Afsnee-Keuze hiking route
Extended route description
Two walking circuits, with the Goedinge bridge over the E40 as a node, connect the picturesque village of Afsnee with the Keuze Marshes area of nature. Highly recommended for nature-lovers!
Starting point Afsnee
We start in Afsnee, a picturesque village on the banks of the Lys. Although Afsnee is a sub-municipality of Ghent, there is hardly any urbanisation here. The picturesque village centre, with St John the Baptist's Church as an eye-catcher, is protected as a village landmark. You don't have to cross the Lys during this hike, but a (mini) trip on the Afsnee ferry is always fun!
Beelaert marshes
We continue our trip along the banks of the Lys. In the Beelaert Marshes area of nature, the Lys has created natural floodplains in several places. This provides the typical vegetation with spring king-cup, cuckoo flower, true cuckoo flower, water horsetail, lesser spearwort and mousetail. The ditches are full of water vioet blunt-leaved pondweed and tubular water-dropwort. Also be sure to prick up your ears. In the winter, you will find many snipe here, as well as the jack snipe and the water pipit. Permanent breeding birds are the bluethroat, marsh warbler, reed bunting and kingfisher.
Keuze marshes
Cross the bridge over the E40, and you immediately find yourself in the Keuze Marshes. On the right, you can see the area of nature consisting of wet grasslands that rarely flood anymore. Notable are the wood edges and rows of pollard willows, which have disappeared in other meadows around Ghent. In the central, lowest-lying plots, shovellers, yellow wagtails, reed buntings and several pairs of lapwing nest. If you look to the left, you can admire the villas along the banks of the Lys in Sint-Martens-Latem.
Nenuphar
You can recover from your walk at Nenuphar. Since 1795, the people of Ghent have loved coming here to get their feet under a table on the gorgeous terrace on the waterfront. On the menu: a wide selection of classic and trendy dishes, prepared with skill and brought to the table with love. Please note that drinking alone is not possible.
Hiking in areas of nature around Ghent
De mooiste lentewandelingen
