From Carlsbourg to Paliseul (long version via Our)

(S) Carlsbourg station (no station building). Get off and head towards Route Arthur Targnon. Depending on which platform you arrive at, you may or may not need to go under the bridge heading north.

GR® signposting: red and white stripes

(1) After the bridge, turn immediately right. Walk past the entrance to house no. 1 and continue along the grassy path running alongside the railway line. The path turns sharply left and then right. Enter the woods and walk for 180 m. At the road, turn right.

(2) Take the^first path on the left and walk for 700 m.

(3) At the T-junction, turn left. Enter the hamlet of Le Moulin de Naomé. At the road, turn right. Cross the stream and enter the province of Namur. Walk up to the junction with the lime tree and the monument and turn right. Pass to the right of the church then walk down the road, ignoring the turnings. Walk alongside the pond.

(4) At the crossroads at the corner of the pond, continue straight ahead. As you go uphill, you’ll see a Marian chapel on your left and, a little further on, a statue of Jesus on your left. Continue straight ahead. The road turns into a track; follow the pastures on your left and the woods on your right. At the road, turn left.

(5) Turn right onto the dirt track. Ignore the path branching off to the right.

(6) At the fork, continue to the right. Walk along the path for 1.1 km. The path turns left and joins a tarmac road.

(7) At the road, turn right. At the crossroads, continue straight ahead. Stay on the path until you reach the road with the Croix des Fées on your right and a picnic table on your left. Cross the road carefully and continue straight ahead. Walk along the forest path for 1 km.

(8) When you reach a cultivated, fenced field on your left, turn right. Follow the path for 900 m and cross into another county. Keep to the right once you’ve found a path (not shown on the OSM map). You’ll come to a wide forest track; continue to the right.

No signposting

(9) Take the path immediately on the left, running alongside ferns, heather and conifers. Enter the area under the fir trees and continue along the path. At the wide track as you leave the woods, go straight ahead.

^GR® White and Red Markings

Head down to the road and continue to the right. Cross over the River Our.

TransArdennaise yellow and white markings

(10) Turn right, pass the church entrance and turn left. Head up the road, leaving the two roads on your left, and continue straight on into Rue de Lonnai.

(11) At the end of the road, at a place called Lonnay, take the path leading off to the right in front of the last house. Then ignore the path leading to the chalet and carry on straight ahead.

(12) After about 2 km, a path joins from your left; continue to the next junction.

(13) At a place called Rond Chenet, turn right. Stay on the main path and walk alongside the ponds on your right.
Pass through a ground-level game fence. Ignore the path on your left and cross the bridge over the River Our. Enter the hamlet of Beth.

(14) At the end of the road, turn left. Follow the quiet road into Opont. Ignore the roads on either side and cross the village. Pass to the right of the church, heading towards Paliseul, and leave the village. Enter the village of Frênes (sometimes spelled Fresne, Fresnes or Frêne) and keep to your right.

(15) At the fork on leaving the village, turn right towards the recycling centre. Follow the road for 1.1 km.

(16) Turn right onto the stony track and then keep left.

Green Rectangle Signpost

(17) At the crossroads, turn left and head down into the valley of the Ruisseau de Merny. The path becomes a road. Pass the private pond. Further on, pass an old quarry on your right.

(18) At the T-junction, continue to the left. At the next road, turn right and head back up towards Paliseul.

(19) At the fork with the statue, turn right. Further on, turn left to walk round the back of the church.

(20) At the N899, turn right.

No signposting

Follow the straight road for 1.4 km to Paliseul station (E).

From (14) onwards, mainly tarmac country roads.

Brasserie restaurant in Our: Les terrasses de l'Our at (10).
Gourmet restaurant: La table de Maxime near the church in Our.

Waterproof footwear recommended: damp undergrowth depending on the weather.

Picnic table at Col des Blanches Terres between (7) and (8)

For the return journey:
Paliseul and Carlsbourg stations are served hourly (every two hours at weekends and on public holidays) by the L train from Libramont to Bertrix to Dinant. There are also a few buses, but services are very infrequent and few buses run at weekends, during school holidays or on public holidays. So please take care and plan your trip well in advance!

See also: From Carlsbourg to Paliseul (short version).

During:
Croix des fées.
Col des Blanches Terres.
Our: one of Wallonia’s Most Beautiful Villages.

Nearby:
Bouillon Castle.
Exhibition: "Paul Verlaine, Prince of Poets: Paths of Creation in the Ardennes". Almost every summer, Paul Verlaine came on holiday to the Belgian Ardennes to stay with his father’s family, who were originally from Saint-Hubert (Arville) and Bertrix. Most often, Paul stayed with his aunt, Louis-Henriette Grandjean-Verlaine, in Paliseul – “his beloved little homeland with its countless woods” – situated between the Semois and Lesse rivers.