Discover Chastre: Hiking Trails, Landscapes and History

Chastre is a rewarding destination for travellers who want to combine experiences in nature with history. Trails lead through river landscapes, forests, valleys and rural areas; at the same time, towers, museums, tumuli and sacred sites recall the municipality’s eventful past. For families and other travel groups, this diversity makes it possible to include different interests in the day’s plans.

Hiking trails along the Orne, Ernage and Houssière

The Balade de l'Orne is a moderately difficult hike lasting around 1.5 to 2 hours. It is 2.5 km long, or 4 km if you choose the variant. The route starts at the Kongolo Memorial and leads through the Bois de l'Ermitage. Another option is the Balade de l'Orne et de l'Ernage, an 8 km walking route in Chastre. Those who prefer a playful way to explore can choose Totemus, a 6.5 km treasure hunt along the Orne.

The Orne runs through Chastre and, together with its tributaries, contributes to the municipality’s landscape. In the Houssière valley, rural landscapes and ponds await you along the hike. The Balade Pierreuse de Blanmont also has its own distinctive character: on this hike, you can see numerous traces of the siliceous rock formation after which Blanmont was named and which is particularly characteristic there.

South of the village of Gentinnes lies a municipal forest of around 1.5 hectares, designated as a nature reserve. Its stream and small ponds also form a wetland of educational interest. The Syndicat d'Initiative de Chastre offers a series of walking routes and is located on the town hall grounds.

Historical traces and special places

Chastre also has interesting destinations away from the hiking trails. The former Chaussée Brunehaut, a Roman road between Bavai and Cologne, crosses the south of Chastre. The Tour de Boissemont is a square tower from the 12th century and a surviving fragment of a former seigneurial residence. It is also known as the Tourette or Tour des Sarrasins.

At the Musée de la 1ère Armée Française de Cortil-Noirmont, numerous military objects document the operations of the French army in Belgium in 1940. The museum is housed in the classrooms of the former school, where a Moroccan regiment set up its headquarters in May 1940. The Moulin de Cortil is located at the confluence of the Orne and the Ry d’Ernage. Although operations ceased in 1976, its machinery remains well preserved.

The two Gallo-Roman tumuli of Noirmont are associated with the year 160 AD. Their excavations uncovered numerous high-quality objects, probably dating from the 2nd century and kept at the Royal Museums of Art and History in Brussels. In Gentinnes, a chapel was inaugurated on 7 May 1967. The building, with its radial floor plan, offers 200 seats and has remarkable stained-glass windows by Yves Dehais from Nantes. In Chastre, Notre-Dame dite “Alerne” was long a pilgrimage centre; its miraculous 17th-century image continues to be associated with the healing or alleviation of hernias and other troubling protrusions. A fine Brabant farm complex dates from the second half of the 17th century.

The right accommodation for planning your trip

When looking for a holiday apartment or holiday home in Chastre, you can base your choice on your preferred daily routine. The hiking trails along the Orne, Ernage and Houssière suit a travel plan focused on activity and landscapes; the towers, museums, tumuli and historic buildings offer different points of focus. This allows you to choose your accommodation according to whether you mainly want to explore trails, gain cultural insights or combine both. Plan each outing around the destinations that are particularly interesting for your travel group, and use Chastre as a base for your own combination of nature and history.

You can also visit the pages for Dilbeek, Mont-Saint-Guibert, Helecine, Zemst, Grimbergen, Overijse, Bekkevoort and Beauvechain for additional information.

For the overarching travel overview: Brabant.