Fairytale castle and hermitage against a backdrop of Lesse and Romans

Starting from the beautiful Château de Vêves, set off to explore the meanders of the Lesse and visit the magnificent villages of Furfooz and Celles (selected as among the most beautiful villages in Wallonia).

Details

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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 15.01 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 5h 20 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 373 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 376 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 255 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 105 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Park in the car park at Château de Vêves.

Yellow triangle rectangle markings.

(S/E) Descend to the bottom of the valley. Cross the N910 and take the Chaussée Romaine in front of you to reach a small road that branches off to the right, Rue de la Malavisée.

(1) Follow this steeply ascending road until you reach a path marked by a cross, which branches off to the right.

(2) Take the gravel path and quickly turn left onto the grassy path that descends. Come out onto a road and the village of Gendron, turn immediately right and reach a gravel path on the right.

(3) The path passes under a high-voltage power line. Follow it to the left and head towards a wood on the descent.

(4) Stay on the main track, which continues to the left. Follow the path, crossing the winding road three times. You will reach a car park. Follow it to the left to reach the railway bridge and pass under it.

(5) Turn immediately right, cross the Lesse kayak storage area and, after the kayak launch site, join a path. Do not follow the Ravel signs. Follow the right bank of the Lesse to a fork.

GR®® 126 signposting.

(6) Follow the path on the left. Opposite you are the rocks of the Furfooz reserve and a large circular hole in the rock face. Walk past a refreshment bar and continue along Rue du Camp Romain. At a right-hand bend, leave a path on your left and follow the climb towards Furfooz. Leave theGR®®126, which branches off to the left. Walk past Furfooz Park. The path gives way to a small road. Follow it to the village, past Furfooz Church, turn left and walk to house number 27.

(7) Take the path on the right that passes between the houses. Continue along a wider path and at the next fork, turn right and, a few metres further on, you will reach a three-way junction.

(8) Take the path on the left. Cross the fields and continue downhill. After a sharp left turn, you will see the spires of Vêves Castle on your right when the trees have lost their leaves. Continue until you reach a road.

(9) Follow the road uphill to the left until you reach a fork.

(10) Take the road that climbs to the right. At the top of the hill, take the dirt track to the left towards Boisseille Castle and you will reach a crossroads.

(11) Take the second path on the right, which follows a beautiful wooded lane. You will reach a wood and come out onto a small road. Follow it to the right to reach the junction with Rue de Vêves on a bend.

(12) Cross very carefully and continue straight ahead along Rue Saint-Hadelin, which leads to the centre of Celles. Turn right to reach the Collegiate Church of Saint-Hadelin and walk past the foot of the bell tower.

(13) Turn left and, a few metres further on, turn right and climb up a path of the cross towards the Saint-Hadelin Hermitage. At the top, follow the road to the right and you will reach a remarkable tree where there is a picnic table.

(14) Turn left onto the road that climbs uphill and you will reach a crossroads.

(15) Turn right and descend the Chaussée Romaine (several benches along the way). This will take you back to the crossroads at the start of the circular route.

(1) Continue straight ahead, cross the N910 and climb back up to the Château de Vêves car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 175 m - Car park - Château de Vêves
  2. 1 : km 0.58 - alt. 188 m - Rue de la Malavisée
  3. 2 : km 1.19 - alt. 237 m - Crossroads
  4. 3 : km 1.95 - alt. 218 m - Gendron
  5. 4 : km 2.75 - alt. 193 m - Wooden crossroads
  6. 5 : km 3.5 - alt. 113 m - Kayak car park at - lesse (rivière) - Belgique
  7. 6 : km 3.95 - alt. 110 m - Junction
  8. 7 : km 6.87 - alt. 211 m - Path on the right in front of no. 27
  9. 8 : km 7.37 - alt. 225 m - Fork
  10. 9 : km 9.03 - alt. 204 m - Furfooz Road
  11. 10 : km 9.64 - alt. 224 m - Rue de Hubermont
  12. 11 : km 10.48 - alt. 255 m - Boisseille
  13. 12 : km 11.6 - alt. 202 m - Cross the crossroads very carefully (bend).
  14. 13 : km 11.89 - alt. 191 m - Collégiale Saint-Hadelin (Celles)
  15. 14 : km 12.43 - alt. 218 m - Hermitage
  16. 15 : km 13.02 - alt. 254 m - Roman road
  17. S/E : km 15.01 - alt. 172 m - Car park - Château de Vêves

Notes

From the start to (10), apart from a change in the village of Furfooz, the route follows family hike no. 10 in the Topo-Guide "Randonnées en famille dans la province de Namur" (Family hikes in the province of Namur) published by the non-profit organisation "Les Sentiers de Grande Randonnée". The distance of this hike is 9.7 km.
Between (2) and (3), the route follows a sunken path that is very popular with horse riders. This makes the path difficult to walk on. After heavy rain, it is possible to avoid this section. Instead of turning right at (2), continue straight ahead until you reach a fork in the path with a small mound of earth with three trees and a cross, then turn right to reach (3).

Worth a visit

For food and drink during the hike:
- Chip shop in the Kayak car park.
- For a more bucolic and exotic setting, La Flobette, a guinguette on the banks of the Lesse between (6) and ,
- Auberge de la Lesse near Gendron station,
- Celles: Bakery, inn.
(11) Make a round trip to admire the beautiful Boisseille Castle.
(14) Picnic table with a view in Celles,
Places to visit: The Château de Vêves, Furfooz Park (caves, etc.), beautiful villages with stone houses.

