In the countryside around Hantes-Wihéries

The starting point of the walk is on Place Robaulx.

(S/E) With your back to the gate of Robaulx Castle, take the street to the right. At the junction with Rue du Jeu de Balle, turn left. Turn left into Rue des Fontaines and walk past the old buildings of the ‘ferme d’en-bas’ and Château Lengrand.

(1) Opposite the village church, turn right onto Rue d’en-Bas and follow it straight on until you reach Route de Thuin.

(2) Turn left, cross the bridge over the Hantes and you’ll come to a junction.

(3) On the left, take the dirt track and, after the bridge, continue left onto the old Chimay track. Wind your way through the fields to reach Rue de Wihéries.
At the fork, turn right and carry on for 100 m.

(4) Turn left onto the road that descends steeply. Cross the River Hantes again and pass close to the restaurant: Le Grand Pré. Carry on through the hamlet, which consists of houses built from local stone.

(5) Just past a farm building, take the sharp right-hand bend onto a narrow path. This is a former local tramway track. Continue across the meadows and then through the woods until you reach the road.

(6) At the junction, turn left. At the top of the hill, take the farm track on the left and continue across the fields until you reach a junction.

(7) Take the hairpin bend to the right and carry on south-east until you reach a cross-road.

(8) Turn right, cross the woodland and continue along the path, winding its way through fields and meadows.

(9) At the junction with the Chemin de la Drève, turn left. The road first descends steeply before climbing again, passing a few houses in the village of Montignies-Saint-Christophe. At the top of the hill, turn left onto the farm track and continue across the fields.

(10) Just past a solitary tree, at the crossroads, turn left onto the^GR® 125-129 long-distance footpath.
At a place called Chapelle Berteaux, at the junction formed by the farm tracks, carry straight on to head down towards the village of Hantes-Wihéries.

(11) Turn left onto the small path running alongside a stone wall, then turn right to reach the Place du Jeu de Balle.

(12) At the crossroads, turn left and head downhill alongside the houses.

(13) A little further down from the junction with Rue Wez Gobeau, turn right to continue along the old tram line. Walk alongside the River Hantes. At the pétanque court, turn right towards the houses. At the junction with Rue de l’Église, turn right then immediately left to head back up Rue Chêneau.

(14) At the top of the street, turn left onto Rue du Jeu de Balle. Take the first left to return to the starting point at Place Robaulx (S/E).

Parking is easy at Place Robaulx.

For information on the history and heritage of Hantes-Wihéries, see here.