The flax fields Of Belgium: A walk around Bossut-Gottechain

To see the flax fields of Belgium, try this circular 9 km walk around the villages of Bossut and Gottechain. UPDATED MAY 2026

There was a moment, when I was walking in the fields north of Grez-Doiceau, when the landscape totally surprised me. The green of the pastures and the gold of the grain were all familiar Belgian countryside. But then I rounded a bend in the path, and the next field was BLUE. Not metaphorically blue. Actual sky-blue. It was flax in flower. And once I saw it, I never forgot the sight. Here’s how to see some of the flax fields of Belgium.

This nine-kilometre walk links the villages of Bossut and Gottechain, just north of Grez-Doiceau in Brabant Wallon. It is a gentle, unhurried circuit across open plateau farmland, through ancient sunken lanes and past handsome farms. June is the time to do it. That is when the blue fields appear – and when the skylark and the quail are singing on the plateau.

The route at a glance

Here is a map of the walk. You can download it as a PDF. Or get the GPX track from my RouteYou page. three.

The walk

Start from the Église Saint-Remacle de Gottechain (there is parking alongside) and take the footpath to the left of the church steps.

The signposts are small and easy to miss, so bring a map or download the route before you set out.

The first stretch leads down into a sunken lane, one of those ancient hollow ways worn into the earth over centuries of foot and cart traffic. Charles Dickens, who had a fondness for exactly this kind of place, called them “dingly dells.” He was not wrong.

The lane opens out onto the plateau, and the views broaden.

On a clear June morning you can see far across the rolling arable land: a patchwork of crops in various shades depending on the sowing. The birds are busy overhead. Around the farms of Le Petit Royal and Le Grand Royal (the word “royal” here means nothing grander than “furrow”; it is an old Walloon term), I heard quail in the standing crops.

That characteristic tri-syllabic call of the quail – the one Beethoven gave to the oboe in his Pastoral Symphony – is almost impossible to place precisely, because quail are furtive creatures that keep themselves hidden in the grain. I have been listening to them for years and still never managed a clear sighting. Hearing them is the next best thing. Here’s an audio file of the quail so you know what I’m talking about, or listening to.

Actually the fields around these fields were full of birds calling or singing. Here are two more of my favourites: the yellowhammer and skylark. I love listening to the skylark in particular, as it soars high in the sky pouring out its unending and seemingly joyful celebration of being alive.

George Meredith wrote a poem about it, The Lark Ascending, which Vaughan Williams turned into one of the best-loved pieces of music in the English repertoire.

The route passes through the village of Bossut. Some handsome farmhouses, a few cottages, the quiet lived-in quality of a village that does not especially notice it is being walked through. And then you loop back towards Gottechain. The path is clear and well-maintained throughout.

The blue fields

The flax fields of Belgium are the reason to be here in June.

Each plant blooms for a single day only, which makes the timing of a visit feel like something of a privilege. Get the window right, and a field of flax is a haze of soft blue flowers, astonishing against the green and gold of everything around it. Miss it by a week and you will see only green.

When the plants are ready, they are pulled from the ground rather than mown. The full length of the stem is needed for the finest fibre. The harvest is then laid out in the fields to dry and ret before processing. The long fibres go to make linen. The seeds yield oil. Very little of the plant is wasted.

Flax has been grown in this part of Belgium for centuries. It is, in many ways, the crop that made Flanders. It’s a story of extraordinary depth and reach, from the cloth merchants of medieval Bruges to the weavers of the Leie valley and the lacemakers of Brussels. I have written about this at greater length in a separate post: “The Story of Flax: 2000 years of fields and fiber“. It explores both the history of the industry and the many uses of the plant, then and now. It is worth a read if you want to understand what you are looking at when the field turns blue.

The flowering season for flax is very short; each flax plant blooms for a single day only. Visit in the first two weeks of June for the best chance of catching the blue fields at their peak.

Can you name what you are walking through?

The plateau around Bossut-Gottechain is pure arable farmland, and in June it is a patchwork of crops at every stage of the growing cycle. Flax, as we have seen, turns the fields blue. But surrounding it are fields of wheat, barley, oats, oilseed rape, sugar beet, and more. Most walkers glance at them and move on. A few stop and wonder: which is which?

It is a surprisingly tricky question. Wheat and barley look very similar at first glance. Oats have a distinctive open, drooping head – once you know what to look for. Oilseed rape is unmistakable in flower, but unrecognisable once the yellow has gone. And flax itself, as you now know, is only blue for a day or two. The rest of the time it looks like a lot of other things.

I have put together a field guide specifically for walkers in this situation. The Farm Crops ID Guide is a 25-page illustrated PDF covering the 18 most common farm crops you are likely to encounter on a country walk in Belgium and beyond, including all of the above. For each crop you get clear field photographs, close-ups of the flowers and seeds, the key identification features to look for, simple comparisons to help you tell lookalikes apart, and memory aids to make sure the knowledge sticks next time.

It is designed to work on your phone, so you can pull it up on the path without needing signal or a printer. At €4, it costs considerably less than the cup of coffee you will deserve when you get back to the car.

Farm Crops ID Guide. 25 pages, 18 crops, fully illustrated. Designed for walkers. Available as a PDF at Payhip (€4)

Whether you are trying to settle an argument about what is growing in that field, or simply want to bring more curiosity to a walk you already love, the guide is worth having on your phone before you set out.

A final thought

Belgium has a habit of doing this. You set out on a short country walk, expecting nothing more than fresh air and a change of scene, and somewhere along the path you stumble across something that has mattered to people for two thousand years.

The flax fields of Bossut-Gottechain are not a heritage attraction. Nobody will explain them with an information board. They just appear, doing what they have always done: flowering brilliantly for a day or two in June, and then getting on with the serious business of being a crop.

Go in June, find a blue field, and enjoy the walk. If you want to understand what you are looking at, the story is waiting for you. Feel free to drop me a line or comment below on your experience.

P.S. How do you like my photo of Belgium’s largest picnic table?

Denzil Walton

I created Discovering Belgium in 2011 to share the country’s hidden stories, fascinating places, and remarkable people. Through articles, photography, and audio walks, I share discoveries that reveal Belgium beyond the obvious. Hope you enjoy this site.