Bané Campsite – Villance

This second section runs along the eastern boundary of the municipality of Libin. After a night at the Bané campsite, explore the Anciennes Troufferies Nature Reserve and the Noire Eau valley as it joins the Lomme, before finishing at the former kaolin quarry in Libin.

This walk is part of a multi-day hike: Two days between Lesse and Lomme around Libin

Details

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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 15.10 mi
  • ◔
    Average duration: 8h 10 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Difficult

  • ⚐
    Back to start: No
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 1,358 ft
  • ↘
    Descent: - 1,716 ft

  • ▲
    Highest point: 1,608 ft
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 1,181 ft

Photos

Description of the walk

(S) With your back to the entrance to the Bois du Bané campsite, head down the forest track in front of you. Take the hairpin bend to the right at the next junction and head uphill.

(1) At the fork in the road, turn left. At the hunter’s bench, take the path on the left. Cross the footbridge over a stream.

(2) Follow the path and, when you rejoin another path, turn right. At the forest track, continue to the left.

(3) Before reaching the road, turn left onto the path. Leave the forest and, at the bus stop, cross the N40. Turn left and take the path between the embankment and the property’s hedge.

(4) At the track in the hamlet of Ronfè-Gerbéfè, turn right. Stay on the main track for 1.5 km, ignoring the forest tracks branching off on either side.

(5) At the fork in the road, before reaching the edge of the meadow, take the path on the left. At the T-junction, turn left. Follow the path for 500 m, ignoring the paths branching off on either side.

(6) At the T-junction with a wide forest track, turn right. Walk on, pass the hamlet of La Haie Courbôle and continue straight on for 750 m. Cross the bridge over the Ru La Noire Eau. The path, now overgrown with roots, turns left. Walk alongside a patch of coniferous trees on your right. A path joins from your right; continue along the main track. Cross an open stretch, walk alongside a meadow and then head back under the trees.

(7) At the crossroads in the hamlet of Sapin Pelzer, turn right. Follow the red cycle markings. Pass a track blocked by a makeshift barrier.

(8) When you reach the bend in a forest track, carry on straight ahead.

(9) At the fork in the road, turn right. Walk along the open, uphill path.

(10) At the track on your right, turn off and leave the signposted route. Head downhill and enter the forest. At the junction (not shown on the map), carry on straight ahead.

(11) At the path on your left, turn off and head downhill. Cross the bridge over the Fagne des Tailsus stream. Follow the path and, at the junction with a forest track, carry on straight ahead along the path opposite. When you reach another forest track, keep to the right. Ignore the paths on your right overlooking the stream. At the wide fork, turn right and then ignore the grassy path on your left.

(12) At the wide junction in the hamlet of Les Tachenires, turn right. The path descends, turns right and then left. Ignore the path on your right at the bend and leave the woods. Ignore the path on your left and the next one as well. On your right, enjoy the view of a pond. At the road, in the hamlet of Pont de Libin, turn right then quickly turn left towards Libin Centre. Walk uphill for 500 m.

(13) At the junction between the road and the forest tracks, turn right. Walk for 300 m.

(14) At the bend, take the path opposite.

(15) At the junction, turn right and head uphill. At the T-junction, turn left. The path turns left and is joined by another path on your right.

(16) At a place called Les Chipteuses, turn right. Walk downhill and, at the bottom, turn left. At the Fork in the road, keep to the right. At the crossroads, take the grassy path on the left. At the large crossroads, continue straight ahead, then at the partly grassy junction, take the path on the right.

(17) At the junction, where there is a hunter’s chair perched high up, turn left. Walk straight on at every junction for 1 km.

(18) At the wide forest track, continue to the right for 200 m. At the T-junction, turn left and join the N808. Then turn right, cross the road and take thefirst path.

(19) Turn left at the junction (marked with a yellow cycle symbol). The track then bends sharply to the right; ignore the track branching off opposite you in the bend. A grassy track then joins from your right. At the crossroads (not fully shown on the map), go straight on.

(20) As you come out of the woods, turn right. Walk to the road and cross it. At a place called Carrière de Kaolin, ignore the signposting and take the path running along the left-hand side of the pond. Discover the traces of the Nutons of the quarry by following the Sentier des Nutons. After following the path and reaching a wooden footbridge, continue straight on.

(21) At the track, turn left and then immediately left again. Yellow cycle route markings. Then continue to the right. Ignore the grassy path on your left. The forest track turns right.

