From Ninglinspo to Chefna

A tributary of the Amblève and 3.5 km long, with an average gradient of 7.5%, the Ninglinspo is one of the few torrents in Belgium. Come and discover this valley, which was coveted by gold prospectors in the last century, and walk in a landscape worthy of the highest mountain rivers. With its waterfalls and "baths", the Ninglinspo will offer you an unforgettable moment of relaxation. As for the Chefna, less popular with tourists, it will take you away from it all with its wild side.

Details

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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 10.41 mi
  • ◔
    Average duration: 6h 35 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 2,067 ft
  • ↘
    Descent: - 2,057 ft

  • ▲
    Highest point: 1,562 ft
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 522 ft

Photos

Description of the walk

Parking on the N633 from Remouchamps to Trois-Ponts, in Sedoz just after Nonceveux.

(S/E) Leave the car park, turn right and enter the woods. Cross the ford or the bridge, but at the second bridge, follow the Ninglinspo as closely as possible and not the wide path.

Yellow rectangle signposting

(1) Cascade de la Chaudière. Cross the bridge so that the stream is on your right. When you reach a wide path, continue to the right. Take the path on the right and stay as close as possible to the Ninglinspo. Cross the next bridge, with the stream now on your left, and continue to follow it as closely as possible. Pass the Bain des Naïades. Continue up the stream. Pass the Bain d'Hermès. Cross a new bridge, then a second and third in quick succession. Cross another bridge, then another. Further on, cross the riverbank.

Blue rectangle signpost

At the junction with the wide path, continue straight ahead towards "La Fourchette". Continue for a few metres along the wide path and then turn left towards a new bridge and cross it. Wade across or cross the bridges depending on the depth of the Ninglinspo. Continue along a wide forest path, which you will soon leave to cross the bridge towards the Bains du Cerf, Diane, and other sites.

(2) Pass in front of the Bain de la Loutre. Leave the Ninglinspo and follow the Blanches Pierres stream. Cross one bridge, then another, then a ford (no bridge as of September 2016).

(3) When you reach the Bain des Cerfs, cross the bridge and continue up the stairs.

(4) Pass the Bain de Diane and continue straight ahead, taking the steps.

(5) Pass by the Bain de Vénus. At the crossroads, if the stream is not too deep, continue straight ahead (otherwise follow the signs and you will rejoin this path further on). The Blanches Pierres stream will remain on your right. Stay on the left-hand path and do not cross. You will arrive at a wide path (the one you will arrive at if you followed the signs after the Bain de Vénus), cross the bridge.

(6) At the crossroads, a few metres after the bridge, take a wide forest path on the right, which you will take again on the way back. Keep following the main path. After a slight descent, there is a bend and then another.

(7) Keep to your left. On your right is the Drouet viewpoint, which you will visit on your return. Go down the path and when it turns sharply to the right, continue straight ahead, taking the wide path.

No signposts

Ignore the path directly to your left. Continue on the wide path, which quickly becomes a forest track. Further on, ignore the path on the right. After descending, the path climbs for a long time. Ignore the path on your left and continue climbing.

(8) At the next junction, turn right and descend. After a bend, continue on the main path. At the bottom of the descent, continue on the path on the left. At the end of the next descent, turn left. When you reach the clearing, continue on the road opposite.

GR® signposting

Go down the paved road to the T-junction.

(9) Turn left. Leave the road and take the path on the right. Cross the bridge, turn left and take the second path on the right, which is the path that continues the ford, in order to climb up the Chefna as closely as possible.

(10) At the fork, turn left. Be careful, the path is a little difficult to follow. Continue straight ahead in the stream bed and climb back up onto dry land at the chalet, with the Chefna between you and the chalet. The path continues close to the stream. Climb up onto a wider path and continue to the left. Here, the landscape is wilder. Cross the new bridges and follow the stream on your right. Do not go back up the path, but turn right to continue on the trail near the water. Cross another bridge. Continue left, always climbing up the Chefna, now on your left. Cross over to the other bank again and then cross back a few metres further on. Keep following the stream until you reach two bridges in line with each other. Go back up the forest track and continue to the right.

