Countryside and woods around Roisin and along the Grande Honnelle

Straddling the French-Belgian border, take a short, hilly walk to discover the countryside and woods around Roisin. Part of the route follows the course of the Grande Honnelle, a charming stream. The route also passes by the famous "Caillou qui Bique".

Details

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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 11.72 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 3h 35 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 81 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 77 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 117 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 53 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Departure from the square in Angreau.

(S/E) Follow the road towards Roisin (N553) and continue for about 200 metres, turn left into Rue du Quesnoy, then right into Rue de Bargette. The street quickly becomes a path. Continue straight ahead for about 1 km.

(1) Cross a road, continue straight ahead for 1 km and cross another road. Join the cross road coming from Roisin (N555) and turn right for 100 m, passing a farm called "Ferme à Cochons". You will come to a fork.

(2) At the corner, take the path on the left. After a steep descent and an ascent, cross a road and continue straight ahead.

(3) Cross the border and join a paved road.

(4) Take it to the left towards the French village of Bettrechies. Continue along a wood and arrive at a path on the left.

(5) Take this path (caution: it is not very visible - it starts at the foot of a concrete pylon). This is the Sentier des Carrières. Follow the path as it winds through a pleasant valley.

(6) As you approach a brick bridge, the remains of an old railway line, turn left with La Grande Honelle on your right. At the first road, turn right and enter the village of Gussignies.

(7) On your left, you will see the Au Baron brewery and restaurant. Cross the Grande Honnelle to the right and take the road on the left to follow the river, which is now on your left.

(8) At the café "Chez Mireille", take a path on the left and cross the border. Quickly enter the woods.

(9) Continue straight ahead until you come out in front of the Honnelles municipal workshops. When you reach the road from Roisin (N555), turn left, then left again uphill. After 200 metres, turn right towards Meaurain.

(10) Immediately on the right, take a path. This is the old railway line. Continue for about 200 metres and leave on the left onto a path with a steep incline. Follow it for about 500 metres.

(11) Turn left onto a steeply sloping path. At the bottom, turn left.

(12) You will come out onto the esplanade of the "Café du Garde". Turn right and follow the Grande Honnelle.

(13) After 200 m, admire the "Caillou qui Bique", an imposing rock balanced on the right of the path. Continue for about 400 m and turn left

(14) Cross the river over the bridge, then take the path on the right, which climbs steeply, especially in the second part.

(15) Finally, you will come out onto Rue du Quesnoy. Turn right and walk along the Angreau cemetery. Take the first street on the left to arrive at Place d'Angreau (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 73 m - Place d'Angreau
  2. 1 : km 1.2 - alt. 89 m - Junction with a road
  3. 2 : km 2.32 - alt. 99 m - Pig farm
  4. 3 : km 3.99 - alt. 114 m - Border
  5. 4 : km 4.65 - alt. 116 m - Junction with a road. Bettrechies
  6. 5 : km 5.32 - alt. 104 m - Quarry Trail
  7. 6 : km 6.11 - alt. 77 m - Brick bridge
  8. 7 : km 7 - alt. 68 m - Au Baron. Cross the Grande Honelle or - Hogneau (rivière) - Affluant de la Haine
  9. 8 : km 7.4 - alt. 68 m - Border
  10. 9 : km 7.7 - alt. 74 m - Path towards the communal workshops
  11. 10 : km 8.49 - alt. 68 m - Departure from the old railway line
  12. 11 : km 9.58 - alt. 82 m - Start of the path downhill to the left
  13. 12 : km 9.83 - alt. 60 m - Chalet du Garde
  14. 13 : km 10.03 - alt. 62 m - Caillou qui Bique
  15. 14 : km 10.62 - alt. 53 m - Bridge
  16. 15 : km 11.48 - alt. 81 m - Rue du Quesnoy
  17. S/E : km 11.72 - alt. 73 m - Place d'Angreau

Worth a visit

Au Baron brewery and restaurant: They brew delicious beers, including the Cuvée des Jonquilles, a smooth, refreshing lager.

