The best running trails around Oudenaarde

The Muziekbos is a top location for runners thanks to the challenging elevation gains that will test your fitness. You'll train on soft, unpaved forest paths under a dense canopy that perfectly shields you from sun and wind, with the steep Kanarieberg as the ultimate test.

The interesting historical fact about the signal towers: Built on an ancient grave: did you know that the history of this place goes back much further than the French period? The tower was deliberately built on top of a prehistoric burial mound from the Bronze Age! As if that weren't mystical enough, old folk tales whisper that the Bosgeuzen (Protestant rebels) hid here during the 16th-century religious wars and secretly addressed the people in this then-impenetrable forest. The Language Border Trick: there's also a modern geographical fact! Until 1963, the Flemish tourist sector proudly stated that this tower marked the highest point in the province of East Flanders. However, when the Belgian language border was definitively established in that year, the border was shifted a few kilometers. Since then, the white tower has officially been on Walloon territory (sub-municipality Orroir)!

Correction regarding the Kluisberg Tower - Willem VS highlight Hey Willem, I think there's been a historical mistake in your highlight. Your information about the Kluisberg Tower is largely correct, but the part about André Dumont and the 1901 drilling tower belongs to a different location. The discovery of the first coal in the Belgian Kempen region by André Dumont took place on the night of August 1st to 2nd, 1901, in As (Limburg). The monument that commemorates this discovery there indeed refers to a historical drilling tower. The white, round tower on the Kluisberg in Kluisbergen, on the other hand, has nothing to do with coal mining or André Dumont. It is a 19th-century military construction, built here because of the strategic location of the Kluisberg (141 meters high). During the French/Napoleonic period, the tower served as an observation post and optical signal tower. Through coded light or signal messages, military messages could be transmitted over long distances. The cylindrical brick construction was therefore primarily designed as a sturdy and high lookout post. The white color was only added later by whitewashing. In short: it's likely that two completely different stories have become mixed up here: the mining history of As in Limburg and the Napoleonic military history of the Kluisberg. For completeness, I would completely remove the part about André Dumont and the drilling tower from the highlight. This way, visitors will receive the correct historical information.

Anyone walking or cycling through the Kluisbos cannot miss this characteristic white brick tower. Although the structure stands peacefully today, it has a turbulent past. The construction was used in the 19th century by the army of Napoleon Bonaparte. Due to its high, strategic location on the 141-meter-high hill, the tower served as a military lookout and signal tower at the time to transmit coded optical signals.

A nice place to stay. The terrace is very inviting for having higher-level conversations. (You are 150 meters above sea level) The restaurant is highly recommended... The beautiful menu becomes a reality on your plate and will satisfy your taste buds. Wash it all down with a local beer or a fine wine. It doesn't need to be more than that...

In damp weather, be careful... it can become dangerous!

In the Kluisbos - on top of the 141-meter-high Kluisberg - you'll never run out of walking or cycling opportunities. This is the largest forest in the Flemish Ardennes.

Very beautiful forest in May