Jean Mathias

This route at the intersection of Gesves, Haut-Bois and Faulx-les-Tombes will take you close to the Gesves provincial breeding and riding school, whose facilities can host international events.

Gesves, a charming village in the Namur Condroz region, is said to take its name from "Gengeavia", which means "running water". Numerous streams criss-cross its territory before flowing into the Samson. The walk starts at the municipal administration building, winds its way through a few quiet streets and then joins the Bois de Gesves. After descending into the Samson valley, you reach the site of the old Bizonzon sandstone quarries, which were abandoned more than half a century ago.

Between the white farmhouse and the red farmhouse, take a narrow country road to discover an old mineral water production site that was the village's main industry for 60 years until 1971. Then head back up towards the hamlet of Mont-Sainte-Marie, whose origins date back tothe 12th century.

Part of the Sentiers d'Art (Art Trails) is included in this hike. You will have the opportunity to discover four works of art in a natural setting: the Triskele, the Sans refuge, the Eau d'ici and the Chaise brûlée.

Interestingly, it was in Petite Hour, a hamlet in the village of Hour, that Louis Marion, the oldest man Belgium has ever known, was born in 1893. After spending his entire life in the village, he died there at the age of 110. It was also from Hour that Max Cosyns, assistant to Professor Picard, took off in 1934 in his stratospheric balloon, landing 1,800 km away in Ljubljana, in the former Yugoslavia.

A walk around Yvoir that will take you through the Champalle nature reserve and the village of Evrehailles. The walk can be physically demanding on three sections with significant slopes requiring some physical effort.

This hike, which is not particularly difficult, will take you through the countryside and woods of the Namur Condroz. You will have the opportunity to pass by a fort, a remarkable farm, an old religious building and, towards the end, a ridge road with exceptional views.