From La Statte to La Hoëgne in Solwaster

Solwaster, a small village at the foot of the fagne, 16 km from Verviers, is unique in that it is located between two of the most beautiful rivers in the fagne: the Statte, which rises in the peat bogs of the Hautes-Fagnes, in the Wihonfagne fagne, and the Hoëgne, which rises in the Polleur fagne. These two rivers welcome us into a magical landscape of fens and forests.

Details

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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 14.64 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 5h 00 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 299 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 294 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 601 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 357 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Parking is available after the church, at the exit of the village towards Jalhay.

(S/E) Head back towards the church. Well before you reach it, take the road on the left and continue straight ahead along the dead-end road.

(1) Turn right onto the path and go down towards the bridge over the Statte, ignoring the roads on either side. Cross the bridge. At the picnic area, enter the forest on your right.

Blue rectangle signpost

Take the path along the stream. Cross the bridge, which will be the first of many. Go up the Statte. After a few bridges, you will see a bridge in the distance on your right, which you should ignore.

(2) Continue straight ahead to the Bilisse rock on the GR®44. Ignore the path leading up to the top of the rock and continue along the Statte.

(3) Pass in front of the Cascade des Nutons. Continue straight ahead until you reach the road. Turn right, cross the bridge and take the path on the left, continuing along the stream towards Le Pierrier. The forest gives way to a more marshy landscape.

No signposts

(4) At the crossroads, do not continue towards Pierrier but go straight ahead towards Wihonfagne. At the crossroads with the forest path, cross it and take the path that continues to follow the stream. At the road, turn left and immediately turn right and continue along the path towards Wihonfagne.

(5) At the next forest path, go around the fence by taking the bridge hidden under the fir trees. Go up to the left towards "Lu fosse à troufes" in Wihonfagne. There will be forest on your left and marshland on your right.

(6) At the crossroads, after "Lu fosse", continue straight ahead until you reach a wider forest path. Turn left and continue to the bend.

(7) Continue along the path starting from the bend. Be particularly careful because the path you need to take is immediately on your right, between two fir trees. A sign for La Vecquée is visible under the branches of the fir tree after the entrance to the path. At the end of the path, you will arrive at La Vecquée. Turn right and descend towards the Hoëgne. Ignore the paths on either side of the main path. Pass various boundary markers.

(8) A bench on your right indicates that you are more than halfway through La Vecquée. Continue straight ahead until you reach the river.

GR® signposting

(9) Just before the river, turn onto the path on the right under the Vallée de la Hoëgne archway. Follow it downhill, crossing from one bank to the other several times along the valley. On the heights, before crossing a bridge, you may be tempted to stop at a viewpoint. Feel free to climb up, but there is nothing spectacular to see. Cross the bridge and continue downhill. Go back up the forest path at the shelters and benches. Ignore the path but follow the railing so you don't miss the rest of the trail along the river.

(10) Pass the Leopold II waterfall and then the Marie-Henriette waterfall.

(11) When you reach the end of the valley, you will find yourself in a car park. Leave the Hoëgne and take the forest path opposite. Keep following the GR®. At the fork, turn left. Ignore the path on your right.

(12) At the next fork, turn right. Then ignore the path leading off to the left. Continue straight ahead. At the top of the hill, turn left. Continue along the main path and leave the woods. The path ends at a road.
Turn left. Descend towards the village. Pass the replica of the Lourdes grotto. At the church, turn right. Be careful, you are on a busy road. Return to the car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 357 m - Parking after the church, at the exit of the village
  2. 1 : km 0.8 - alt. 372 m - Path on the right
  3. 2 : km 1.7 - alt. 414 m - Bilisse Rock
  4. 3 : km 2.59 - alt. 460 m - Nutons waterfall
  5. 4 : km 3.62 - alt. 524 m - direction Wihonfagne
  6. 5 : km 4.62 - alt. 576 m - Fencing
  7. 6 : km 5.21 - alt. 595 m - Lu fosse à troufes
  8. 7 : km 5.7 - alt. 596 m - In the left-hand bend
  9. 8 : km 7.6 - alt. 581 m - Bench
  10. 9 : km 8.69 - alt. 514 m - Vallée de la - Hoëgne (rivière) - Belgique - Affluent de la Vesdre
  11. 10 : km 11.18 - alt. 418 m - Shelters
  12. 11 : km 12.27 - alt. 370 m - End of the valley
  13. 12 : km 13.45 - alt. 412 m - On the right, at the fork
  14. S/E : km 14.64 - alt. 357 m - Parking is available after the church, at the exit of the village

