Time to discover Cassel in Hauts de France

Taste the local beers

Fruity, finely bitter or floral. Aromas of hazelnut, toasted bread or dark chocolate... these local beers are works of art! Welcome to the roots of beer: plunge into the atmosphere of the estaminets (small cafés/shops also serving alcohol and food), micro-breweries and hop farms which nestle between the barley fields. Daniel Thiriez, brewer in Esquelbecq, (brasseriethiriez.com, is a happy man. “Responsible consumers will be delighted by our quality, authenticity, local ties and traceability.” You’ll spot some of these hop fields at the crossroads of the Méteren and Mont des Cats routes in particular.

But first let’s have a look at the abbey. In the shop you’ll be spoilt for choice among the plethora of cheeses produced by the Trappist monks – with beer, Flamay or dessert varieties available. So, so good

Cassel, T'Kasteelhof estaminet ©Isabelle D'Hulst - Tourist Office of Heart of Flanders

After this welcome refreshment, you can then set off across the Flanders Hills. To orient yourself, follow the network of walking routes, which are indicated via red signs along the way. It’s impossible to get lost! Starting from the Mont des Cats, the network links Mont de Boeschèpe and Mont Kokereel a dozen or so kilometres away (about a 3-hour walk). Hiking trails lead off from tarmac roads. Walk at your own leisurely pace. After a long hour’s walk, stop off at La Maison commune de Boeschèpe [Boeschèpe Communal House] opposite the church, to quench your thirst or have a bite to eat. Go to Café Rando© [Hiking Café], great for recharging walkers’ batteries.

A little further along you will be greeted by the Ondankmeulen, the “mill of ingratitude” whose great sails arch over the sky of Flanders. Keep on going and soon you have arrived at the gourmet village of Godewaersvelde. Behind the the doors of Calibou & Co, another Café Rando© you will find hearty soups, the freshest of sandwiches and a delightful bookstore in the middle of a tearoom.

Estminet in Old Lille © CRT Hauts-de-France _ AS FLAMENT

Savour the local specialities

In the centre of the village, you’ll find the King of the Potje Vleesch, a former butcher’s shop which has become an estaminet. Here you will discover a potje (Potjevleesch, a dish featuring a kind of terrine), a traditional dish par excellence, and be able to slip local products and local beers into your backpack. Then back to the Mont des Cats, unless you prefer pushing on to Terdeghem (10 km away).

The beauty of its doll-like houses with colourful shutters and its flower-filled gardens will not disappoint. Now it’s time to hit Cassel (another 5 km), voted France’s Favourite Village in 2018. Cassel is the embodiment of the art de vivre, with names of streets and houses in Vlaamse (Flemish), the Flemish Récollets Garden, the museum of Flemish art from the 15th century to the present day, Flemish flags flying in the wind, and the iconic Estaminet Flamand © Kasteelhof with a great view of the plain below. On Mont Cassel, the exoticism can also be savoured...

Cassel - Mont des Récollets farm © CRT Hauts-de-France (External link) _ Bruno Solat

The Mont des Récollets garden

This garden is neither English nor French. The Mont des Récollets garden is Flemish-inspired and is truly unique. To design it, its owner (the landscape architect Emmanuel de Quillacq) was inspired by Flemish Renaissance painting, in both reality and imagination. Brueghel is of course featured, as are the albums of Croÿ, the beguinages [an architectural complex created to house beguines: lay religious women who lived in the community without taking vows or retiring from the world] and their thousands of bulbs, and the Flemish “bocage” hedgerow landscape, brimming with hawthorn and blackthorn trees.

Landscapes and corridors of lush greenery. A pond and a Flemish farm. Topiaries pruned into spheres or lozenges. The poet-gardener has painted a picture exuding serenity, poetry and dreams. One and a half hectares dotted with surprises, joyfully playing with height and colour, shrubs and flowers. A charming secret garden where you can gaze in wonder, rest, be inspired or contemplate the meandering Flanders plain on the horizon. Ah, the serenity…