Doode Bemde
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Doode Bemde is a beautiful area in spring where you can walk along the river Dijle and see cherry blossoms, Kasteel van Neerijse, and horses at Lindenhof. Here are practical tips to visit with kids.
Cherry Blossoms
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You will find the cherry blossoms along Lindenhoflaan and Prins de Bethunelaan in Neerijse.
The chapel Sint Rochuskapel is right at the crossing of these two streets.
Where to Stay
Baron’s House is the old coach house of Kasteel van Neerijse. The castle is now turned into apartments and you cannot visit it, but the good news is you can stay in the old coach house! It’s in the middle of nature and the restaurant there is recommended further down this post, as there’s lots of green room for kids to run around.
How to Visit with Little Kids
If your kids are very young, you can just stay around Lindenhof and see the horses and the cherry blossoms. There are also deer at the Baron hotel, you can see them passing by.
Horse Farm Lindenhof
Lindenhof is a farm where old horses retire. You cannot visit the horse farm inside, but usually there are horses outside and it’s a beautiful sight with the cherry blossoms as background!
Birdwatching Cabins
There are two birdwatching cabins along the hike:
A. De Roerdomp birdwatching cabin is only a 50m detour from the suggested walk. A stroller cannot pass though to get there. You will see a sign for it
B. De Doode Bemde Grote Bron birdwatching cabin: you will see a sign next to a bridge along the 5.6km walk for it, but it is not on the route and it is a bigger detour (about 1.5km both ways and then you need to come back from the same path or walk on the street if you want to end up at the starting point of the hike, which is not ideal).
You can spot frogs and trees almost cut by beavers along the route.
Hike (5.6 km)
You can download the gpx file of the 5.6km walk here
The wandelknooppunten to follow are 214 – 213 – 212 – 102 – 211 – 210 – 213 – 214
Tip
If it has rained recently, this place gets REALLY muddy and you definitely need proper shoes.
There are a couple of places where kids can play in the water along the route.
You can spot frogs and trees cut by beavers along the route too, especially at the detour for the second birdwatching cabin, Grote Bron
Kasteel van Neerijse
Kasteel van Neerijse was built in 18th century and was originally a hunting pavilion. Please note that you cannot visit the castle, as it’s been converted to apartments.
You can, however, stay in the old coach house of the castle, that has now been turned into a hotel! It’s in the middle of nature and the restaurant there has lots of room for kids to run around.
See photos and availability here
Where to Eat with Kids
Two restaurants in the area:
A. Brewery De Kroon
016 43 94 72
B. Baron’s Brasserie (the restaurant at the old coach house that is now turned into a hotel)
0468 41 87 03
Kayaking
You can also do kayaking in the are with The Shelter
The Shelter – Outdoorsport/Afvaart/Dijle/Kampen/Teambuilding
Stationsstraat 13, 3060 Korbeek-Dijle
Practical Stuff
*The walk is stroller friendly as long as it hasn’t rained recently, it gets very muddy otherwise
*When it has rained, it gets extremely muddy and it might not be a good experience
*Dogs allowed on a leash
Parking
When it comes to parking, the best choice is to park at this parking here a few minutes away from the start of the walk with many parking places.
Please be mindful of where you park, as there are temporary signs that go up during blossoming period and police is checking constantly. We don’t want to disturb the locals.
Thanks to the members of our group that have given feedbcak on this matter!
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World Wild Schooling – BENELUX (Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg)
Address
You will find the cherry blossoms along Lindenhoflaan and Prins de Bethunelaan in Neerijse.
Do not put Doode Bemde in Google maps, as it takes you to a different spot!
About 25 minutes from Schuman, Brussels (or 1 hour and 20 minutes by public transport)
Nearby
Everzwijnbad
Everzijnbad, a speelbos with wooden play structures along the route for kids is a great way to spend time in the forest. It’s also very close to Brussels
Multimovepad in Meerdaalwoud
Multimovepad in Meerdaalwoud, a speelbos that is lots of fun. This is more suitable for younger kids compared to Everzwijnbad, as there are many play structures at the beginning of the path and you can choose to stay around there. Only the second part is in the forest, so it’s perfect for a sunny day
Zoetwater
Zoetwater and the playgrounds there make for a fun day in nature. There’s also excellent ice cream nearby!
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World Wild Schooling – BENELUX (Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg)
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