Belgium is closer to Scotland than you might think, and with cheap flights and a short flying time, it’s the ideal destination for a weekend break, writes Susan Welsh
It’s a question that often crops up at parties: name 10 famous Belgians. Most people say Hercule Poirot then draw a blank, but what everyone does know is that Belgians make great beer.
As a nation, they are particularly good at making craft beers, something that can be traced back to the days when the water was so poor, they brewed beer and drank that instead. The water’s perfectly drinkable these days, while the beer’s even better.
In less time that it takes to drive from Inverness to Edinburgh, you can fly from Scotland to Belgium, which is what we did on our mini-break, taking in the sights, soaking up the laid-back atmosphere and sampling some rather splendid beers en-route.
Flying with Ryanair from Edinburgh to Brussels Charleroi, the trip took less than two hours. From the modern airport there are good transport links to Brussels, but our first stop was the village of Bocholt, home to Martens Brewery, a family-run company founded some 250 years ago and exporters of high-quality beers which you can find in this country.
The rich history of the brewery can be found directly opposite the factory at the Bocholter Brewery Museum, thought to be Europe’s biggest brewery museum. Founded by Jean Martens, it tells the story of the art of brewing throughout the industrial history from 1758 to the present, so visitors can see everything from gleaming horse bridles to old bottling machines and advertising memorabilia before ending the tour in a pub.
In Belgium, each beer tends to have its own specially-shaped glass, carefully designed to allow the full flavours to develop. If yours comes with a big foamy head, don’t worry, that’s deliberate as the foam helps the beer settle and hold in the flavour. I’m more of a whisky drinker at home, but my chilled glass of Heverlee, or “heavenly” as I preferred to call it, which is made at Martens, just hit the spot.
Before leaving Bocholt, we stopped to admire the church which. thanks to an impressive feat of engineering, made history around the world when locals managed to extend it by moving the tall tower some 30ft away without demolishing it. An event that’s earned villagers the nickname, tower shifters. From here, it was a pleasant drive to the town of Leuven, which is 16 miles east of Brussels, home to one of Europe’s oldest universities and around 30 breweries which between them produce 250 varieties of the amber nectar.
It has that wonderful mixture of youthfulness and history, thanks to the presence of hundreds of students, while some parts of the old inner city have been selected as a world heritage site by UNESCO.
Leuven is Belgium’s reigning brewing capital – no small feat in a country that produces hundreds of delicious varieties, steeped in centuries of Flemish tradition and craftsmanship. After checking into our hotel, The Lodge Hotel – a historic Belgian farmhouse that’s been beautifully renovated but retaining a raft of original features – we set out to explore the city.
To say we were impressed is an understatement. Awash with numerous Gothic buildings, broad plazas and meandering lanes, it had a laid-back atmosphere.
The centre is compact and largely car-free – everyone here seems to walk, jog or cycle and compared to our gang, looked ridiculously healthy. It’s peaceful but busy; with few cars about you can actually here the buzz of conversation, church bells ringing and of course numerous glasses clinking. It’s very civilised and upmarket, and within hours of arriving, two of my friends had decided they wanted to move here.
As our stay was to be brief, we opted for a guided tour which was excellent and took in numerous points of interest such as the Totem sculpture, a 90ft tall needle spearing a bug which celebrates the connection between art and science.
It stands in front of the central university library, a Neo-Flemish-Renaissance-style building which looks like it’s been there for centuries but, having been destroyed during World War I, was designed by American architect Whitney Warren and rebuilt thanks to donations from around the world.
Leuven Town Hall is a stunning Gothic building. Locals can marry there on Saturday mornings and seeing queues of bridal parties patiently waiting for their turn made a memorable sight.
Equally impressive was our tour of Belgium’s largest abbey, Park Abbey – Abbey of the Order of Premontre, which was established in 1129. Joris Brams, a brewer born locally but who has a good knowledge of Scotland thanks to his time spent here working with Tennents, used to play in the grounds of the abbey as a child.
As an adult, he learned the monks had been pioneers in beer making, developing a lighter lager at a time when other monks made darker ales. So, he knocked on the door, spoke at length to them and from that conversation Heverlee was born. What’s fascinating is that profits from the sale of the beer are being used to carry out a multi-million pound refurbishment of the abbey. Just the excuse I needed to order another one.
For those in search of good food and nightlife, Leuven has lots to offer. Our highlights included lunch in Domus, a super wee pub with its own microbrewery where you can sample traditional fare and speciality beers.
The superbly named restaurant, Notre Dame Quasimodo, in the shadow of the Town Hall, offers a mix of fine local and French fare, while just across the road there’s the Capital Bar, which is said to have the largest in-bar beer collection in the world, with 2,000 beers on offer at any one time.
We hardly scraped the surface of what Belgium has to offer which makes us want to visit again which, thanks to short/inexepensive flights, makes it a good weekend destination.
Alternatively, look out for Heverlee beer which is available in bars in Scotland. Incidentally, in case the famous Belgian question comes up again, you might want to add to the list surrealist painter Rene Magritte and actress Audrey Hepburn – yes the Hollywood legend was Belgian.
CONTACTS
The Lodge Hotel, Leuven: double rooms start at 100 Euros per night, including breakfast. www.lodge-hotels.be
Park Abbey: www.parkabdij.be/nl
Heverlee Beer: www.heverlee.com
Martens Brewery: www.martens.be
Bocholter Brewery Museum: www.bocholterbrouwerijmuseum.be
Notre Dame Quasimodo Restaurant: www.notredame-leuven.be
Domus Restaurant: www.domusleuven.be