Brakelbos, Nature reserve and forest in Brakel, Belgium

Brakelbos is a nature reserve and forest in Brakel with varied terrain and multiple walking paths that wind through dense woodland sections. The trails offer routes of different difficulties, with information boards positioned to help visitors understand the forest structure and its inhabitants.

In the Middle Ages Brakelbos formed part of a broad belt of woodland on the witness hills of South-East Flanders, a notorious area where exiles and robber bands lived; in the 15th century the 'Groenseleters' raided the surroundings, and in the 18th century the 'Egyptenaren'. From the 16th to the 18th century the forest belonged to the lords of Opbrakel, then to Ghent noble families including D'Hane de Steenhuyse, Vander Meersche, Walckiers and Falligan. After inheritances and sales the Commission for Public Assistance (later the OCMW) of Oudenaarde became owner in 1951, and since 1976 the forest has been open to the public.

The forest's name comes from the lords of Opbrakel, who owned it from the 16th to the 18th century. Two landmarks carry local names: the Ludvinakruis, a cross in the wood, and the Rietfonteintje, a spring whose water feeds the Sassegembeek. The spring blooms of bluebell, wood anemone, Solomon's seal and wild daffodil draw visitors each spring.

Brakelbos is freely accessible on the waymarked paths that cross it; the Bosmuizenpad (1.7 km) and Reeënpad (4.4 km) are signposted in the wood. Long-distance routes GR5A, GR122, E2 and the Streek-GR Vlaamse Ardennen pass through, while the Tweebossenpad (10 km) and Brakelbosroute (10.9 km) start in Opbrakel. The Taalgrenswandelroute T5 (7.5 km) starts at La Caplette near D'Hoppe, and the MTB Brakel red loop of 25.8 km passes along the forest edge.

The forest lies exactly on the language border: it runs seamlessly into the Pottelbergbos (Bois du Pottelberg) at D'Hoppe, a hamlet of Vloesberg in Wallonia's Pays des Collines. The Sassegembeek springs here, and it was once the only place in the Flemish Ardennes where brook trout were found; brook lamprey and bullhead still live in it.