(11) When you reach the bend, continue straight ahead. Go uphill and out of the forest.

(12) At the next crossroads, continue straight ahead between birch trees, ferns and heather (depending on the season). Cross the bridge, continue to the right and re-enter the forest. At the wide path, turn left. Leave the woods and continue straight ahead when you reach the road. Ignore the first path on your right.

(13) Take the next path on the left, leaving the road to enter the trees. Turn left when the path returns to the road.

(14) Cross the bridge on your left. At the end of the path, turn left towards the houses.

No signposts

Continue on the paved road to the left, passing through the hamlet of "Ville au Bois". Ignore the roads and paths leading off to the left or right.

(15) At the X07 gas sign, be careful. Do not take the forest path directly to the left, but continue a few metres further and take the next one. This path is lined with conifers on both sides. Pass a sign marking the boundary between two municipalities.

Blue rectangle signpost

At the crossroads, continue straight ahead. At the fork, turn left. A little further on, follow the path on the right.

(6) At the bottom, take the left-hand path you took on the way up.

(7) This time, turn right and admire the Drouet viewpoint.

Yellow rectangle signpost

(16) Retrace your steps and immediately take the path on your right. A little further down, a path joins yours on the left. At the fork, take the path on the right. Climb up to the Roches Crahay sign and then descend.

(17) At Les Roches Crahay, go around by taking the path downhill to your right. It leads to a forest path much lower down; turn left. Continue along this path to the car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : mi 0 - alt. 522 ft - Parking on the N633 Remouchamps, near the - Amblève (rivière) - Belgique
  2. 1 : mi 0.28 - alt. 643 ft - La Chaudière waterfall
  3. 2 : mi 1.23 - alt. 1,007 ft - Otter bath
  4. 3 : mi 1.45 - alt. 1,083 ft - Bain des Cerfs
  5. 4 : mi 1.47 - alt. 1,089 ft - Bain de Diane
  6. 5 : mi 1.52 - alt. 1,112 ft - Bain de Vénus
  7. 6 : mi 1.75 - alt. 1,214 ft - Crossing point for return journey
  8. 7 : mi 2.8 - alt. 1,020 ft - Crossing point for return journey
  9. 8 : mi 3.57 - alt. 1,161 ft - Crossroads
  10. 9 : mi 4.19 - alt. 600 ft - T-junction
  11. 10 : mi 4.47 - alt. 738 ft - Fork
  12. 11 : mi 5.19 - alt. 1,033 ft - Bend
  13. 12 : mi 5.91 - alt. 1,394 ft - Bouleaux crossroads
  14. 13 : mi 6.33 - alt. 1,509 ft - Path on the left in the woods
  15. 14 : mi 6.55 - alt. 1,558 ft - Bridge
  16. 15 : mi 7.68 - alt. 1,503 ft - Gas sign X07
  17. 16 : mi 9.64 - alt. 1,001 ft - Drouet viewpoint
  18. 17 : mi 9.95 - alt. 932 ft - Crahay rocks
  19. S/E : mi 10.41 - alt. 531 ft - Parking on the N633 Remouchamps

Notes

Winter or spring, after the snow has melted, is the best time to visit if you want to really discover a torrent, otherwise you may be disappointed.
High-top, waterproof shoes, as the soles will get wet in some places
Shelter at (7) and (16).
There is no drinking water along the route.
New bridges over the Chefna.

Worth a visit

During
Chaudière waterfall.
"Baths": Naiads, Otters, Deer, Diana...
Drouet viewpoint.
Crahay Rocks.

Near
Remouchamps caves.
"Le Monde Sauvage" safari park in Aywaille.
Coo waterfall.
Plopsa Coo

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

4.7 / 5
Based on 31 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.6 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.6 / 5
Route interest
4.9 / 5
seydouxl
seydouxl

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 02, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

well known

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Niss90
Niss90

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 23, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Very beautiful hike, a few minor issues finding some of the trails, probably due to overgrown vegetation or natural changes to the terrain

Otherwise, the itinerary was perfect

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catbalou
catbalou

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 17, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

nice hike but quite difficult if, like me, you have knee problems. Beautiful views despite a lack of water in the rivers. Be careful in certain places where the markings no longer exist, but you can follow the route if you download it in addition to the map. Not recommended for young children.