(22) Keep left round the bend; a path joins you from the right. At the T-junction, turn left.

(23) At the track after the meadow, turn right and leave the signposted route. At the end of the meadow, the path turns left. Leave the broom bushes behind and carry on straight ahead. Cross an open area with Christmas trees, then at the track, continue to the left until you reach the road.

(24) At the road, cross carefully and head straight ahead onto the very quiet side road towards Villance. Walk along the road for 2.5 km. Pass under the motorway bridge and, after the first houses, ignore a road coming from the left. Enter Villance and ignore the roads on your right until you come within sight of the church.

(25) At the N808, turn right and head back to the car park (E).

Waypoints

  1. S : mi 0 - alt. 1,539 ft - Bané Bivouac
  2. 1 : mi 0.26 - alt. 1,545 ft - Fork in the road
  3. 2 : mi 0.53 - alt. 1,542 ft - T-junction
  4. 3 : mi 0.89 - alt. 1,572 ft - Path on the left before the road
  5. 4 : mi 1.23 - alt. 1,545 ft - Ronfè-Gerbéfè
  6. 5 : mi 2.25 - alt. 1,490 ft - Fork in the road
  7. 6 : mi 2.67 - alt. 1,608 ft - Wide path on the right
  8. 7 : mi 3.82 - alt. 1,427 ft - Crossroads – Sapin Pelzer hamlet
  9. 8 : mi 4.15 - alt. 1,444 ft - Junction
  10. 9 : mi 4.25 - alt. 1,434 ft - Fork in the road
  11. 10 : mi 4.81 - alt. 1,450 ft - Path on the right
  12. 11 : mi 5.24 - alt. 1,302 ft - The trail starts on the left. Near the - Lomme (rivière) - Belgique
  13. 12 : mi 5.82 - alt. 1,421 ft - Les Tachenires
  14. 13 : mi 7.24 - alt. 1,325 ft - Junction of road and forest tracks
  15. 14 : mi 7.43 - alt. 1,253 ft - Bend – Trailhead on the left
  16. 15 : mi 7.88 - alt. 1,424 ft - Crossroads
  17. 16 : mi 8.19 - alt. 1,463 ft - Les Chipteuses
  18. 17 : mi 9 - alt. 1,542 ft - Crossing with a hunter’s chair
  19. 18 : mi 9.67 - alt. 1,516 ft - Wide path on the right
  20. 19 : mi 10.02 - alt. 1,467 ft - Crossroads – Cycle signposting
  21. 20 : mi 10.71 - alt. 1,470 ft - Junction at the edge of the woodland
  22. 21 : mi 11.33 - alt. 1,535 ft - Crossroads
  23. 22 : mi 11.99 - alt. 1,512 ft - Left-hand bend
  24. 23 : mi 12.41 - alt. 1,496 ft - Start of the path on the right
  25. 24 : mi 12.89 - alt. 1,463 ft - Crossing the N40 road
  26. 25 : mi 15.02 - alt. 1,188 ft - A808 road
  27. E : mi 15.1 - alt. 1,194 ft - Car park on the Place de Villance

Notes

Challenging solely due to the distance, not the elevation gain.
Stock up on water 180 m below the bivouac; filtering is essential.
Some paths are not yet shown on the OSM or IGN maps. A GPX track is recommended.

From (1) to (2), follow the track; the paths shown on OSM are in the wrong place.
Picnic area, benches and shelter at the former kaolin quarry after (20).
Bench: at the Pont de Libin pond between (12) and (13), and also after (13).
After (11), just before you cross the stream, you’ll come across a small cupboard; the Libin Tourist Office has left a guestbook there for walkers, so please feel free to leave a short message.

Bané campsite: you must have left the site by 9.00 am.

Hunting: It is not advisable to walk the route between 21 September and 31 December due to the hunting season. Temporary access restrictions may be in place on certain sections at various times. If you wish to access the route nonetheless, please check the map and dates here. These are updated annually.

Worth a visit

During
Anciennes Troufferies Nature Reserve: a site where peat was extracted from the Middle Ages until the late 1930s.
Former kaolin quarry: white clay used as a base for porcelain manufacture, but also in the paper, medical and cosmetics industries.

Nearby
Euro Space Centre.

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The GPS track and description are the property of this route's author. Please do not copy them without permission.