Sterrenhemel Hoge Venen

One of the darkest places in the Benelux

The Hoge Venen near Botrange is one of the few places in the Benelux where you can find a genuinely dark sky. The plateau sits at over 690 metres, far from large cities, and the nearest light sources are small enough to cause almost no interference. On a clear, moonless night you can see the Milky Way with the naked eye. In Belgium, that is rare.

For astrophotography, this area is a serious destination. No wrestling with filters to remove light pollution, just clean air above open peatland.

What works visually

The strength of this place lies in the combination of a flat, open landscape and an overwhelming canopy of sky. The heather tufts and peat pools in the foreground give you something to set the stars against. Look for a pool or a wet patch of peat for reflections. With a wide-angle lens, somewhere around 16 to 24mm, you capture enough sky without losing the ground.

In winter the nights are long and the air is on average clearer than in summer. Frost dries out the atmosphere further, which makes the stars sharper. A light dusting of snow on the peat brightens up the foreground, even in very little light. That can make or break a photograph.

Practical things to know

Botrange is the highest point in Belgium and easily reached via the N676. There is a car park at the Signaal de Botrange, right next to the information pavilion. That is your starting point. From there you can walk out into the peat, but stick to the paths. The Hoge Venen is a protected nature reserve and walking off the paths is prohibited.

Temperatures at night can be severe here, even in autumn. Plan for minus ten degrees or colder in winter. Bring spare batteries for your camera and a head torch with a red setting to preserve your night vision. The ground can be boggy, even in winter, so sturdy footwear is not a luxury.

Before you leave, check whether the area is accessible. Restrictions apply during certain periods as part of nature management. The official Hoge Venen website will keep you informed.

The best time

Plan your visit around new moon so that moonlight does not interfere with your exposure. The period from October through February gives you the longest dark hours. Check the weather forecast carefully, as cloud cover is frequent here. An app such as Clear Outside or Meteoblue gives you a detailed hour-by-hour picture of cloud cover.

Sources and further reading

• Hautes Fagnes (officiële site Hoge Venen)
• Parc naturel des Hautes Fagnes-Eifel
• Wikipedia: Hoge Venen