Have a drink at Au Baron or Chez Mireille.
Admire the stone that sticks out.
Look at the stones engraved with excerpts from poems by Belgian poet Émile Verhaeren (between (12) and (13).

Reviews and comments

4.4 / 5
Based on 37 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.3 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.1 / 5
Route interest
4.7 / 5
janno59
janno59

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 23, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Very beautiful hike, very little paved road.
However, it is very muddy and sometimes flooded at this time of year, so make sure you wear good waterproof footwear.

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danicau
danicau

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 12, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

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Pirenne
Pirenne
• Edited:

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 08, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very pleasant walk, alternating between countryside and forest, with places to eat and drink along the way. Be aware that there are a few sections blocked by fallen trees, but it is always possible to get around or over them. Muddy in wet weather.

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MICHE DE PAIN
MICHE DE PAIN

Overall rating : 3 / 5

Date of your route : May 12, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Ease of following the route : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Superb route... but you should try it in real life and you'll see that the directions are poorly explained and that I found quite a few errors and inaccuracies...!!!!! I don't know if you take feedback into account...??
It's a shame because the route is very interesting and fantastic...
The short stop at the "Chez Mireille" café is a must..

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Toitoine59
Toitoine59

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 16, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very pleasant walk (fields, river, forest, blue stone quarry and little tarmac). Halfway along, we stopped at the restaurant "Au Baron" (which was full: it's best to book in advance). We bought our picnic at the restaurant shop and ate in the sun at the restaurant's picnic area. A good stop before setting off on the second half of the route. Be careful, in some places, fallen trees hide the path. Remember to check regularly that you are on the right track ;-) We recommend this hike.

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Pasquina
Pasquina
• Edited:

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 05, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very useful tool for hikers, especially occasional ones, allowing them to break free and hike more often in complete safety.
On this route, stop off at Le Baron, a must-see, and take a short break at the Verhaeren museum.

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paule 1
paule 1

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 16, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

very beautiful hike, the first few kilometres are less interesting.
Some muddy and slippery spots. Wear suitable footwear.
Nice little stop at Le Baron

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randodom(
randodom(

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 09, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Difficulty reaching the rocky path that bisects point 8: very steep, slippery descent
with little support
This led me to change the route and join the
the stony path at another point

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Ced.F.
Ced.F.

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 02, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Very beautiful hike. Very varied. The start is less interesting and paved, but this is more than compensated for by the rest of the route. You can stop at Le Baron or Le Chalet du Garde

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christine-devreux
christine-devreux

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 04, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful and varied route.
A short break at Mireille's to taste "la jonquille" was very pleasant.
Having followed the route via GPX, we missed the left turn at point 7 and followed the old railway line, which was quite fun but not always easy as we had to climb over lots of trees. So you need to be careful at this point on the route.
However, I highly recommend this route in this beautiful region.

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Catherine Breem
Catherine Breem

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 09, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Nice tour.

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ArinaTomberg
ArinaTomberg

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 28, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Thank you for this hike! We especially liked the part in the Bois de Beaufort where we found traces of Emile Verhaeren's presence.

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yves debbaut
yves debbaut

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 11, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : Not used / Not applicable
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

we enjoyed this hike. The description wasn't always clear to us (our French isn't very good), but with the help of the GPX file, we were able to complete the walk without any problems. Thank you very much for this beautiful hike!

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Joffrey Lhoir
Joffrey Lhoir

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 25, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

The first 5 kilometres are not particularly interesting (long country lanes).
However, from the 3rd kilometre onwards, there was a radical change and it became magnificent!
Superb wooded paths along "La Grande Honnelle", a real change of scenery.
Thank you for this wonderful discovery.

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pierreetisa
pierreetisa

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 01, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Getting some fresh air during the pandemic is great. The only downside is that they closed the car park at the Verhaeren Museum, which isn't great. So people are parking on the side of the road, which is a risk for collisions between vehicles and people. Another downside is that dogs aren't on a leash, but that's not your fault, it's a lack of common sense. I rediscovered this place with pleasure

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