I love the old path name plaques that are being slowly consumed by the trees upon which they were nailed many years ago. The one above was seen on the walk yesterday, I'm guessing that if you were not there that you'd be having some difficulty identifying the path's name.. The weather was lovely and we set off from the parking by the B&B Hippo-Droom in Groenendaal. It's still too early for much in the way of plants but this Old Man's Beard (Clematis vitalba) provided some interest at the start.
It is used in folk medecine for the treatment of asthma, rheumatism, nervous disorders, malaria and syphilis. A very useful plant indeed.
Here are one or two of the highlights from the walk which took in some gallops, a bit of the arboretum, and the former racecourse of Groenendaal along with some of the remains of the former priory. We went to the site of the Chapel of Our Lady of Loreto which was built after the Flemish Mystic, Jan van Ruusbroek had a religious experience under a Linden Tree there. The actual Linden Tree (Tilia sp.) has long gone, but it was fascinating to see its descendents all around. The Linden Tree is said to prevent lies being told under it and as a result wedding ceremonies and judicial procedures were often held under its canopy. It's not just for tisanes.
In the Forest Museum (it was open and free, but somewhat unloved) you can see one of the boundary posts which marked the dividing line between religious and noble estate. It would have stood about a metre tall but the one we saw in the forest was barely visible, the ground having slowly risen around it.
Although the labelling of the trees in the arboretum is somewhat folkloric, some still remain and it is nevertheless interesting to wander around the site of Belgium's first arboretum commissioned by King Leopold II in 1897. He wanted to see which other species might thrive in Belgium's climate - maybe he was bored of Beech. If you come across this one it really lives up to its name.
We'll be doing the walk again in a month or so so keep an eye on the Calendar so as not to miss out on the fascinating history of this area.
The next walk will be on Sunday 9/3 at 10:30 and will feature anniversary stones, a henge and a Wolf's Leap amongst other goodies. If the weather stays mild we may see the first of the anenomes carpeting the ground.