The Baraques les Dolimarts circular route in Hautes-Rivières

Car park at the entrance to the last bridge in the municipality of Hautes-Rivières on the way to Belgium, in the Failloué district.

(S/E) Head south along Rue du Bois Jean. Pass a factory on the left and take a gravel path, following the red and white markings of^{the GR®16}. Reach the French-Belgian border at Baraque Laurent.

(1) Continue straight ahead into Belgium, following the^GR®. Pass a small meadow. Reach the wooden bridge over the Ruisseau du Bois Jean: on the right, near a fence, are the ruins of Baraque Gérard.

(2) Cross the bridge at the signpost for "Baraque Gérard", leave the Chemin du Bois Jean and climb left up a path overlooking the Semois (Belgian) and Semoy (French), offering fine views of the border village of Hautes Rivières. At the^first fork, immediately turn right onto a fairly steep, winding path, following the GR^®. You will reach a crossroads

(3) Leave the^GR® and take the path on the right. You’ll reach a clearing and come to a tarmac road with a signpost for “les Dolimarts”. After admiring a few huts, continue along the old tarmac road which joins the Bohan–Sugny road.

(4) Leave the road and take the path opposite leading to Bohan. This path, which is downhill and heavily rutted, should be descended with care. You will then come to a crossroads.

(5) Take the path on the right, marked with a Red Rectangle; it is a very pleasant path through the undergrowth. You will arrive at a small clearing with the signpost “La Cuve” and a viewpoint: climb up to the upper platform to admire the Belgian village of Bohan.

(6) Continue along the almost level path until you reach a road junction with the signpost “La Suette”.

(7) Turn left and follow the road called Rue du Vieux Moulin for a few hundred metres. You will reach another junction.

(8) Leave the road and take the path leading downhill to the right. Please note: this path is rutted, deeply cut into the ground and damp, so take care on this descent. Continue down the path marked with a Red Rectangle, with a lovely hedge of young fir trees on your right. Cross the Flexa stream and reach the remains of the Baraque Léger, where only a few squares of white tiles are visible.

(9) Take the grassy path on the left, leaving the wide Bois Jean path leading uphill. Follow the Bois Jean stream, where you can see dams built by beavers. Carefully cross the ditch created by the stream coming from the right and arrive at the Baraque Cagnaux.

(10) Continue straight on to reach the Baraque Gérard.

(2) Return to the wide Bois Jean path and head for the border crossroads.

(1) Follow the same route as on the way there to return to the car park in the Failloué district (S/E).

A history of customs
(1) Comments on the Baraques
The revolt of the nail-makers in 1846–1847 blamed Belgian workers for poverty and unemployment. To find new work, they built shacks in the Bois Jean valley, a border gorge accessible from the Semois and the Meuse. Four shacks were built between 1855 and 1859:
- the Laurent Shack, built in 1858 and in use until 1967,
- the Gérard Shack (1855–1951),
- the Caniaux Baraque (1855–1924),
- the Léger Baraque, built in 1859 and demolished in 1995.
Thus began an era of prosperity for these huts, a sort of café-shop where one could buy everything at three to four times cheaper than in France
Sources: Magazines Le pays des Hautes-Rivières No. 18 Le bois Jean: pp. 17–23 No. 11 Gabelous, fraudes et contrebandiers. pp. 4–14

(4) Comments on Dolimarts:
1950: For over 30 years, thousands of tourists came to stay in chalets spread across 22 hectares of lush greenery. They had been won over by the advertising of the time, which extolled its virtues:
Located in the heart of the province of Luxembourg, Les Dolimarts offer you all the charm of the Ardennes with modern comforts. Mini-golf, a funfair, a dance hall and an American-style bowling alley will delight young and old alike. Les Dolimarts, so much better.
2000: the owners’ association sold the site to the Belgian state, which intended to use it to house asylum seekers. For ten years, the site was looted and vandalised.
2020: the state resells part of the estate to a private buyer who, after demolishing all the remaining chalets, proposes an eco-tourism project comprising simple, elegant cabins, set in the heart of nature and combining the principles of sustainable development with socio-economic considerations.
2022: Around ten Cabanes des Dolimarts are nearing completion. A true aesthetic success.
Sources: RTBF, Sia Architects, Vivreici.be
See also the Dolimarts website