Discover the essentials of Mirwart

Glacière, ponds, arboretum, Croix des Bûcherons: circular around Mirwart Castle.

Details

1078400
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 7.10 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 2h 30 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Easy

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 154 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 148 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 380 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 259 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Parking at the side of the road, next to Mirwart church. With your back to the church, you will see Mirwart castle.

(S/E) Facing the church entrance, take the road on the left. At the fork further on, turn left. Descend until you come to a wide grassy path on your left.

(1) Turn onto this path, which becomes a trail. Continue for 1.4 km, using the trail with the bridges at one point. Here and there, you will find small information panels about the trees you encounter.

(2) At the fork on the right, continue to the road. Follow it to the right, pass the old mill and, before the railway bridge, turn left into the car park.

(3) Take the path (shown on OSM but not on IGN) running alongside the "holiday camp" and take the path going up into the woods. At the top, continue to the right until you reach the road.

(4) On your right is the Pont Madame bridge; continue straight ahead.

(5) At the fork on the right, go down to the Étang Saint Roch. Walk along it. Take the bridge on your right to see the old ice house, which has become a refuge for bats. Retrace your steps and continue along the path beside the pond.

(6) At the road, turn right, ignore the road on your right and go under the bridge, then turn left. Keep to your left and walk along the Ru Parfonry for a short while.

(7) Take the steep path on your left at Tier à Bruyère (see practical information for other options). After climbing 700 metres, turn left. Stay on the main path for 1,100 metres, ignoring the side paths, and pass the Croix des Bûcherons. Go through a gate and close it behind you.

(8) At the road, turn left and return to the car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 326 m - Alongside Mirwart Church
  2. 1 : km 1.19 - alt. 262 m - Grassy path on the left
  3. 2 : km 2.58 - alt. 282 m - Fork to the right
  4. 3 : km 3.19 - alt. 259 m - Car park before the railway bridge
  5. 4 : km 3.78 - alt. 279 m - Pont Madame
  6. 5 : km 4.36 - alt. 281 m - Fork to the right
  7. 6 : km 5.02 - alt. 275 m - Road on the right
  8. 7 : km 5.17 - alt. 287 m - Steep path on the left
  9. 8 : km 6.86 - alt. 348 m - Route
  10. S/E : km 7.1 - alt. 326 m - Alongside Mirwart Church

Notes

The route had to be changed between (3) and (4) because the footbridge near the pond and closest to Lhomme was washed away by the floods in July 2021. Thanks to jacques.nys for the information
No possibility of drinking or eating.
Quite muddy in places, so wear good shoes.
There is only one difficulty at (7): if the climb scares you, follow the stream for a little while longer and then take the first path on your left.

Would you like a longer route? https://www.visorando.com/randonnee-le-g...

Worth a visit

Arboretum on the Chemin des Sangliers: the path takes you through various stands of deciduous and coniferous trees. This trail is frequented by wild boars at night. You will find many signs of their presence: footprints, wallows where the boars cover themselves in mud, trees with bark worn away by the rubbing of their tough flanks.

Étang du Pré Meunier

Pont Madame: the bridge preserves the memory of a chatelaine who is said to have been particularly attentive to the miseries, great and small, of her fellow citizens.

Saint Roch Pond: In the summer, the Saint-Roch ponds are adorned with the warm pink of the aquatic knotweed, Polygonum amphibium. The Mirwart Estate is rich in aquatic plant species, some native, such as duckweed, pondweed, etc., and others invasive, such as Canadian waterweed.

Ice house: This small structure with a door conceals an old-fashioned freezer, dug around 1860! This vast 80 m³ cavity was once used to store ice cut from the nearby Étang Saint-Roch pond. Thanks to various tricks (careful mineral insulation, a triple door forming a north-facing airlock, protection from shade, etc.), the ice was preserved for a long time. The lords of the manor and villagers benefited from it all year round, using it for various purposes, primarily food preservation. Nowadays, pipistrelle bats use the ice house for hibernation.

"Tier à bruyère" (heathland), a name that preserves the memory of the ancient moors where cattle, sheep and goats in particular were grazed.

Croix des Bûcherons: The cross known as "Croix des Bûcherons" commemorates the death of two woodcutters who were crushed under their hut by a falling tree. At that time, woodcutters would go into the forest for several days and build small huts to spend the night in.

Reviews and comments

4.7 / 5
Based on 8 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.6 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.6 / 5
Route interest
5 / 5
lazzerini
lazzerini

Good evening, jacques.nys,

thanks for the info
change made.

I hope the gateway will be restored quickly because the "backup route" wasn't great as far as I remember.

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jacques.nys
jacques.nys

Please note:
We hiked in the area in autumn 2021 and noticed that the footbridge over the river under the railway bridge (between points 3 and 4) was washed away by the floods last July. We saw no signs that it would be rebuilt.
The route is therefore no longer feasible as it stands: at the ponds, shortly before point 3, do not go under the railway but turn left along the car park of the 'holiday camp', climb the path that goes up into the woods and then turn right to follow the railway to point 4 (on the other side of the bridge over the river).

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Fabian Steigner
Fabian Steigner

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 05, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A superb, winding, hilly hike dotted with trout-filled lakes.
We did it as a family (two children aged 10 and 12) in windy and rainy conditions, but we were well protected by the forest and didn't suffer from the unpredictable weather. There's a nice hill at the end of the route to warm up your calves a bit and earn your evening aperitif :-)
The Mirwart estate is simply magnificent.

Thank you for this very pleasant route.

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Joshka et Nanette
Joshka et Nanette

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 02, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A superb hike in beautiful natural surroundings. The route description is very well done, with a few minor exceptions.
Be sure to read the information carefully when you reach junctions, otherwise you can easily stray from the right path ;-).
The Lomme was magnificent this morning, given the snow melt in recent days.
The paths were quite muddy as a result, but that added to the magic of the trip.
The end of the route is tough when you take the very steep 700-metre path, which you mustn't miss.
The region is just too beautiful and some places offer breathtaking views.
We had a memorable day.
It's a shame that the taverns, bistros and restaurants were closed due to Covid, as we would have ended the day with an Ardennes meal... the icing on the cake.

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Jeanfil
Jeanfil

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 28, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful route overall, with a lovely surprise along the water's edge with the Lhomme and its ponds. A two-hour walk bathed in autumn sunshine, ending on a high note in the hills. Definitely worth doing.

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ombrageux
ombrageux
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 14, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Thank you for sharing this very pleasant little hike.

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Daniel de Wavre
Daniel de Wavre

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 10, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A pleasant short walk around Mirwart and partly along the Lhomme river. Quite a lot of water and mud at this time of year. At the end of the Pré du Meunier pond, it is best to take the path that goes up to the right and then down a little further towards the frog ponds, which allows you to reach the bridge under the railway without getting your feet wet.

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tonton1959
tonton1959

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 13, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A superb walk along the river... to be repeated.

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Agronymous
Agronymous

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 03, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Very beautiful route.
A small clarification for point (3), which caused us some hesitation: you must turn left immediately, between the pond and the stream (do not follow the road, which runs along the opposite bank of the pond!).
Thank you for this walk!
A

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HJij
HJij

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 10, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : Not used / Not applicable
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

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