marshlocks (Comarum palustre) with a small pearl-bordered fritillary
The Ardennes is rightly famous for its forests. The majority are deciduous, primarily of beech and oak with a sprinkling of birch. Inevitably there are spruce plantations too, although the largest concentration of these is in the Hautes Fagnes area where there are also oak, alder, hazel and large numbers of birch. Those of a botanical persuasion will find the Hautes Fagnes area particularly rewarding with its specialised marsh and bog plants. Plants to look out for are bog asphodel (Narthecium ossifragum), moss orchid (Dactylorhiza maculata), bogbean (Menyanthes trifoliata) and, in particular, round-leaved sundew (Drosera rotundiflora) – the tiny carnivorous plant that enhances its diet with captured insects.
Although there are wild boar, red deer, fallow deer and pine marten in the forests of the region they are rarely seen by tourists. Occasional reports of wild lynx have not been substantiated, although it is possible that escapees and released animals exist. Roe deer are more common and red squirrels ubiquitous.
Birdlife is splendid. In spring the beech and oak woods are full of birdsong – mostly the same species as seen in the UK, although it is a delight to hear wood warblers singing every 50m. However, there are some ‘specials’ including grey-headed, black and middle-spotted woodpeckers; Tengmalm’s owl and, up on the Hautes Fagnes, giant eagle owl, a few black grouse and nutcrackers.
Food and drink
Orval Abbey Trappist beer sign with the abbey emblem (Walk 7)
Belgium is generally famous for its food. Unfortunately, technical details of waffles and chocolate and recommendations of eating establishments are beyond the scope of this guide. However, given that Walk 7 includes a visit to a monastery where beer is brewed, a specific note on Trappist beers is warranted.
The Trappist order originated from the Cistercian monastery of La Trappe in Normandy. Although the brewing of beer in monasteries has existed in Europe over many centuries, there are strict criteria governing the use of the label ‘Trappist beer’. Indeed it is confined to just eight monasteries in Europe, six of which are in Belgium, two of these (Rochefort and Orval) being in the Ardennes. The two most important criteria for qualification are that the brewing must be undertaken within the walls of the monastery, either by the monks or directly under their supervision, and that the proceeds must be used for the living expenses of the monks, maintenance of the buildings and grounds or given to charity.
A typical example is the Abbaye Notre-Dame de Saint-Rémy 2km north of Rochefort, where only about 15 monks are in residence. It boasts the longest history of Trappist brewing, dating back to 1595, and the water used in the process is drawn from a well inside the abbey. There are three strengths of beer produced: 7.5 per cent ABV (alcohol by volume), 9.2 per cent ABV and 11.3 per cent ABV, misleadingly labelled ‘6’, ‘8’ and ‘10’ respectively. Considering that over 97 per cent of British ‘bitter’ beer sold in pubs is less than 4.2per cent ABV it would be wise to remember, when quaffing a couple of bottles of Rochefort 10, that it is likely to be about three times as strong as most people’s usual tipple. Be warned!
Early guides to the Ardennes
Pont de France (Bouillon) with train, date unknown. The tunnel is now a road (Walk 1)
The first English-language guide to the Ardennes was written by Percy Lindley, a prolific author whose books include Walks in Epping Forest (1885), Walks in Holland (1889) and The Great Eastern Railway Guide to the Continent (1902). Walks in the Ardennes – subtitled Cycling, driving, boating, by rail and on foot (with some fishing and shooting notes) – was published around 1890.
HOW TIMES CHANGE: AN EXCERPT FROM PERCY LINDLEY’S WALKS IN THE ARDENNES
Passport – In Belgium it is quite unnecessary but as some Ardennes tours cross and re-cross the French and German frontiers it may be as well to carry one. A passport is issued on application to the Foreign Office or your banker will save you the trouble.
Time – Antwerp and Brussels time is 18 minutes in advance of English.
Letters – Can be sent from home to care of ‘Poste Restante’ at any place and should be legibly addressed and the ‘Esquire’ omitted. Show your visiting card on applying for letters.
Inevitably, in the last 120 years much has changed in the landscape, as seen particularly in agricultural practices but most notably in the villages. Almost all were at the very least hugely damaged, and in some instances completely destroyed, during the fighting after the German army offensive of December 1944. But such is the rural nature of the Ardennes that I suspect if Percy Lindley had the opportunity of repeating his travels today, he would find much of it is recognisable (although the metalled roads and motorised transport would doubtless surprise and possibly dismay him). There is also a fascinating account of a journey through the Ardennes in 1880 written by Katharine Macquoid (In the Ardennes, Chatto & Windus, 1880) but this is not strictly a guidebook. From time to time observations from these earlier books are included in this guide to point up the contrast with the present day.
Scope of this guide
Horse riding in the forest above Poupehan near the Chaire à Prêcher (Walk 2)
This book can only give a flavour of the walking that is available in the Ardennes. Such is the number of possible routes it would be a near-impossible task to cover much more. Each town (and many villages) boasts a tourist office where it is possible to obtain an extensive list of walks suitable for all levels of ability and enthusiasm. For this reason the walks described in this guide are based around five centres in Belgium. In addition there is a long-distance path in the Grand Duchy – the Sentier du Nord – divided into six manageable walks that can all be accessed easily by train.
The selection of routes is always difficult and necessarily reflects the preferences of the writer. Wherever possible these are walks with a purpose, but there has also been a determined attempt to limit road-walking to an absolute minimum (although in some instances stretches of tar are unavoidable). There will be many, many walks in other centres, much-loved by others, that are not included here, but tough choices had to be made in order to keep the guide to a manageable size. The fact that over 50 per cent of the walks are in the areas of Bouillon and Spa/Hautes Fagnes reflects the quality of these walking centres.
The challenges of ascent are never too great, given that much of the high ground is between 350m and 500m – although it does rise to over 650m in the Hautes Fagnes.
If, rather than day walks, long-distance footpaths are more your cup of tea, the Ardennes is loaded with them, with a particularly high concentration in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. All have the prefix GR (Sentiers de Grande Randonnées in French; Grote Routepaden in Flemish/Dutch) and most have a Topo-guide that can be purchased in local shops. Special mention should be made of GR14 (Sentier de l’Ardenne), which traverses the area from northeast to southwest, starting in Malmedy and finishing in Sedan in France. It is 221km in length, quite well waymarked and passes through some key ‘must-visit’ towns in the Ardennes, notably La Roche en Ardenne and Bouillon. Walk 1 and Walk 32 in the book make use of sections of this GR.
Getting there
Crossing the river using the railway bridge (Walk 25)
One
