Circular forest loop between Poix-Saint-Hubert and Hatrival

A walk through the woods of the Val de Poix. Suitable at any time of year: in summer for the cool air, in autumn for the colours, or in the snow for a peaceful atmosphere.

Circular forest to discover the Chapel of Notre-Dame de Bon Secours, the Rocher Marie Gobaille and ending along the Lomme with its two 19th-century buildings, formerly hydroelectric power stations.

The children in the group will love it… some of the adults, perhaps a little less so: around km 1, the GR®17 follows a barely visible path through mature forests, young spruce trees, young birch trees, broom and also a few brambles. It’s quite refreshing with the morning dew or after a good downpour!

From the village of Smuid (pronounced Smoui), discover the Étang des Moines and the remains of the Marsolle blast furnace.

Starting from Arville cemetery, the walk heads due north at first, then turns west to reach the Chapelle du Cheny du Mont.The second stop is the Rocher de Marie Gobaille, named after a legendary witch. It is from this point that the route begins to follow the course of the River Lomme upstream.The third stop is the Sainte-Adeline Canal, running alongside the River Lomme, with its small hydroelectric power station and, further on, the old mill at Pont-à-Smuid.This is followed by a short detour to the other side of the Brussels–Luxembourg railway line to follow the route of an old local track, and a return to the starting point after crossing both the River Lomme and the railway line once more and skirting the motocross route near the Ferme du Val-de-Poix.The entire route runs through woodland from the second kilometre onwards.

From the small car park at the back of the Arville barbecue area (at the end of Rue de la Supinette), the walk heads through the countryside towards the Lozet Biai pond. At Le Paradis, the route enters the woods and remains there almost all the way to the finish.Wide paths or narrow tracks, stony, muddy, grassy and even a bit soggy in places, are the main features of this route. Only 600 metres of tarmac at the start and a 200-metre break about a third of the way along the route allow you to keep your boots reasonably dry… you can wipe your boots clean when crossing a few small fords further on, but recent forestry work will almost certainly quickly undo any cleaning efforts.Apart from the ever-present forest, walkers pass by the Halifax memorial as well as the Notre-Dame de Bon-Secours Chapel, also known as the Chapelle du Cheny du Mont, where there is a bench.On the way back, there’s a lovely view on the horizon of the outskirts of Arville.

Hatrival seems to have adopted the crows as its emblem... why not!We didn’t spot any more or fewer than elsewhere, but it is indeed the town’s emblem that stands at the village entrance and adorns one or two of the local lodges.After skirting a huge stud farm, the walk heads into the forest for a few kilometres before reaching the hamlet of Pont de Libin and following the railway line.A long climb through the forest follows to reach the heights of the Carrière du Petit Bois.There’s a superb view of the quarry, but take care as the path running alongside it tends to crumble and the site’s safety fence is partially hanging over the drop!The walk then gradually leaves the forest to cross the N89 and reach the village of Bras-Haut and the surrounding countryside.Take care when crossing the N89 (see note in ‘Practical Information’ below), where the route joins the forest paths leading to the entrance to Hatrival.

Mainly through woodland, this walk partly follows the “Sentier entre Lesse et Lomme” as well as the route of the old local road linking Poix-Saint-Hubert to Libin. The route passes by the former kaolin quarry (picnic area, pond and a fun children’s trail based on the enchanting theme of the ‘nutons’) and runs alongside numerous Christmas tree nurseries in the rural section on the western side.