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.

What you actually see

• 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.

Honest expectations

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.