Étang des Moines and Haut-Fourneau de Marsolle

Parking in front of the Salle Loup-Garou, Rue de Libin, not far from Smuid church.

No signposting

(S/E) The hall is on your right; head down towards the church. Keep it on your right and walk up the street in front of you to the chapel.

(1) Continue left and walk up to the bus stop. Take the dirt track on the right, just before the stop. At the fork, keep right. Follow the path with a view of the valley and the Christmas tree plantation until the next junction on your left. Turn left and walk to the crossroads.

(2) Turn right and head downhill to the junction. Start walking straight ahead, then immediately turn left onto the descending path, using hunting blind no. 26 as a landmark. Follow the path downhill, which has a few muddy sections as the stream merges with the path towards the end. Head towards the Ruisseau Le Marsau. Look out for the crossing on your right, consisting of a small bridge made of two beams.

(3) After crossing the stream, continue along the grassy path, which further on becomes a stony track. Pass the private ponds and their chalet and climb up to the crossroads. Head straight ahead onto the grassy path and continue climbing. Join a forest track and follow it to the right. Look out for the less marked path branching off slightly to the right at the bend in the main track.

(4) Take this path and walk for 400 m, ignoring the paths on your right. Depending on the season, ferns may partially obscure the path, but it is easy to find. The path descends to a junction on your left.

(5) Turn left onto the path, which becomes a road, and head down to the right towards the hamlet of Étang des Moines.
Take the path on the left marked with the ‘Route de promenade’ sign, to the left of the sign for Étang aux Moines. Follow the path round the pond. At the fork (not shown on the map), take the path on the right, closest to the pond. You will come out onto the road.

(6) Take the path opposite. Cross over the stream known as the Ruisseau du Bois de Tellin. Then follow the leat to another pond used for fish farming. Leave this on your right and head down to the signpost. Turn right and take the footbridge over the stream. At the path, turn right towards the white gate, which you pass. Cross the second footbridge and climb up to the crossroads at a place called Fourneau de Marsole.

Signposting: Green Rectangle + Grande Forêt de Saint-Hubert logo

(7) Turn left and discover the remains of the 16th-century blast furnace at Mirwart. After walking around the blast furnace site, continue along this marked path. Cross the Marsaul stream and walk for a further 600 m or so until you reach the end of the wire-mesh fence of the plot on your left. Leave the markings behind.

No Markings

(8) Take a sharp left. Follow this path for 200 m until you reach a more open area and the entrance to a forest track on your right.

(9) Take this track and enter the forest. The forest track climbs, curves in an S-shape and then becomes straight. Walk to the Biolin campsite, pass it and continue straight ahead to the road.

Signposting: Green Rectangle + Grande Forêt de Saint Hubert logo

Turn right and follow the road for 100 m. Look out for a path on your left.

(10) Turn left and follow this path, which, further on, bends sharply to the right. When you return to a wider track, continue to the left. At the gravel track, known as Spinet, take a sharp left-hand bend. Stay on this wide track and pass the dog training ground. The track then bends sharply to the right. Pass the private track leading to a chalet and continue to the T-junction. Turn right and follow this track down to the start of the pond.

(11) Take a sharp right-hand bend, follow the path and cross the footbridge over the stream feeding the pond. Follow the path and climb until you reach a forest track, which you follow to the right. At the junction, turn left. At the fork further on, take the left-hand path and keep left at the next fork. Head down the track, which becomes a path. Cross a stream and then head back up to the T-junction. Change in signposting.

Green Cross / Red Rectangle

(12) Turn right and head uphill. Keep to the right at the fence and exit the woods. At the road, continue to the left. Pass in front of Saint-Thibaut Chapel. Stay on this road until you reach the church. Cross the main road carefully and head down the street opposite. Walk past the church and, at the junction with another road, turn left. Return to your car park (S/E).

Muddy in places.

Picnic tables: at the Étang des Moines, near the retaining wall of the drainage channel to the next pond, at the ruins of the Marsolle blast furnace, at the Bivouac du Biolin before the (10), and at the church in Smuid.

Bench: during the walk around the Étang des Moines before the (6), along the pond after the (11).

The Marsau Stream is spelled in various ways: Marsau, Marsault, Môrsaule.

From October to December, please be aware of hunting dates.

No drinking water along the route, but you can get something to drink and eat at the hotel/restaurant opposite Smuid church.

Mostly sheltered but not entirely, so please take appropriate precautions.

During
The Étang des Moines was owned by the Abbey of Saint Hubert – see here for details
The Marsolle blast furnace was built by the Lord of Mirwart in the 16th century – see here for details.
Saint-Thibaut Chapel, built in 1865 by the Debierre-Thomas family.