Mireille the Goat’s Walk in Namur

Park in the car park at Abbaye du Vivier.

(S/E) From the abbey car park, head towards Le Vivier and then towards the “La Porterie” lodge on your right. Go through the wooden gate under the porch, turn right and start the climb. You’ll pass another of the abbey’s lodges and then two picnic tables with a view of the enclosures. At the Y-junction, carry straight on and do not take the path on the right.

(1) When you reach the crossroads, take the path on the left to reach another crossroads. Turn right and walk for about fifty metres.

(2) You’ll see a wooden sign and a crossroads with six paths. Take the^second path on the right. On a tree you’ll find the Santiago de Compostela logo.

(3) At the next crossroads, take the path on the left (still the Way of St James). At the^first fork, leave the Way of St James by turning right. You will then walk along the edge of the woodland on your left and a clearing on your right.

(4) At the Y-junction, take the path furthest to the left (white mark on a tree and a white stone on the ground) and continue through the woods. At the next junction, turn right and, at the next Y-junction, turn left onto the path that leads downhill, following the Saint-Jacques signposts once more. You will pass a wooden shelter where a bench bears the inscription ‘Bois de Gournées’. As you emerge from the woods, you’ll come out in a neighbourhood of Beez on Rue du Mont. Head down to the left.

(5) After the last house on the right and just before the railway bridge, you’ll find a narrow forest track on the right that climbs into the woods. Take this track. When you reach a small clearing with a small wooden bench, take the^first path on the right. Then walk past a shed and, once past it, continue to the junction.

(6) Turn left and take the stony path. At the top of the small hill, follow the path to the right and walk alongside the woodland. You’ll then pass by the quarries before coming out into our beautiful countryside.

(7) At the crossroads, turn right. After crossing some fields, walk alongside a woodland and meadows once more. Keep going straight on until you reach the edge of the woodland.

(8) Turn right.

(3) When you reach the wooden sign again, take the same path as at the start.
Alternative route: At this wooden signpost, take the path on the left and then the first path on the right. At the end of this path, you’ll reach the six-way junction (PdP 2).

(2) With your back to the wooden sign, head straight on along the widest path, which leads back down towards Abbaye du Vivier. Almost at the bottom of the descent, go round a metal gate. Then, on your right, you’ll see a chapel.

(9) At the small cluster of houses, take the narrow path on the left. Passing between the two gates, follow the narrow track back to the starting point (S/E).

Wear walking shoes as some paths may be muddy

__Alternative route__ If you do not wish to walk the same section twice, at the wooden signpost, take the path on the left and then the ^first path on the right. At the end of the path, you will return to the six-way junction.