Best places to run in Belgium

One of the highest waterfalls in Belgium, tumbling through a wooded valley on the southern edge of the High Fens.

One of Belgium's tallest waterfalls at about 15 m, with walking paths and a viewpoint above the falls on the Amblève.

A medieval crusader fortress on a rocky spur above the Semois, reached on foot through the old town with sweeping valley views.

A clifftop citadel high above the Meuse, climbable via a long staircase for panoramic views over the river and town.

A sprawling hilltop fortress at the meeting of the Sambre and Meuse, with footpaths winding up to commanding river views.

Ghent's main city park on a low hill between the Scheldt and Leie, full of winding paths, ponds and botanical greenery.

A tiny medieval town in a tight bend of the Ourthe, the gateway to rocky wooded trails like the Roche à la Falize viewpoint.

A wild stretch of the Amblève strewn with huge mossy boulders, followed by an atmospheric riverside forest path.

A long-distance trail shadowing the Ourthe through the heart of the Ardennes, with rooty climbs out of river gorges and balcony paths.

An ancient cross-border reserve of heath, fens and inland sand dunes with 24 signposted walks and rare silence-area calm.

A spectacular limestone cave system in the Famenne-Ardenne UNESCO Geopark, set in a walkable valley above the Ourthe.

Belgium's largest nature reserve, a vast 10,000-year-old peat bog crossed by wooden boardwalks over fragile sphagnum moorland.

The largest forest of the Flemish Ardennes, loved for steep slopes, stately beech avenues and sweeping Scheldt-valley views.

A brutally steep cobbled climb famous from the Tour of Flanders, with forest paths and views over the rolling countryside.

A castle-topped town wrapped in a loop of the Ourthe, with steep wooded hikes to ridgeline viewpoints over the valley.

A 120-hectare lake set in classic Eifel countryside, ringed by woods and meadows with a popular lakeside walking route.

A wooded reservoir lake with a gentle shoreline loop and steeper links up the Warche valley into the High Fens.

The most famous panorama in Belgium, looking down on a near-perfect wooded meander of the Semois river.

One of Flanders' largest heathlands, a top trail through purple-blooming heath, sand and pines, best in late summer.

A modest hill rising above the Tournai plain, a steady climb rewarded with wide views across Hainaut and into France.

The iconic cobbled wall climbing to the Oudenberg chapel, a short sharp leg-burner with a panorama over the Dender valley.

A hilly bluebell woodland on the slopes of the Flemish Ardennes, carpeted in blue in spring and crossed by quiet trails.

Flanders' first national park, 12,000 ha of heath, pine woods and old mine spoil tips with climbs to surprising viewpoints.

The oldest and wildest dune reserve on the Belgian coast, with paths through shifting sand dunes and a chance of spotting deer.

Belgium's only true mountain-stream trail, scrambling along a quartz-strewn brook past mini-cascades and natural rock pools.

A grand formal park around a monumental arch, with broad gravel avenues popular for easy in-city running and strolling.

A rambling English-style park of open lawns, big trees and ponds, a quiet green loop in northern Brussels.

One of Antwerp's largest parks, a green riverside estate with shaded loops popular for easy running and family walks.

The wide riverside quays along the Scheldt in Antwerp, a flat scenic promenade ideal for sunset runs and waterside walks.

At 694 m this is the highest point in Belgium, an easy walk over open windswept moorland with a tower viewpoint.

Brussels' best-loved big park, with a lake, island and shaded jogging paths flowing into the edge of the Sonian Forest.

A deeply forested river valley national park with riverside and ridge trails linking Bouillon's castle to dramatic meanders.

A vast UNESCO-listed beech 'cathedral' forest right by Brussels, with hundreds of kilometres of trails, streams and ponds.

A coastal reserve of mudflats and salt marshes, with boardwalk trails and hides for watching huge numbers of migratory birds.