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(S/E) From the port of Jambes, walk up the bank, leaving the Meuse on your right, until you reach the La Plante dam. Cross the dam and then the lock. Once you reach the other bank of the Meuse, turn right onto one of the small paths that cross the Parc de La Plante. If you prefer, you can also take the towpath. At the park exit, turn left onto Avenue de La Plante and cross a little further up.
Caution: despite the pedestrian crossing, this is a dangerous crossing, so take extra care! Then turn right onto Rue Saint-Martin, behind an abandoned house.
(1) At the end of the street, just after the last house, take the small path that goes up to the left. At the end of the first climb, turn left just before reaching Route Merveilleuse. Continue for a few dozen metres before turning right, almost 180°. After another bend, the path runs alongside a small stone building, the SWDE (Société wallonne des eaux) pumping station, then a little further on, another 180° bend. Continue along the path to join Route Merveilleuse. Cross the road and take a small concrete path that runs parallel to the road, the Sentier Jacques André Saintonge, to reach the citadel esplanade.
(2) Climb the steps, then turn right to go behind the stands and reach the open-air theatre. Climb the steps, then turn right onto Avenue Marie d'Artois.
(3) Go around Namur Castle and enjoy its scented garden, which is open to the public all year round. First cross a rose garden, then an aromatic herb garden leading to a pond. On the other side, you can explore a second part of the garden with more trees.
At the garden exit, turn right onto Avenue de l'Ermitage, join Avenue du Milieu du Monde and then cut across the green space to reach the Thonar roundabout below.
(4) Cross this roundabout and head towards the entrance to the Queen Fabiola Attraction Park. Walk along the park and take the cul-de-sac, Chemin Bérenger. At the end of the street, go through the barrier and join the Sentier des Amoureux.
(5) Walk down the path until you reach Avenue Jean Ier. In wet weather, the end of the path can be a little slippery, so it is better to turn left onto Sentier des Bosquets towards the avenue that winds down through the wooded part of the citadel towards the Sambre.
(6) At the bottom of the avenue, cross the small park and join Avenue Reine Astrid in front of the war memorial. Cross at the traffic lights and then descend onto the towpath, which you take to the right. You can admire the pretty façades of Rue des Brasseurs on the other bank.
Continue along the towpath to the first steps and climb up to Rue Bord de l'Eau (the route is normally possible without leaving the towpath, but the area is under construction until 2021).
(7) Reach and go around the Grognon roundabout. Take the opportunity to climb the stairs and admire "Searching for Utopia", a statue by Jan Fabre depicting a man riding a turtle. Cross Avenue Baron Louis Huart at the corner of the Saint-Gilles hospice, which houses the Walloon Parliament. Continue towards the Meuse and take the Enjambée.
After crossing the footbridge, turn right onto the towpath to reach the port of Jambes (S/E).
You can cross the Jambes bridge by taking a passage on the right that allows you to pass underneath.
A lovely afternoon with friends in the hills above Namur! The route was a little short, so we filled in with various cultural stops and a tour of the city to see the "Namur en lumières" light show, before crossing the Meuse on the Enjambée footbridge and returning to our cars.
Visorando member
Moderate 
Difficult 
