From Chassepierre to Pétange (Luxembourg) along the Semois

(S) From junction 13, set off along the Route de Davihat and cross the bridge over the Semois. Take the^first path on the right, cross the Espace Prairie and take the new footbridge over the Semois. At the road, turn left towards junction 21. Pass through the village of Laiche, ignore the sign for Florenville on the right and head for the next junction.

(1) Turn right towards Martué. Continue straight on until you reach junction 23.

(2) Stay on the same road, cross the bridge over the Semois, pass through Martué and reach a three-way junction at junction no. 24.

(3) Turn right, cross the railway bridge and arrive at a fork in the road near the church in Lacuisine. Turn right, cross the bridge over the Semois and arrive at junction no. 25.
Head towards Florenville, then turn left after passing under the railway bridge and reach Florenville station at junction no. 26.

(4) Continue along the path (RAVel L625) which runs alongside, then crosses, the railway line. At junction no. 28, cross the bridge over the railway line to the left, then continue straight ahead to the right. Take Rue de la Saboterie in Moyen and arrive at junction no. 37.

(5) Cross the road and, opposite, slightly to the left, join the^GR®®16“Sentier de la Semois” until you reach the sports facilities at Jamoigne, then cross the car park.

(6) Take the street opposite the castle entrance, then turn left at the end. At the roundabout at junction 36, go straight on, then take the street on the left, just before the next one. Continue along the path and, at the end, carry on straight ahead onto Rue Saint-Pierre. Join the cycle path, taking care, at the side of Rue Neuve (N83), heading towards Tintigny. You’ll reach a bus stop in Frenois, just past house number 11.

(7) Cross the road carefully and take the street opposite the bus shelter. At the end, turn right onto Rue du Mesnil, following the signposted route uphill. Leave the village and, at the next junction, continue to the right towards Breuvanne, heading for junction 23. At junction 23, turn left, cross the Semois again and reach junction 22.

(8) Turn right, towards Orsinfaing. At junction 21, turn left and, at the crossroads, turn right to reach Orsinfaing Church.

(9) Turn right and carry on straight on until you reach Rulles. Opposite No. 23, turn right, then left at the next two junctions to reach junction No. 20.

(10) Turn right towards Habay-la-Neuve, then right again towards Villers-sur-Semois. At the next three-way junction, turn left, then continue along a path. At the four-way junction, turn left to reach junction no. 32. Then follow the signposts to the left towards junction no. 30 and reach the church at Houdemont.

(11) A few metres further on, turn left onto Rue des Quais towards Thibessart, cross the level crossing, then the River Rhulles, and continue to the right onto Rue du Moulin. Pass under the road bridge and continue to the right immediately afterwards. Return to the starting point, to the right of a cycle path.

(12) Follow this, then continue along a road to the lower part of the village of Habay-la-Vieille, just after the bridge over the Rulles at junction no. 31.

(13) Take the path on the left which runs alongside the Rulles and the ponds, heading towards junction no. 10. At the road, turn left, walk alongside the walls of the Château de la Trapperie and reach the end of Chemin de la Trapperie. Continue to the left (N40), walking alongside a pond on your right, and reach the next junction.

(14) Turn right towards the shooting range and follow Rue du Prévôt to Place de la Liberté, junction no. 10. Turn right (Rue d’Hoffschmidt), cross a small bridge and carry on straight ahead until you reach a roundabout. Turn right and continue to the next roundabout, at junction no. 12.

(15) Carry on straight ahead along Rue de la Courtière towards junction no. 13; then turn left onto Rue du Crucifix. At the end, turn right, then at the three-way junction, turn left towards Hachy and carry on straight ahead until you reach the village square at junction no. 13.

(16) Turn right, cross the railway line, then the motorway, and, immediately afterwards, turn left. At the three-way junction, continue to the right towards Sampont and reach the village at junction 46, a four-way crossroads.

(17) Turn left and follow the old Roman road towards junction no. 27. Cross the bridge over the Semois and reach a crossroads at Fouches.

(18) Turn right, then left, and continue along the Belarel. Then take the cycle path on the left which runs alongside the N83 – a very straight stretch – towards Stockem and Arlon, and arrive at a roundabout after passing under the railway bridge.

