Now Belgium's coal mines have fallen silent, all you can hear is the call of the wild

In the pantheon of walking, the conquering of the "Belgian Plateau" merits few Brownie points. Partly, this is because it is not very high, but mainly because almost no one knows it exists. It deserves a wider audience: having walked the very modest ascent to the brow of the hill, the views were sumptuous. In the distance a church tower lumbered above the horizon and, to the east, the sun bounced off the River Maas. All around was heather moorland alive with skylarks and willow warblers newly arrived from Africa.

This sandy plateau is the highest point of Hoge Kempen, Belgium's first national park, which officially opened in 2006. However, it is so new that it has yet to make it into most guidebooks. If you thought that recreation in Belgium extended little farther than walking between chocolate shops and bars selling the nation's prize-winning beers, then until recently, it seems, so did most Belgians.

This attitude is likely to change following the award of the Goldman Prize, one of the world's most prestigious environmental awards, to Ignace Schops, who made the park a reality. The prize reflected his achievement in creating a park in the face of institutional indifference to the environment.

Belgium's sole national park is not located in the rolling hills of the Ardennes but in the industrial, heavily populated north-east of the country and a former coal mining heartland. The park covers about 22 square miles and is chiefly composed of large woodlands, extensive pine groves, flowering meadows and lakes. Large stones and small boulders attest to its creation at the end of the last ice age. It is home to many rare animals, such as the antlion, an insect that lurks on the borders of sandy paths for unwary ants, the European nightjar, and the non-venomous smooth snake.

My hike on to the plateau, a three-mile circular trail, began at Mechelse Heide, one of five official entrances to the park. The remnants of industrialisation can still be seen: for two more years the park will continue to be quarried for fine white sand. The legacy is a series of vast quarries, where the land has been gouged out to leave behind vast ridges and valleys of exposed rock. A little further on, a trail led around a smaller disused quarry which had been dammed, allowing groundwater to rise up.

Each of the five gateways offers traditional walks as well as innovations such as the animal farm and trail for children at Pietersheim. The trails that criss-cross Hoge Kempen are well way-marked. In all, there are 36 circular walks, from two to 10 miles in length. Loops are colour coded and linked to a series of excellent maps. This may seem like too much hand-holding for more experienced walkers, but the trails are thoughtfully planned, and take you through many places of interest. There are many other lightly trodden, unmarked paths to explore.

I based myself in the gateway of Station As, near the small town of As, three miles north-east of Genk. Several way-marked walks began conveniently just across the road from the hotel. The walking is almost entirely flat and easy going. A typical walk would thread through a grove of pine trees, where the mist and haze seem suspended in the air, and the bark dappled by a sunlight that can turn the pine husks a rich shade of terracotta.

The canopy of trees can seem relentless, so it is a relief to break out into open ground. I walked through a large expanse of farmland. In the middle distance stood a Flemish farmhouse, more modern and plainer than its classic English counterpart. Tractors chugged back and forth, and a stubble fire blew wisps of smoke on the horizon. I passed a wetland known as Ruwmortelven, where a heron circled around the amphitheatre created by the wall of trees on all sides.

Paved cycle paths also cross the park. It is a good idea to hire a bike, because it will enable you to quickly travel from one part of the park to another. You can lock your bike to a tree and strike out, avoiding the need to use a car or bus to move around. A circumnavigation of the park along excellent, clearly signposted cycle trails, is 25 miles.

Taking cycle route 30 from Station As I headed south through pleasant woodland, full of birdsong. After almost four miles I reached a bridge crossing the busy A2, which bisects the park and links Brussels with Amsterdam and the German city of Aachen. But the bridge is not just for walkers and cyclists. Its major purpose is to allow the parks wildlife to move between the north and the south of the park: the park rangers call it an ecoduct.

Returning to As, I discovered that the former train station there has been charmingly converted into a café. Having belatedly embraced the concept of national parks, Belgians have wasted no time in joining it together with that other requisite component for a grand day in the countryside: Belgian beer.

How to get there

The best base for Hoge Kempen is Genk, reached by Eurostar (08705 186186; eurostar.com) from London St Pancras to Brussels, then take one of the hourly trains to Genk from Brussels Midi station, which takes a further one hour 40 minutes. Rail Europe (0844 848 4070; raileurope. co.uk) offers return fares from £59. From Genk, buses from the central bus station (adjacent to the railway station) run at least hourly to Station As and take 25 minutes. Mark Rowe stayed at the Hotel Mardaga (00 32 89 65 62 65; hotelmardaga.be), which offers B&B double rooms from £125 per night.

Further information

Hoge Kempen National Park (nationaalpark.be). Flanders tourist information (020-7307 7738; visitflanders.co.uk

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