These boots were made for walking

... and that's exactly what they did on Thursday!

Thursday was Ascension Day, which is a holiday here in Belgium. The forecast was for warm and sunny weather, so we decided to make the most of it and go for a nature walk. We are really out of practice, though.  We used to walk fairly regularly, but this year, a combination of wet weather and being otherwise engaged has prevented us from doing much walking. In six weeks’ time, however, we will be holidaying in Pembrokeshire, and as usual we have quite a few walks planned, so it is high time we step up and get into shape.

These boots are NOT made for walking!

How to dress for a nature walk is always a dilemma, as I want to avoid wearing jeans (or any other pair of trousers for that matter), as much as possible.  Wearing a dress or skirt is not a problem, but the combination with adequate footwear is.  I have a perfectly comfortable pair of hiking boots, and although they are not the most elegant of footwear, they are made for walking, aren't they?

It was warm enough to wear a lightweight, short-sleeved cardigan from Blender Vintage Shop (which was soon discarded) and my charity shopped denim jacket. The weatherproof bag, from Dutch brand Kitsch Kitchen, was found at a flea market last year.

My sunglasses are subscription ones, which I had fitted into charity shopped frames.

The frames cost me just € 0.50 (yes, really!) and are from a quality brand called Rodenstock.

For our walk, we chose “Het Broek” in Blaasveld, which is a nature reserve about 20 km from where we are. The word “Broek” means a marshy area, and indeed there’s lots of water in this attractive reserve comprising 675 hectares, which is rich in fauna and flora.

Before the Rupel, the local river, was dammed, the area was regularly flooded. The guide leaflet says the area was virtually inaccessible and it was supposedly where fairies and marsh spirits lived.

The landscape changed dramatically after the river was dammed between 1100 and 1300, giving way to hayfields and water meadows.

Centuries of peat deposition created dense layers of peat, the extraction of which is how the many ponds and lakes that characterize the area came into existence.

There are several paths which can be taken to explore "Het Broek", making it ideal for longer and shorter walks alike.

On the north side the reserve is bordered by a large body of water called the Hazewinkelvijver (“vijver” means “pond” in Dutch), which is used for watersports and is an Olympic rowing course.

There’s another nature reserve at the opposite side, which we are planning to visit for our next walk.

Near the end of the walk (or the beginning, if you do it the other way around) is a delightful little chapel, where candles are always burning.

The statue of Our Lady was found in the nearby pond in 1636. Legend has it that even in the harshest of winters, the pond in which she was found remains ice-free.

We really enjoyed the peace and quiet of this walk, the silence being pierced only by the calls of birds and the croaking of frogs.

This weekend, we are planning to go to our first outdoor flea market of the year ... I wonder if we will find any treasures?