From Hamois to Barvaux-Condroz and back

(S/E) As you leave the Hamois OC car park, head right, on level ground, then downhill.

(1) At the bottom of the slope, turn right onto the uphill street to arrive opposite the ‘glass recycling bins’.

(2) Turn left here and head downhill.

(3) A path marked “Voie Public” invites you to follow it to the left, taking you behind a new house. Where the path joins the road, continue straight ahead, then turn immediately right at the next junction, heading uphill. Keep well to the left to continue the climb. You will enter a residential area.

(4) Between numbers 58 and 56 on Rue des Genêts, turn left into a sort of car park that turns into a path leading straight away to the right. This path runs parallel to Rue des Genêts. At the end of the path, turn left, slightly downhill, alongside the Haie Jadot community hall.

(5) At the bottom of the slope, turn left to stay on the path and avoid the road. This takes you to a wood, along a path that is clearly marked as a public footpath. In the woods, it is joined on the left by a path which you take to the right, crossing meadows where horses graze. You’ll emerge onto Rue de la Haie Jadot, which gave its name to the whole neighbourhood.

(6) Turn left to reach a dangerous road, due to motorists driving at excessive speeds on it.

(7) Turn right and walk for about 300 metres to reach a large junction with a public path on your left.

(8) Take this path, which climbs slightly, and observe the no-entry signs. Keeping to the right, enter a wood along a lovely straight stretch.

(9) At the edge of the woodland, turn right uphill. Ignore the first path on the right and continue straight on until you reach a wide path.

(10) Turn left here. The path leaves the woods and runs alongside a farm. A little further on, you’ll come to a road; cross it carefully, heading towards a small house typical of the Condroz region. The path continues straight on, across the fields.

(11) At the bottom of the descent, take the first path on the right. It leads to the school in Jeneffe-en-Condroz.

(12) At the junction with Rue Joseph Verdin, turn left, then immediately right into Impasse du Garde-Champêtre. This turns into a path between two pastures and passes through a farm. After the farm, turn right onto the road to reach a small chapel.

(13) Turn left here, crossing the road, onto Rue de Chantraine. You’ll catch a glimpse of Jeneffe cemetery; continue until you reach a post marking a gas pipe.

(14) Turn right here, leaving the private track below. This brings you out onto a country road.

(15) Turn left to pass in front of the Domaine de Chantraine, part of which is listed. Just before the next junction, look to your left at the artwork ‘Racine’. Already quite old, it marks the point where you join the main circular loop of the Sentiers d’Art.

(16) After your visit, continue along the road, then take the road uphill to the right. Now follow the white markings with the Red Rectangle and the "Sentiers d'Art" sign. At the first houses, take the path slightly to the left, uphill. At the top, turn left to stay on the ridge (known as a ‘tige’ in Walloon) until you reach the edge of a wood. Turn right, heading downhill, then slightly uphill to the left, to reach a campsite and the site of an art shelter (‘Tout encoquillé’), now destroyed, of which only the platform remains.

(17) Turn right here onto a sunken track that joins a busy road.

(18) Carefully follow this road to the right until you reach a small path branching off to the left, alongside a small stream.

(19) This is where you leave the Sentiers d'Art trail (which follows this path) and continue along the Route de Dinant, towards the "L'Art de Vivre" hall and the church at Barvaux-Condroz. You are now following the GRP® 575 "À travers le Condroz" trail (red and yellow painted markings). At the church, stay on the main road, straight ahead, until you reach the last house, just before the village exit.

(20) Turn right here onto a lovely path and continue straight on, ignoring the path at the crossroads, until you reach a lovely road.

(21) You are now on Rue Albert Billy, the main street running through Porcheresse-Condroz. Turn right to pass in front of Porcheresse Castle and head back towards the church.

(22) Just before the church, at a lovely sheltered picnic table, turn left and head downhill. After a slight climb, you’ll reach “Clinchamp”, a junction where several paths meet.

(23) Turn left here, staying firmly on the straight path, without entering the woods via the path further to the left. You will reach a tarmac road.

(24) Head downhill to the right here, passing a lovely lane leading to a large Condroz farm, the Ferme du Bois de Rémont. The path leads straight into a wood, which you cross. At the other end is another junction with a small country road. The GRP® heads left, and you must leave it.

(25) Continue straight on, along the path closed to cars and motorbikes, towards a second wood. You will then reach a lovely country lane that enters a large estate planted with walnut and hazelnut trees.

(26) Walk along the edge of this estate. Continue down this road, following the orchard. At the crossroads, marked by a chapel, go straight on, as you do at the next crossroads.

(27) Do the same at the next fork. Then, turn left onto the path leading to the Hamois/Achet arboretum. The descent becomes steeper, and at the bottom you will reach the "Bout d'Hubinne".

(28) Head straight ahead, veering slightly to the right. You will cross the farmyard and begin a gentle climb that takes you back to the front of the Girls’ School, which houses the Hamois OCC. Cross carefully towards the OCC and you will reach the car park and your starting point (S/E).

The Rue de Miécret between (7) and (8) and the main road (Route de Dinant) in Barvaux-Condroz between (18) and (20) are roads where motorists can drive very/too fast. Please take care. This is also why the route has tried to avoid these roads as much as possible. In Barvaux-Condroz, it is therefore advisable to take the steps to the right of the road, just after the “L’Art de Vivre” hall, to walk up towards the church.

Unfortunately, there are no places to eat at ‘reasonable’ prices along the route. A booking is required to dine at the gourmet restaurant in Barvaux-en-Condroz. There is a chip shop and two restaurants in Hamois.
There is also no water directly on the route, unless you ask the locals.

However, there are plenty of opportunities to discover local producers on or near the route, particularly in Barvaux-Condroz, Porcheresse and Hamois. Check their opening hours before setting off.

There are many examples of local heritage (chapels, potales – small niches carved into a wall or pillar, typical of Wallonia and northern France, intended to house a religious statuette (the Virgin Mary or a saint) to protect locals or travellers – as well as beautiful farms and stately homes (castles and manor houses) to be found all along this route.