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Valdzor
Valdzor

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 17, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Very nice walk! However, it is quite difficult in places, with steep descents.
If I were to do it again, I would do the Chefna loop in the other direction to avoid doing the same route twice from point 6

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Netra
Netra ★

Hello Thunus, and thank you for your feedback. We are sorry to hear that you encountered difficulties following this itinerary.

To help the author improve the description, could you provide more details about the difficulties you encountered and specify the places where you had trouble? Thank you in advance.

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Thunus
Thunus

Overall rating : 2.3 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 10, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Ease of following the route : ★☆☆☆☆ Very disappointing
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

anything outside the markings cannot be found=

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lazzerini
lazzerini

Hello ArinaTomberg,

can you tell me if there are still municipal restrictions on access to Ninglinspo?

Thank you

It is always a pleasure to read your comments

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ArinaTomberg
ArinaTomberg

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 15, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful walk! It feels like you're in the Alps.
This time, on a weekday in July, there weren't many people around. However, when we did this hike at Easter, there were lots of walkers.
The long climb between points 9 and 12 is quite exhausting, but there are quite a few nice spots where you can rest or read legends and true stories about the area.

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stephanelevasseur
stephanelevasseur

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 05, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

a must-do walk in the area, relatively easy but long. A really nice variety of landscapes and, for us, a favourite spot at Chefna, much less crowded than Niglinspo (which was full despite the barriers limiting access to residents - no checks, however, so anyone parked nearby was a resident passing through). Done in April with a few snowflakes and perhaps quite muddy at the top of Niglinspo.

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Endeis
Endeis

Just to let you know that Ninglinspo is still closed except for local residents, as stated above.

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lazzerini
lazzerini

Hello Annepi,

Thanks for your review. That's the advantage of visiting tourist spots out of season: you have them almost to yourself!

were there still restrictions imposed by the local council on access to this hike?
Last November, only people living in the area and those staying there were allowed access.

Best regards

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Annepi
Annepi

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 20, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful hike, quite challenging due to its length, elevation gain and, in some places, narrow paths. Varied landscapes. The route hardly touches any roads. We were there out of season (mid-March) and there were a few people in the Ninglinspo Valley, which is a very touristy area. This should be taken into account during the season. However, at the bottom of Les Quarreux and in the Chefna valley, there was no one around. The descent at the very end of the hike (between points 16 and 17) is quite steep, but not dangerous, just quite tiring! A hike to be recommended.

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lazzerini
lazzerini

From Wednesday 4 November 2020, and until further notice, access to Ninglinspo is restricted by municipal order to residents of the municipalities of Aywaille, Stoumont and Theux, as well as to people who have a second home or have spent at least one night in these municipalities.

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jcmumu
jcmumu

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 02, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Departure at 9 a.m. The car park was almost full, but there were few people on the trail. The number decreased as we progressed. Most of the other people were taking the walks mentioned on the board at the entrance to the site, mainly the most accessible forest paths. If you stick to the route suggested by the site and don't set off too late in the morning, there's not too much to worry about. As for the walk itself, it's magnificent and the route is relatively technical. There are a few steep sections, but the climbs are generally gradual. Personally, I preferred the "Chefna" section. Given the weather conditions at the time, there was very little water in the Ninglinspo and Chefna. If you want to eat or rest a little, don't hesitate to stop at the gold miner's hut. On the way back, after stopping to admire the Drouet viewpoint, head towards the Roches Crahay. Be careful on the descent from the Roches Crahay towards the finish, it's a bit rock and roll. Enjoy the walk, and see you next time.

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onverrabien
onverrabien

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 01, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

Hello,
i am a fan of Nnglinspo, which I discovered six years ago in the autumn. It is still beautiful. The lower part of La Chefna is also very pleasant.
Without meaning to, I didn't follow the route: after Ninglinspo, I continued straight ahead and therefore did the loop backwards, missing sections 6 and 7. That left 17 km, however. And it avoided the section far from the streams, while still allowing for good views, so I'm very happy with it. Thank you

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