(19) Head up to the right into Arlon town centre, up the “Knippchen”. Carry on along Rue des Faubourgs and Rue du Palais de Justice, then turn left onto Ruel’Éopol at the car park on your right. At the end, turn right onto Grand-Rue and, at the end of this, turn right again (Rue des Déportés). At the traffic lights, head straight on and take the^first street on the left. Follow this (Rue Sonnetty) and you’ll soon reach the Source de la Semois, on the corner of Rue des Tanneries.

(20) After taking in the sights, continue along the same street and, at the end, turn left onto Avenue de Longwy until you reach the roundabout. Turn right towards Virton (Avenue de Mersch) and, immediately afterwards, turn right again towards Waltzing. At the end of Rue de Waltzing, join the cycle route through the town and turn right towards junction no. 62. At the roundabout, take the^second exit, Chemin de Clairefontaine.

(21) At junction 62, continue along the right-hand lane, which leads onto a very scenic cycle path running alongside the N4 after the Arlon exit, towards junction 77. Carry on until you reach Chemin de Trèves on the right, near a few houses.

(22) Take this road and carry on straight ahead. At the end of Rue de la Hett, turn right, then left at the Autelbas town boundary sign. Cross the bridge over the Autelbas stream and you’ll come to a fork in the road. Turn right onto Rue Huart-d’Autel, cross the bridge under the railway line and reach the junction with the central reservation at junction 77.

(23) Turn slightly left, then turn right. Cross over the motorway, go through the wind farm, enter the forest and you will soon come to the start of a track on the left.

(24) Take this track and, after about a hundred metres, continue to the right. Then head straight on and, when the track turns 90° to the right, carry on straight ahead.

(25) Pass through Luxembourg and reach the end of the Chemin d’Arlon in Clemency. Turn right and follow Rue de l’Église, then Rue Basse. At the end, turn left onto Rue de la Gare and you’ll come to a track on the left.

(26) Turn right (Rue de la Chapelle) and, at the end of the car park, take the PC12 cycle path on the left. Follow this to Pétange station (E).

For most of the journey, the route follows cycle-friendly roads, smooth paths and cycle lanes, marked by a system of nodes (junctions) spaced less than 2 km apart. These routes appear in pink on the ‘OpenStreetMap cycling (World)’ map background. The green arrows, positioned at cycle height, indicate the number of the next node.

(12) In Habay-la-Neuve, there is a supermarket – one of the few shops you’ll come across on the route – before Arlon. You can stock up here, but you’ll need to head back down towards the Rulles to find a pleasant spot for a picnic!

(E) To get to Metz from Pétange, you’ll need to take two trains. You can change at Bettembourg or Luxembourg City. The^second option is longer in terms of distance but will be more convenient for getting on and off the trains with your bikes. Public transport has been free in Luxembourg since March 2020, but you’ll need a ticket for the ‘Thionville–Metz’ section. Mondays are very busy, even in August: try to travel before 4 pm or after 8 pm, especially if you’re a group with several bikes, panniers, trailers, etc.

(S) Then, to understand why we’ll be crossing the Semois so often rather than following its course, here is its route from its source in Arlon to the Meuse, into which it flows.

(2) A lovely view of Florenville from the right bank of the Semois.

(4) The Lv625 path is named after the old local railway line (Sainte-Cécile <-> Marbehan) and forms part of the RAVeL = Réseau Autonome des Voies Lentes (Independent Network of Slow Routes) ; for more information: Several information boards describe the birds of the region.

(6) Shortly after the castle, our route crosses the Gallor Discovery Trail No. 2, a possible alternative via Les Bulles and Termes for the next section (+ 5 km).

(7) Perched on the Sinémur ‘cuesta’, you simply cannot miss this remarkable viewpoint over the meandering Semois!

(8) The Semois valley has many admirers. This one has shared some rare information about the neighbouring village!

(11) The Rulles, a tributary on the right bank of the Semois, also meanders extensively.

(13) It flows through the Habay ponds.

(18) The route we’re following here is part of the ‘Belarel’ and runs along the old Roman road.

(19) In the town of Arlon, amongst the many activities and places to visit, the archaeological museum houses a very extensive Gallo-Roman collection.

(20) The source of the Semois in Arlon has been developed around the pools discovered around 1970.
At a farm in the village of Sélange, a makeshift refreshment stand set up by young girls on holiday. Of the six wind turbines in the Messancy-Arlon wind farm visible from the path, one belongs to the community-run cooperative ‘Vents du Sud’.

(24) The path then overlooks the River Eisch, which marks the “Belgium–Luxembourg” border.