“You’re not allowed here. It’s private.”

Not exactly the welcome you want when you’re already on your second attempt at finding something hidden in the forest.

This video follows on from the one where I got completely lost in the Belgian bush trying to find an abandoned railway built for royalty. That attempt? Total failure.

This time… I was determined to actually make it.

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🎥 Watch the Full Video

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A Quick Recap (AKA: The Time I Nearly Died in a Forest)

Last time, I went looking for a mysterious abandoned railway station supposedly built by Leopold II.

Instead of finding it, I:

• Hiked aimlessly through dense forest
• Questioned my life choices
• Wondered if Belgium had bears
• Decided I should maybe stop doing “stupid things”

So naturally… I went back.

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Attempt #2: Slightly Better Planning

This time I:

• Took my bike
• Told actual humans where I was going (growth!)
• Avoided blindly bush-bashing

Plot twist: the area I got lost in yesterday was suddenly full of Scouts.

Yesterday? Deserted.
Today? Organised youth activity.

I told them if they came back and my van was still parked there, they’d know where to find the body.

Comforting.

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The Golf Course Confrontation

To reach the railway, I needed to pass through a golf course I thought was closed.

It was not closed.

There was:

• An incredible clubhouse (possibly once a royal hotel)
• A very grumpy lady
• A firm “You’re not allowed here. It’s private.”

Fair enough.

But then I spoke to one of the golfers — and he was wonderful. He gave me detailed directions, including:

“It will be wet. You’ll have to scramble a bit. But you’ll see it.”

That was all the encouragement I needed.

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The Third & Final Attempt

Back to the van.
Drive to the river.
Walk along a muddy path.

This path was already better than the previous day’s chaos.

Then I saw it.

A railway line.

And carved into stone:

1893

Now we were getting somewhere.

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The Scramble

The golfer had said I wouldn’t need to rock climb.

He may have slightly underestimated the definition of “scramble.”

Up a muddy incline.
Through flattened vegetation.
Following what looked like a barely-there trail.

And then…

A hiking marker.

That’s when I knew.

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I Found It 😍

Hidden in the forest was a private railway station built by Leopold II so he and his guests could access a nearby summer palace.

It featured:

• A spiralling cobblestone driveway
• A private courtyard
• Ornate stonework
• Total isolation

Completely surreal.

After two failed attempts, getting lost, nearly giving up…

I made it.

And it was absolutely worth it.

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Why I Love These Moments

This is one of those opportunities in travel where you could just say:

“Too hard. Not today.”

But sometimes the second (or third) try is the story.

Van life isn’t just about moving.
It’s about chasing curiosity.

Even if that curiosity occasionally involves trespassing-adjacent golf courses and muddy walls.

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What’s Next?

Next stop: leaving Belgium (sadly — what a beautiful country).

But 10 minutes over the German border, I got the biggest surprise… and did something I’ve wanted to do my entire life.

It turned into one of the best days I’ve ever had.

You’ll want to see that one.

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