Circular du Camp, La Bruyère Golf Course, Château de Cognée in Marbais

If you arrive by car, park before reaching the dirt section of Rue du Camp so as not to obstruct the passage of tractors.

(S/E) Continue on foot to reach the chapel, which is unfortunately in ruins. In front of the chapel, take the left-hand path and you will soon come to a tarmac road with a water tower in the distance.
Turn left onto this asphalt road and, at the bottom of the slight slope, you will reach a main road: the N93 (Namur-Nivelles).
Cross it carefully and continue straight ahead on a dirt track that will take you to the Sart-Dames-Avelines golf course (Golf de La Bruyère).

(1) At the golf course, turn left onto a path that is difficult to see as it looks like part of the green. It is located after the open wooden arbour/shelter. Be careful and refer to the photo. At the end of the golf course path, continue straight ahead, passing a first wind turbine (on your left).

(2) Turn left just before the second wind turbine and continue until you reach the main road again.
Cross it carefully and enter Marbais via a concrete path.

(3) Take the first road on the right (Rue Lorrain). Ignore Rue de la Tourette and climb the small hill.
At the top of the hill, the street bends. Leave it and take the path that descends in front of you, Rue de la Pêcherée.

(4) Leave this uneven path and take the trail on your right (Sentier 86 du Berceau), which may be muddy depending on the weather. On your right, you will see the Ferme de la Jouerie and the Tir au D'Jirau perch.
At the crossroads, take the path on the right. On your right is the Monument aux Hosties Profanée. On your left is the Saint-Pierre pond, fed by the La Pêcherée stream, which you will then follow.

(5) At the end of this path, cross the road and the grassy triangle opposite to take Rue Par delà l'Eau, to the left. Follow this street to the end (bakery on the left-hand corner).

(6) Then first turn right then left to find yourself on Rue Minique. Follow this street to the end (past the Parc Pré St-Pierre housing estate and a few more houses on either side).
Turn right to reach Rue de la Gare. Take the pavement on the left, which runs alongside the Château de Cognée park, which you will soon see.

(7) After one of the castle entrances (two tall pillars offering a view of the pond and the castle itself) and before the first house, take the path (signposted Tilly-Marbisoux). You will find yourself between the castle grounds on your left and the backs of properties on your right.
This path meets a cobbled road; cross it and continue along the path (signposted Tilly-Marbisoux). At the crossroads, turn left.
The path leads to a small playground on Rue Ruffin. Go down to the right.

(8) Turn left quickly into a dead-end road. This road continues as a path (Chemin n°49 de Crompe). Take this path. You will come to two ponds on your right. Cross a stream (the Ruisseau de Gentissart) via a concrete bridge. At the crossroads, continue straight ahead. After a left/right turn, the path leads to a concrete road.

(9) Cross it straight ahead to reach a small asphalt path, which you take on the left. Pass in front of the house Les Roses. The path leads to a farm track between two houses. After a short stretch of asphalt, this path quickly becomes grassy. Directional sign: Sart Dames Avelines.
You are now in the countryside. During this long stretch, you will soon see the bell tower of Marbais church and wind turbines in the distance on your left.
Go straight across at the crossroads. You will come out onto a concrete road (it connects Marbais to Villers-la-Ville. Be careful, vehicles travel fast here).

(10) Cross it and take the road opposite, slightly to the left. Your landmark is a chapel on the left-hand corner. After a short stretch of asphalt, at the bend, take the dirt track on the left, which will take you back to your starting point, the Chapelle du Camp (S/E).

- Cognee Castle
It dates back to the 7th century and was formerly owned by the late Edouard Dumont de Chassart.
The Dumont de Chassart family is famous in the region: they are large landowners, owning numerous farms. They provided employment for many people in agriculture, sugar refining, distilling and malting.
It is currently available for hire for events.

- Monument to the desecrated hosts (according to Paysdevillers-tourisme)
This stele was erected in 1804, after sacrilegious hands stole the ciborium from the parish church and threw away the consecrated hosts; they were found by a shepherd.
According to legend, the day after the theft, the shepherd, who was grazing his sheep in the meadow of the Jouerie farm, saw his animals heading towards the ditch bordering the path and kneeling in a circle in front of something he could not see. The shepherd approached and discovered the holy hosts scattered on the ground. To repair the damage, the people of Marbeaucourt erected a stele on the spot.

- Jouerie Farm and D'Jirau Meadow
Cirkwi: This castle farm dates from the second half of the 18th century. In the 15th century, it was the seat of a Marbais fiefdom that was ravaged in 1675 by passing armies. A stone sealed in 1946 commemorates the fact that Philippe Pieret, bailiff of Marbais from 1684 to 1771, lived here.
At the beginning of the 20th century, La Jouerie was a centre for breeding draught horses. The horses were requisitioned by the Germans in 1914.

- La Prairie du D'Jiraud (D'jirau = Jay in Walloon) - The Archers of Marbais - Shooting of the Royal Bird
Source: archers-de-marbais.be
As in any seigneury worthy of the name, Marbais had a very remarkable corps of archers in the Middle Ages. The adoption of firearms in the 16th century robbed this company of its military importance; it soon became a recreational shooting club and, as such, organised great celebrations in which the entire bourgeoisie took part. Lancelot, Lord of Marbais from 1559 to 1592, granted it a regulation called the Act of Erection of the Oath of Saint Sebastian. This institution took the name of Serment Royal (Royal Oath).
The shooting takes place every year on the last Sunday in April.
On that day, at 1 p.m. sharp, the archers gather with their bows and arrows at the society's premises. Led by a flag and music, the members go in a group to the King's residence, if he lives in Marbais.
After refreshments offered by the King, the archers go to the Djirau meadow to elect a new King.
There, after raising the pole on which the cockerel has been placed, the King receives the oath of the new members.
He shoots the first three arrows of the competition. Then it is the turn of the new members to shoot, followed by the other members of the society in order of a draw.
The archer who is the first to shoot down the cockerel, fixed at a height of 28 metres and called Djirau, will be promoted to the position of new King.
The winner is then congratulated by all his fellow members and dressed in a garnet-coloured cape and the necklace signifying his title. He carries the fallen cockerel, impaled on the decisive arrow, as his sceptre.
Passing through the courtyard of the Jouerie farm, where the archers receive refreshments, the King and his entourage parade through the streets of the village to the sound of the brass band, then attend vespers at the parish church.
At the end of the service, the Archers perform the Dance of Death in honour of the new King; they then go to the hall where the King is once again warmly congratulated.
During this gathering, twelve archers are chosen by lot to accompany the King and escort the relic of the Holy Cross during the grand procession on the first Sunday in May.
After this meeting, the King is happy to offer a toast to his subjects and the day ends as each person sees fit.
The archer who shoots down the bird three years in a row takes the title of Emperor.