Walking through Cotthem

A beautiful hike with an abundance of greenery and silence

The Cotthem walking route is for true hikers and nature lovers. The adventure along this route is not in finding the right path. Excellent signposting takes care of that.

No, the challenge lies in the great variety of paths and strips of nature on this walk. How on earth will you choose your favourite spots? And how many times will you have to come back before you have really seen and experienced all of its beauty? Because behind every bend, there is another huge tree or fantastic green panorama.  

Pure tranquillity for those who love...

Do you like being in nature or are you looking for some pure relaxation to leave the daily stress behind? Then this is the place for you. The Cotthem walking route is ideal for those who love nature and variety.

Immerse yourself completely in the local fauna and flora, which are surrounded by wonderful silence and tranquillity. But there is a lot more on the programme during this 12.5 km walk.

...sunken roads, country lanes, forest trails, an old tram bed and much more.

Here you will walk from one surprise and one kind of path to another. You will explore the centre of Sint-Lievens-Houtem when you leave, so you can immediately soak up the charming atmosphere of the village.

Then, via the valley of Cotthembeek, you will come across picturesque country lanes filled with chapels, a Roman road, an old tram bed, more charming villages and, of course, beautiful Cotthem Forest.

Surprising Cotthem Forest

Cotthem Forest is, without a doubt, one of the highlights of this walk. This nature reserve is actually a collection of forests, open fields and woodland borders, and sunken roads in the valley of Cotthembeek.

This wooded area on the flank of a hill is a treasure trove of fauna and flora and guarantees a real nature experience.

Religious heritage: a walk in reverie

All this natural beauty automatically puts you in high spirits. But are you looking for something a bit more serious? Then you will be pleased to hear that the Cotthem walking route passes by a number of unique religious heritage monuments, including an Our Lady of Lourdes Grotto. Yes, we have them here too!

Sint-Lievenskapel or Livinus Chapel

The date above the door frame of this is brick chapel is 1680. It has a renovated interior with a striking neo-Gothic altar. The chapel was erected in honour of Livinus of Ghent, an Irish-born bishop who was active as an apostle in Flanders and Brabant and was canonised.

Despite the fact that the story of his life reads like an intriguing novel, recent research suggests that he may never have lived at all. Do not let that get you down; the chapel is glorious!

St Anne’s Chapel and Our Lady of Lourdes Grotto

Technically, you would not walk past St Anne’s Chapel, but that small detour along the Wittinck is well worth it. The Our Lady of Lourdes Grotto in Cotthem is also worth a visit.

It is in a bend of the road and probably dates from 1954. It is a relatively large artificial cave on two levels, with a large chaplet and kneeling benches on the lower level. You will see statues of St Bernadette and Our Lady of Lourdes above the cave.

St Bartholomew’s Church Hillegem

St Bartholomew’s Church in Hillegem, a basilical neo-Gothic church from 1877-1880, is a listed building.

Now that you are in Hillegem, you might like to take a break. There are plenty of choices, including Café Den Berg or the grill restaurant Den Entrecôte, located nearby.

A bite to eat afterwards

Would you rather eat something after your walk? Or do you like to finish your walk with a tasty beer? De Pikardijn in Sint-Lievens-Houtem is not only a renowned pub, you can also enjoy delicious local dishes.

Do you like walking and do you hear the enticing call of the Flemish Ardennes in the distance? And do you prefer walks with lots of variety and enchantingly beautiful nature? The Cotthem walking route awaits you.