Saint-Sylvestre-Cappel: Hiking, Gardens and Brewing Culture

There are specific ways to explore each of these interests. The details below will help you include suitable activities and their different visiting options in your travel plans.

Hiking the Sentier d’Entre-Monts

The Sentier d’Entre-Monts is a very easy 6.8-kilometre hiking trail that takes about two hours. It starts at the car park by the church in Saint-Sylvestre-Cappel and follows small, quiet roads past the Chapelle N.D. de Grâce. The trail is family-friendly. This means that both a specific starting point and a named cultural landmark are part of the hike. The distance and approximate duration answer different planning questions: the number of kilometres describes the route, while the approximately two hours give you a time estimate.

The Jardin des Fées

The Jardin des Fées is English-inspired and features shrubs, perennials and historic roses. It also has collections of perennials, aromatic plants and medicinal plants, as well as water basins and a vegetable garden. The Jardin des Fées also includes a nursery for perennials, aromatic plants and medicinal plants. You can visit the garden on your own or with a guide; groups are welcomed by arrangement. Before travelling, check the current visiting arrangements and, if access to the nursery matters for your visit, confirm that too.

Brewing culture at Brasserie 3 Monts

Brasserie 3 Monts has been a family-run, independent brewery since 1920. During a tour, a guide introduces the family history as well as the brewing methods and techniques; a beer tasting is offered afterwards. Tours take place during seasonal time slots, by arrangement, as part of a partnership with Destination Cœur de Flandre. Depending on the season, visitors may be able to see hops growing opposite the brewery premises. Since both tours and the possibility of seeing the hops depend on the season, check dates and availability in advance. According to oral tradition, Brasserie Cordonnier operated at the site of today’s brewery in the 18th century.

Visiting options for planning your day

The activities also differ in how you can plan them: an approximate walking time is given for the Sentier d’Entre-Monts, the garden can be visited independently or with a guide, and brewery tours depend on seasonal time slots and advance arrangements. If you want to plan around a set time, arrange the tour first and fit other activities around it. The hike, by contrast, can be planned based on its approximate duration.

Regional cuisine at L’Hazewinde

L’Hazewinde in Saint-Sylvestre-Cappel serves local produce and traditional regional dishes. These include carbonnade, potjevleesch, chicken with Maroilles and Welsh rarebit. If you include regional cuisine in your choice of activities, these examples give you some specific dishes to try. Unlike the brewery tour, L’Hazewinde focuses on food and local produce, while at the brasserie a guide presents the family history and brewing methods, followed by a beer tasting.

Discover more destinations: Erquinghem-Lys, Halluin, Eppe-Sauvage, Armbouts-Cappel, Denain, Hem-Lenglet, Sainghin-En-Mélantois, Grande-Synthe

For the wider travel overview: Nord.