Notes

Good waterproof footwear
No drinking water on the course
Bench at the point (9)
Shelters in good condition (11)
During hunting season, remember to check the hunting restrictions in Verviers.

Worth a visit

During
Le Rocher de Bilisse: large quartzite rock rising over 20 m
The Nutons Waterfall
The Hunters' Fountain
Lu fosse à troufes: troufes = peat bricks. Peat is a fossilised organic material formed by the accumulation of dead organic matter, mainly plants, over long periods of time in a water-saturated environment. When dried, it produces a brown to blackish fuel that burns less efficiently than wood and coal. First, the grassy layer had to be removed from the ground to reveal the compact, black peat. The peat was then split vertically into parallelepipeds using a heavy, sharpened spade, and four horizontal blows were used to detach four bricks 7 to 8 cm thick. This process was repeated line by line, leaving the "troufes" behind. Once dry, the troufes were loaded onto ox carts or cows to be taken back to the village.
La Vecquée (name derived from the word évêque, meaning bishop) is an ancient Gallic road that became a Roman road. La Vecquée also formed the border between the Kingdom of the Netherlands (later Belgium in 1830) and Prussia between 1815 and 1920.
The Croix des Fiancés (Cross of the Betrothed) is no longer on the Vecquée, but its story is tragic: at the end of the 19th century, a young couple wanted to go to Xhoffraix (then a village in Prussia) to find the money they needed for their wedding. They set off for the Fagne, despite the bad weather in January. They got lost and it was not until two months later, when the snow melted in spring, that a Prussian customs officer discovered the body of young Marie. In her bodice, her fiancé had slipped a note: "Marie has just died, and I am going to do the same." François' body had been found a little further on.
Former Prussian-Belgian border markers
The Leopold II and Marie-Henriette waterfalls, named after the Queen and King of Belgium, were inaugurated in 1899 by Queen Marie-Henriette.

Near
Spa-Francorchamps circuit
Michel's Hut
Mount Rigi
Lake Gileppe
Malmedy and its carnival

Always be cautious and plan ahead when you're outdoors. Visorando and the author of this route cannot be held responsible for any accidents occurring on this route.

The GR® and PR® markings are the intellectual property of the Fédération Française de Randonnée Pédestre.

Reviews and comments

4.5 / 5
Based on 28 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.3 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.4 / 5
Route interest
4.6 / 5
michmeux
michmeux

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 29, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

We went on this beautiful walk in dry weather (phew).
The section through the woods is magnificent, with a stream and waterfalls (lots of roots, so watch your step lol), and the volunteers have done an amazing job, well done!
We didn't like the part in the "peat bogs" as much, which was very muddy, but you can't have everything
.
We had to follow a detour after point 9 because of flooding, but it was well signposted.
Honestly, a really nice walk, but you definitely need good waterproof shoes.

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GGbagas
GGbagas

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 05, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Wonderful walk, great work by the volunteers.
Thank you

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catbalou
catbalou

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 10, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

During tourist season and on weekends, otherwise no problem during the week.

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lazzerini
lazzerini

Hello Costynot,
Thanks for the information about the bridges
It's a really nice hike, I agree.

All the best

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Costynot
Costynot

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 12, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Hike completed on a Saturday morning, not many people around.
All the bridges have been rebuilt. Most of the time the paths are quite wet, even when the weather is dry, so make sure you wear good shoes as there are also lots of rocky sections.
It's very pretty and really worth it, apart from a section of several kilometres on a road suitable for vehicles. The rest is along paths running alongside streams, which is really great.

