From Hour to Petite Hour via Grande Hour

Interestingly, it was in Petite Hour, a hamlet in the village of Hour, that Louis Marion, the oldest man Belgium has ever known, was born in 1893. After spending his entire life in the village, he died there at the age of 110.
It was also from Hour that Max Cosyns, assistant to Professor Picard, took off in 1934 in his stratospheric balloon, landing 1,800 km away in Ljubljana, in the former Yugoslavia.

Details

3322071
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 8.89 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 2h 50 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Easy

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 95 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 102 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 229 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 145 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Parking is available to the left of the church in a parking area that can accommodate four or five cars.

(S/E) Leave Saint-Martin Church by going down the small street and then turn right, heading south-west. Pass the farms on either side of the street. About 500 m after the start, you will come to a crossroads just after a statue of the Virgin Mary on the left.

(1) Leave the main street and turn right, then turn left onto the cul-de-sac street signposted "Plaine du Crevia". Pass a sports area before continuing along a footpath and then a track. Continue along this track and pass the Notre-Dame des Grâces Chapel overlooking the cemetery.

(2) At the chapel, at the crossroads, continue along the path on the right. Further on, cross a small road and continue straight ahead until you reach a five-way crossroads.

(3) Take the second path on the right and walk alongside the "Le Cheneau" holiday village. At the end of the village, continue straight ahead and enter a forest of small oak trees.
After a few hundred metres, the path splits in two.

(4) Continue to the right. Follow a beautiful forest path for 2.5 km. At the end of the path, follow the Hour road and arrive at the hamlet of Petite Hour.

(5) Go up the street, ignoring the first street on the right. In the bend, keep to the right and pass a small cross surrounded by white statues. Continue along the road and take the first path on the left. After about 600 m, the path reaches a T-junction.

(6) Turn right and, at the edge of the hamlet of Lissoir, join the road that leads back to the village of Hour.

(7) When you reach this road, turn right and continue for a few hundred metres, then turn left onto a path. This leads to the village and Rue des Déportés. Turn right onto this street, and you will immediately come to a fork in the road.

(8) Follow the left fork. Go down this street, which quickly leads to the crossroads at the main road on the outskirts of Hour. Follow it to the right. Further on, at the next crossroads, continue to the right and pass the village school on your right before a right-hand bend.

(9) About 100 m after the school, take a small path on the left, the entrance to which is just before a concrete lamppost. Follow it until you reach a few houses. Once past these houses, you will reach the street opposite, which leads back up to the church and the starting point (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 173 m - Saint-Martin Church
  2. 1 : km 0.46 - alt. 168 m - Crossroads after the statue
  3. 2 : km 1.14 - alt. 207 m - Crossroads near the chapel
  4. 3 : km 2.09 - alt. 224 m - "Le Cheneau" holiday village
  5. 4 : km 3.08 - alt. 226 m - Y-junction
  6. 5 : km 5.58 - alt. 166 m - Petite Hour hamlet
  7. 6 : km 6.62 - alt. 173 m - T-junction
  8. 7 : km 6.9 - alt. 182 m - Crossroads on the edge of Lissoir
  9. 8 : km 7.85 - alt. 161 m - Forked crossroads
  10. 9 : km 8.5 - alt. 166 m - Path before the lamppost
  11. S/E : km 8.89 - alt. 173 m - Saint-Martin Church

Notes

- There is a small café where you can grab a bite to eat at the start of the walk.
- The walk can also be done by mountain bike.

Worth a visit

- Those looking for a peaceful holiday will find a small holiday village called "Le Cheneau" in the hills of Hour, with around thirty chalets available to rent.
- The Chapel of Our Lady of Grace, surrounded by the cemetery, is the remains of the original church of Hour, which was destroyed around 1553.

Reviews and comments

4.9 / 5
Based on 5 reviews

Reliability of the description
5 / 5
Ease of following the route
5 / 5
Route interest
4.8 / 5
Jean Mathias
Jean Mathias

Thank you for your review 🙂

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User 4182589

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 13, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

This hike is best enjoyed in dry weather as there is quite a bit of mud.
The descent is a bit steep at the end, with slippery acorns... but it all depends on the season you're hiking in!

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Jean Mathias
Jean Mathias

Thank you for your feedback. I will correct the absence of the green triangle marker at point 4.

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JM007
JM007

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 21, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Please note that the green markings disappear when the forest path splits in two --> take the forest path on the right.

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Jean Mathias
Jean Mathias

Thank you for your review.

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pphilippe
pphilippe

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 17, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Just two small things for the route: at point 2, right by the chapel, there are two parallel paths on the right: take the one furthest to the right (but the other one may not go very far). We hesitated slightly, but it was fairly obvious. At point 4, the path splits in two: there is no green triangle marker for the right-hand path, but the crossroads is fairly obvious (especially with the map). This is the place known as Bois du Roi (signs for other walks).
Historical note about the stratospheric balloon: according to a website (Wikipedia), it was not Professor Picard who was on board, but Max Cosyns, his assistant, with a student, Nérée Van der Elst. But they did travel 1,800 km at an altitude of 15,500 m at times, which is the main thing... and deserves a tip of the hat.
A very beautiful, easy and varied hike: forest (a beautiful forest road, as indicated in the description), countryside, village... Everything you could want!

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Jean Mathias
Jean Mathias

Thank you for your comment. I am sorry for confusing Christ and the Virgin Mary. I will correct this mistake, I promise.

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Hugues Michel
Hugues Michel

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 12, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : Not used / Not applicable
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Very nice walk. Thank you to the designer. Just a minor clarification: it is not a statue of the Virgin Mary at the start of the walk, but of Christ. That said, it is not confusing.

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Jean Mathias
Jean Mathias

Thank you for your review.

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jean-marc.poncelet
jean-marc.poncelet

Overall rating : 4.5 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 05, 2020
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A little-used route, but there was quite a bit of fog over the Famenne at the start of the hike.

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