Voeren

Voeren is a Flemish municipality separated from the rest of Flanders and surrounded by Walloon Liege and the Dutch province of Limburg, six villages in the valleys of the Voer and Gulp, and the landscape is unlike the rest of Flanders: steep-sided green valleys, hedged pasture, orchards, beech woods and sunken lanes cut deep into the loess by centuries of traffic. Half-timbered farmhouses and stone barns are the local building. It is walking and cycling country, with marked routes through the valleys and a good deal of quiet, and the highest ground in Flanders is here. The area has a complicated linguistic history that visitors will notice in signage but which does not affect a walk.

History

From the 11th century two-thirds of the present municipality lay in the county of Dalhem, held by the dukes of Brabant, and the rest in the Duchy of Limburg, which also passed to Brabant after 1288; both then followed the Burgundian, Habsburg, Spanish and Austrian Netherlands. Under French rule from 1794 to 1815 the area joined the department of Ourthe, later the Belgian province of Liège, until in 1963 the Voer villages were moved to the province of Limburg, and the present municipality was formed in 1977 (Wikipedia, Voeren).

Highlights

• Steep green valleys - a landscape unlike the rest of Flanders.
• Sunken lanes - roads cut deep into the loess by long use.
• Half-timbered farms - the local building tradition in the villages.
• Beech woods and hedged pasture - the enclosed farmland of the valleys.

When to go

April to October for walking and cycling; May and September are best. A day for a good walk. It is quiet at most times. Autumn colour in the beech woods is very good.

What to expect

Public transport is poor and a car or bike is close to necessary. There is little in the way of restaurants or facilities outside the villages. The terrain is hilly and the cycling is harder than most of Flanders. Signage switches languages at the borders.

Nearby

Maastricht is north in the Netherlands; Liege lies south-west.

Key facts