valley[4]. Inventories and research in the Aelmoeseneiebos found 1329 different species: including 64 tree and shrub species and 599 species of invertebrates. The Aelmoeseneiebos is protected in Europe as part of the Natura 2000 area (habitat directive area) 'Forests of the south-east of the Zandleemstreek' (BE2300044). The forest is freely accessible on the footpaths.

From private garden to public park The plots of land on which the Reinaertpark is located were listed in the first half of the 19th century on a primitive land registry as 'bois d'agrément' (pleasure forest), 'jardin' (garden) and 'bois' (forest). The owner was Joannes de Volder, a rentier from Ghent. Around 1843, his son-in-law, Guillichmus knight Stas de Richelle, and his daughter, Maria Theresia de Volder, had the park laid out in English landscape style with a serpentine pond. On the street side, they converted a country house into a summer residence. When Maria Theresia died in 1879, her daughter Julie Stas de Richelle inherited the domain. Apparently, she and her husband, Fernand baron de Loen d'Enschedé, had little interest in this country estate, since they sold it in 1882 to a certain Gustave Hyde-Vercruysse from Ghent. On 14 June 1898, the domain was sold publicly and assigned to Theophilius Libbrecht and his wife Louise Soupart. Theophilius held numerous positions: lawyer, provincial councillor, senator and mayor of Destelbergen (1900 to 1924). Around 1914, the current castle was built on his behalf. It was built in the French Euville stone, which is very rare in our region. The socio-economic consequences of the First World War, the premature death of his wife and the high construction costs of the castle led to Libbrecht selling the domain in December 1923 and resigning as mayor a month later. The new owner, Max Van Acker, was an industrialist well-known in Destelbergen. His company 'Usines Textiles G. & M. Van Acker' was located in the Koedreef and provided considerable local employment. Mr Van Acker died on 4 October 1967. After a series of negotiations, the heirs sold the property to the local government of Destelbergen on 1 July 1975. The local government paid 325,000 euros to purchase the domain. However, by Royal Decree of 3 June 1977, we received a subsidy of 136,000 euros. This was subject to a clear condition: the park had to be designated as a public green space for passive recreation.

Many paved roads. Ideal base in muddy or rainy weather.

This nature reserve is a remnant of an extensive forest area that gradually had to make way for agriculture in the 18th century. The surrounding land and the forest were owned for centuries by the Aalmoezenij, the poor relief of the Ghent Saint Bavo's Abbey. The production of wood was the main function at that time. The forest was purchased by the Belgian state in 1967-1968 so that the University of Ghent could use it as a test forest. In the early years, it was mainly used for studies on the growth and management of forests with a view to wood production. It also had a recreational and educational function. Railway line 122 Melle-Geraardsbergen divides the forest in two. In the western part (where we walked) an arboretum was created in 1973. With the 'Rodeland landscape project', the aim is to connect the Aelmoeseneiebos with the Makegemse forests through further afforestation of a number of stream valleys.

A true hiking paradise. Bourgoyen-Ossemeersen is famous for its rich bird population and is an important bird reserve. While hiking, you can spot various bird species, especially in the winter months, when the area is a refuge for numerous migratory birds. Species that you can encounter include grey herons, ducks, sea eagles and birds of prey such as the hawk and buzzard. In spring and summer, the area is also rich in breeding birds, such as the redstart and the common teal.