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wab

Autumn 2010 - 2322 - Autumn 2010

tourism

The Ardennes is an oa sis. The region undisputedly has

the most breathtaking landscape in all o Belgium;

a network o lush rivers and streams, gorges and

verdant hills mounted by the trees that bulge at the

banks of the train tracks. It makes a nice change from the end-

less farmland that blankets the rest of the countr y.

Where exactly is this water coming from? As I head towards

the small German-speaking town o Eupen on a train rom

Brussels, I feel like I m following the water. More creeks spring

forth. Its a face of Belgium I hadnt seen before.

Im off to hike through the Hautes Fagnes (High Fens) nature

reserve. It is one of the largest wildlife sanctuaries in Belgium:

4,500 hectares o orest, heath, peat bogs and other wetlands.

The region also hosts part o the nations water supply, with

mineral springs, brooks and streams trickling over the years

through rich, mineral soil and eventually joining some o Bel-

giums biggest rivers.

Ater reuelling at one o Eupens many pavement cas,

I catch a ride into the reserve. I am dropped o at the

Signal de Botrange, the highest point in a ll o Belgium

at a whopping 694 metres. Because o its altitude,its generally where the rst snow alls come

winter, and its my departure point today. The

Belgian Government even had a six-metre tower

built or people to climb and reach exactly 700

metres above sea level.

There is parking, a ca and riendly inormation

desk. Just a few steps further on, the Nature Centre pro-

vides guided tours or a place to leave your bags. The reserve is

lined with duckboards that make for easy walking and help to

protect the vegetation. Signposts are plentiul too. I cross the

highway and disappear into nature, breathing more easily as I

leave thoughts of the city behind.

I gaze out across a sprawling plateau. At this time of year its

fourishing and green. It is easy to imagine how the other sea-

sons treat the wetlands: the stark, austere colours o autumn

when the tussocks are dried out and golden; or in winter, when

the moors are dampened with snow, a blanket o quiet or

cross-country skiers keen to explore; or in spring when tufts of

cotton bloom and daffodils come alive.

The sound of grasshoppers ratcheting follows me around the

boardwalk, a constant companion. Sparse remain s o cotton

and hares-tail dot the landscape. In the woods, I hear what I

imagine to be a woodpecker, though I see no sign of h im.

The delicate eco-system o the Fagnes is supported by an

extremely wet climate and low-permeability subsoil. It rains,

on average, 170 days per year, with 76 snow days. When

there is too much water, the sponge-like ear th is fooded and

the water swells to the surace, orming active peat bogs and

attracting an array of spectacular fauna.

As I continue, I see lizards sunning on the duckboards next

to ginger butterfies. Meadow pipits sing out as they dive and

drop in fight, and bumblebees are hard at work. I nd bilber-

ries, and an abundance of tormentil.

Its interesting to consider the infuence o humans over

nature, when originally this land was home to woods alone.

The impact o man and his agricultural activities

has created a new eco-system; one that now needsmuch protection and attention to keep the

peat bogs alive.

Exploring the High Fens

Look out for Baraque-Michel, a family hostel built i n the early 19th century as a shelter

for weary or lost travellers. There is also the inn at Mont-Rigi, founded in 1862, which was

originally on Prussian turf. The two buildi ngs also acted as customs posts.

Marked crosses and stones were used as reference points in the early days to signify

land borders; many of these markers remain.

Rent a bike and spend a day exploring the regi on at your own pace, weaving along a

multitude of signposted cycle tracks.

Test your eyes and patience bird-watching you might catch a glimpse of the endan-

gered black grouse.

Waterof the hillsLush and laid-back, Belgiums highest point

is a verdant escape rom the city

Katy Holliday

High hopes:

The Hautes

Fagnes are

a peaceful

spot and an

important

part of

Belgiums

natural

heritage

shutterstock

katy

holliday

It was established in the 1970s, mostly or technical rea-sons. The Lakes o lEau dHeure were articially created

as a water reserve for maintaining the levels of the nearby

river Sambre. But over the years it has become a popu-

lar tourist attraction in its own right, while at the same time

earning a reputation or its eorts in the eld o sustainable

development.