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lazzerini
lazzerini

Hello JRosoux,
Thanks for the information.
I'll correct it right away.

Best regards

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JRosoux
JRosoux

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Dec 24, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful but very technical hike.
The bridges and other passages have been repaired. Apart from the first crossing, which is not for those with a fear of heights, everything went very well.
Thank you to the hiker for sharing the details of this walk.

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grandin
grandin ★

@lazzerini
Thank you for your moderation work.

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lazzerini
lazzerini

Thanks for clarifying.
It would be better to post a message on the forum, as this is not the right place to help you. Too many messages will clutter up the reviews for this hike.
We'll meet here if it's via the app: https://www.visorando.com/forum-randonne...
or here if it's on the website: https://www.visorando.com/forum-randonne...
Post a new topic if you can't find the answer in the existing posts.
Or you may already have read this: https://www.visorando.com/article-mode-d...

Best regards

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PSTRASSER
PSTRASSER
• Edited:

I did indeed go on this hike yesterday. The date of 13 July is incorrect. I did go on this hike (which was very beautiful in normal weather and which I have done several times before).
But since you asked for my opinion, I'll give it to you, no hard feelings. Neither you nor I could have imagined what was going on there.
But it's good to know.
I will do it again, but when everything is back to normal, which is to say not tomorrow!
That said, I took the route towards the scree, which is worth doing.
Rereading your email, I also mention missing bridges. I crossed the stream four times on rocks, which I shouldn't have done, but after that there are several staircases. Without them, it would have been impossible to continue... and turning back... that's what I wanted to talk about because they no longer existed and I had to climb this hill in the woods.
I'm taking advantage of this message to let you know that I can't remove the walks that are useless to me from my favourites. Could you help me with this?
That said, your walk website is great, it must be said.
Best regards.

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lazzerini
lazzerini
• Edited:

Hello PSTRASSER,

You noted that you went hiking yesterday, but the date you entered is 13 July!
You mention stairs and hills... I'm a bit confused...

Perhaps you downloaded the hike before I added the information provided by Arina Tomberg about this route.
Sometimes it's better to give up than to put yourself in danger.

Best regards

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PSTRASSER
PSTRASSER

Overall rating : 3 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 13, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★☆☆☆☆ Very disappointing
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

I did this route yesterday.
It's simple, it's unusable.
All the bridges are gone, I had to cross the river... from block to block, sometimes with my feet in the water.
The stairs were also gone, so I had to climb the hill, which is not only difficult but also dangerous.
I lost my way, but eventually found it again (I know the area very well).
After the waterfall and the bridge, it became very muddy.
And finally, the route took me back up the Hoegne, which I obviously didn't do.
But normally, the walk is very beautiful.
I'll do it again next year... if everything is repaired and preferably in dry weather.

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lazzerini
lazzerini

Hello Arina Tomberg,

Thank you for your very clear feedback.
I have made some changes to the description based on your comments.
Since 15 July, it has been difficult to know where the flooding in the province of Liège has significantly altered the proposed walks.
So thank you for your experience and the detailed explanations, which are a real bonus.

Enjoy your future hikes!

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ArinaTomberg
ArinaTomberg

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 05, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

The flooding has brought about some changes to the original plan for this hike. Many of the footbridges mentioned in the description no longer exist. They have been broken or washed away by the torrent. So, at the start of the walk, you have to walk directly in the river bed. This is doable but requires a lot of attention. Between points 9 and 10, it is impossible to cross the Hoegne because the bridge is no longer there. You have to climb up to the Belvédère. There, turn left and after about 100 metres you can turn left again onto the Sentier Ghislain Lespire to rejoin the route. Because of all this, the walk took me much longer than expected. However, the beauty of the two rivers is definitely worth it.

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PSTRASSER
PSTRASSER

I know a lot of hikes in the area, but I'm taking the Perrier after this one. I don't know it, but I plan to do it soon.
But up to the scree, the view is magnificent.
On the other hand, I can't give an opinion on a hike.
I don't know how to remove favourites.
I'm (almost new to your site, I think it's superb in every way and now only hike with you.

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