Always be cautious and plan ahead when you're outdoors. Visorando and the author of this route cannot be held responsible for any accidents occurring on this route.

The GR® and PR® markings are the intellectual property of the Fédération Française de Randonnée Pédestre.

Reviews and comments

4.5 / 5
Based on 15 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.4 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.5 / 5
Route interest
4.5 / 5
Arnaud 1180
Arnaud 1180

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

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

moderately hilly. Accessible to novice hikers, like us. Fortunately, we had GPX

very pretty surroundings.

thank you to everyone involved in creating this website, as well as those who designed the route.

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bxdeltou
bxdeltou

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : May 11, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Very well-described route and beautiful hike. Varied terrain and landscapes, alternating between woods and countryside, small roads and beautiful trails. The ground can be muddy in places, but there is always a way to get through without getting dirty.

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pierre gobin
pierre gobin

Hello, thank you for your comment, but I must point out that you are the only hiker who followed the route and encountered this problem. I think it is a difference in interpretation of the terrain. From point 7, the trail joins a wider dirt road that you must follow straight ahead and not turn left. I am sorry if I may not have been clear enough at this point. But once again, if you follow the route with the app, there is no risk of error.

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Denis26
Denis26 ★

Hello Seblaumaud
I apologise for this mishap. I have just amended the description accordingly between (7) and (8) to avoid any confusion.
Kind regards,

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Seblaumaud
Seblaumaud

Overall rating : 2.7 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 24, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Ease of following the route : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Point 8 FOURCHE: if you turn left as indicated, you will find yourself on the road to Vèves at the exit of Furfooz, which you must take to the right uphill to reach point 10. Otherwise, you will pass through some magnificent villages, especially Celles

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etx61
etx61

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 08, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Beautiful hike.
Fields, a river, a few roads (completely deserted), trails, castles and villages.
A good, well-balanced mix.
Some complain about the tarmac (hard to avoid in Belgium), others about the mud... it's a hike... otherwise you might as well stay in your armchair!
Reliable description.

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Yudansha63
Yudansha63

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 10, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

We didn't know about Vêves Castle, but it makes us want to visit it. The route is very pleasant, with a variety of landscapes. Very easy to follow. We will definitely be back.

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ArinaTomberg
ArinaTomberg

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 18, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful walk! It's really worth extending it with a visit to Furfooz Park with its exceptional caves. During the Easter weekend, there were a lot of people along the Lesse, but I think that on a weekday this hike is less crowded. We had an excellent day thanks to this walk. Thank you!

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Randos de Jean-lou et Domino
Randos de Jean-lou et Domino

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 24, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Thank you for this beautiful hike. Some paths were difficult because they were very muddy, so we opted to continue across the meadow, but otherwise it was a superb site.
I'm not sure about the mileage, but that may be due to my GPS. My watch says 17.5 kilometres and my Garmin GPS says 18.4. In any case, this hike was really nice.
Thank you
Our photos are on the Facebook page @les randos de Jean-Lou et Domino

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pierre gobin
pierre gobin

Hello, I'm very happy that you enjoyed the route. In your comment, you mention a tricky section between WP 3 and 4. I think you are referring to the sunken path between WP 2 and 3. I have noted this in my description and suggested an alternative : "Between (2 and 3), the trail follows a sunken path that is very popular with horse riders. This makes the path difficult to walk on. After heavy rain, it is possible to avoid this section. Instead of turning right at (2), continue straight ahead until you reach a fork in the road with a small embankment with three trees and a cross, then turn right to reach (3)".
Thank you for your comments

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pierre gobin
pierre gobin
• Edited:

Hello, Thank you for your comments. Your suggestion to reverse the direction of the route "holds water" but, as you point out, during periods of high kayak traffic, the car park is likely to be very crowded. This option would therefore require a return trip from WP 9 to the magnificent Château de Vêves, which would be a shame to miss, and would require the title of the hike to be changed to " " (A little too many roads).
As for "a bit too much road", I understand that very well, but as I wanted to pass through the village of Celles, and given the constraints imposed by numerous private properties, I had no other choice.
Now it's my turn to make a suggestion: after completing the hike, take your car back down to the car park at Gendron-Celles station and from there, head to La Flobette....

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Ben Watt
Ben Watt

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 14, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

A beautiful, original route with plenty of hills.
Muddy at this time of year.
Personally, I would start from Gendron-Celles station (convenient and large car park) and do the route anti-clockwise because the last kilometre is worth the detour to stop at La Flobette (in season) for a drink; there is also a brasserie at the station (beware of kayaks in season...)
A bit too much road.

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Papou etienne
Papou etienne

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 08, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

Good evening, very nice hike, very varied and beautiful places, be careful between segments 3 and 4 as the path is very steep and there is a lot of water. We had to climb up to the higher meadow, passing under a fence, and continue on to the village. As for the tarmac roads, they are very quiet. Congratulations and thank you...

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Therese nielsen
Therese nielsen

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 18, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful, well-balanced hike

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RJM56
RJM56

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 16, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Walk taken on 16 June 2021 and to be done urgently while it is not too crowded. It is true that when compared to the woods of St-Hubert, there is no contest, but even on tarmac, it remains a peaceful walk and fairly sheltered from the sun.

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