Now the sprawling 1,800-hectare site, near the village o

Cerontaine, 50km south o Charleroi near the French border,

has scooped a prestigious European award for its endeavours.

It has won the Aquatic Tourism category in the annual Euro -

pean Destinations o Excellence (Eden) project, a European

Union award given each year to initiatives promoting sustain-

able tourism development across Europe.

The project, coordinated by the European Commission,

is based on national competitions that result i n the selection

o a tourist destination o excellence or each participating

country.A key eature o the selected destinations is their commit-

ment to social, cultural and environmental sustainability.

The recipients o the award are usually emerging, relatively

little-known European destinations in the 27 member states

and candidate countries. Past Belgian winners include Aprs

Durbuy, Ath and Viroinval and now the Lakes of lEau dHeure

can claim to b e a European destination of excellence.

The theme this year was water tourism, which seems appro-

priate or an attraction that can boast t he largest lakes in Bel-

gium. In fact, it has 600 hectares of lakes and the same surface

of forests and grasslands, with 70km of shoreline longer than

the Belgian coast.

A beneciary o substantial regional unding, its recogni-

tion as an Eden winner was applauded by Paul Furlan, tourism

minister for Wallonia.

Describing it as an exceptional project, he said, We

Natural treasureA newly honoured Walloon project is fying the fag or sustainable tourism development

Martin Banks

welcome the recognition of a site that has created jobs, directlyand indirectly. He said the Walloon Region would continue to

support the project, particularly at a time when it had to meet

ever-increasing and goal-oriented ex pectations.

His comments were echoed by managing director Vincent

Lemercinier, who said he was very proud to have won an

important EU-wide competition with the aim of promoting the

best European examples o sustainable tourism development.

He said, This is a sign o recognition or us and or this site

which, lets remember, was created at the start or technical

purposes.

As well as being a genuine tourist destination or visitors

both rom Belgium and urther aeld,

the site also comprises dams and a

hydro-electric power station. Indeed,

eatures that impressed Eden compe-

tition judges included the sites water

treatment capacity and the preservation

of the water quality.

Its areas o biological interest, waste

management and development of activi-

ties respecting natural heritage and the

environment were also vote-winners.

Lemercinier said, Ever since its crea-

tion, some believed in this project but

others didnt. Today, it is obvious that

the Lakes o lEau dHeure have become

a major tourist resort, not just in Wallo-

nia but Belgium.

The area consists o ve lakes: Plate

Taille, Eau dHeure, Falemprise, Feron-

val and Ry Jaune, and the site has gradu-

ally tapped into its tourist potential. This

started in earnest in 1994, when the site

was able to access EU unds usually given to some o the poor-

est regions in Europe.

The site now oers 10 new hiking paths between two and

24km long, as well as watersports and shing, and visitors

can stay overnight or longer at villas and apartments. Cur-

rently under construction are 240 exclusive properties, calledGolden Lakes Village, providing nearly 1,500 beds. A 160-bed

hotel is also in the pipeline.

Run in conjunction with the Tourist Federation o the Prov-

ince o Namur, this acility is said to be a rst or tourism in

Wallonia. It is estimated that the number o people directly

employed on the site has almost doubled in the past few years,

from 130 to 230, and Lemercinier says the wider region stands

to gain from increasing visitor numbers to his project.

While emphasising the importance of tourism to t he regional

economy, Lemercinier, however, is mindul o the potential

damaging impact the infux o tourists can have on the envi-

ronment. He said, Under no circumstances should tourism

disturb or disrupt the natural heritage o this site and the

region.

Rest assured: the environmental policy guiding the man-

agement of this site will do its very best to guara ntee that.

Going for

gold: An

impression

of how the

Golden

Lakescomplex will

look when

complete