Waiter, a 3 Monts, please!

Large car park in front of Dranouter church.

(S/E) Head towards Loker (Dikkebusstraat). Just after the restaurant ’t Folk, turn left into Victoriastraat to reach a T-junction (marker 5). Turn right towards marker 69. You’ll pass a pigsty and reach marker 69 at the edge of the woods. Go through the gate on the left towards marker 68. A very beautiful path that follows the southern edge of the woods. At marker 68, veer left and continue to follow the southern edge towards marker 66 (risk of mud).

(1) Go through the gate (marker 66) and turn left onto the Canadian trail. Reach the road (marker 1) and follow it to the right. Just after the entrance to the castle, turn left onto the path. Reach a fork (marker 42).

(2) Head left towards marker 62 (risk of mud). A little further on, the path turns 90 degrees to the right. Ignore a turn-off to the right (marker 62 and gate).

(3) At the^first farm (marker 59), go straight ahead and reach a junction (marker 58). Go straight ahead: the tarmac quickly gives way to a path that becomes increasingly narrow. At the junction (marker 93), go straight ahead to reach the D223.

(4) Cross it (take care!) and take the path straight ahead. Reach a fork (marker 94). Turn left to reach another fork very quickly. Head right (GR®128). When you reach a gate, continue straight on to reach the D318: (^first crossing at Mont Noir).

(5) Turn left (no entry) and you’ll immediately come to a junction. Take the small road leading downhill opposite. 100 m further on, at the fork, turn right (dead end 3582). After a lovely sunken path, reach a small road (marker 95). Follow it to the right to reach a junction (marker 10) and the border.

(6) Turn left (following the border) and reach a junction (marker 4). Turn right and reach a T-junction (marker 5). Turn right again to reach a fork. Take the left-hand track for a few metres.

(7) Reach marker 9 (gate). Take the hairpin bend to the left (risk of mud).

(8) Reach a junction (marker 8 and barriers). Head straight ahead (barrier) onto a track, which can be very poor in wet weather but has now been improved.

(9) Reach a T-junction (post 14 and barrier). Turn right and, immediately, leave the tarmac to take the path leading uphill opposite (risk of mud). On the uphill section, join a small road. Follow it to the right to reach the commercial area of Mont Noir. Cross the central reservation diagonally to reach the main road. Cross it to find, opposite (marker 13), a path running alongside a shop:^2nd passage at Mont Noir.

(10) Follow this path which runs alongside a campsite and reach a fork (marker 62). Continue straight on (paved section) until you reach a gate on the right (marker 61). The old gate is blocked off, but our Belgian neighbours (who are absolutely brilliant) have put up a new one just beyond it. This is to avoid the muddy mess that used to form in wet weather!

(11) Go through it to enter a rural field. Follow the directional posts carefully towards post 60.

(12) At marker 60, do not take the road, but take the grassy track on the left that runs alongside it. Just before a house (up on the left), join the road and follow it to the left until you reach marker 40.

(13) Leave the tarmac and take the path going uphill to the right. At the junction, continue straight on to reach a T-junction. Take the narrow path on the left and join a small road. Follow it to the left and you will arrive near the mill.

(14) Take the very narrow path opposite which, after a junction, joins a small road.

(15) Follow it to the left to reach the Grand' Route. Cross it (take care) and take the footpath to the right. After about 50 m, leave it to reach the woods on the left (staircase). At the foot of the staircase, head right to reach a junction (marker 38).

(16) Turn right. At the next junction (marker 35), take the path straight ahead leading uphill and reach a T-junction (summit of Mont Rouge).

(17) Turn left and reach a road (marker 34). Turn left and immediately right (black postbox no. 55A) onto a narrow path. Walk for about a hundred metres and turn right to reach the Grand' Route (marker 47). Cross it (take care) and take the path leading down opposite (stick to the narrow track on the right along the pasture). You’ll reach a T-junction (marker 46).

(18) Follow the small road to the left and, about a hundred metres further on, turn right (marker 45) onto Galooiesraat. Pass the^first junction and reach a junction with the Grand' Route. Cross (with care) to take the small road opposite. Reach the Grand' Route (marker 56).

(19) Cross over and take the path opposite towards marker 11. Just past a house and just before crossing the stream.

(20) Choose between these two options:

- Difficult passage on 11 April 2026, as the two fields have just been ploughed: take the right-hand path (this is the route chosen). The ‘path’ slopes to the left, crosses the stream, then turns left into the grass.
The path is marked by wooden posts, but it is difficult to follow as it is encroached upon by crops (it is often easier to go through the field on the right where a good path has often formed: but every time I go there, it’s different...) and joins a small road. Then turn right to reach marker 8 just before thesecond farm.

- Continue straight ahead to reach a small road (marker 11). Follow it to the right to reach a junction (marker 60). Then turn right to reach marker 8 just before the^second farm.

(21) Turn left onto the superb grassy path. It bends to the right, crosses a stream and climbs (a damp section that has just been improved) to reach a T-junction (marker 9). Turn left and follow the path (wooden duckboards in the damp sections). You’ll reach a wide path (marker 61 and a café on the right).

(22) Continue straight ahead (staircase) towards marker 63, following the fence. Ignore a path on the right (hiking marker), and continue (still heading towards 63) until you reach a small road at marker 63.

(23) Follow the small road to the left towards marker 74. Just before a large house on the left, you reach a hiking marker (unnumbered). Turn right towards marker 74. A lovely uphill path (steady gradient but difficult in wet weather) leads to the Mont Kemmel Ossuary (marker 74, benches).

(24) At the junction, continue straight ahead (the GR® heads off to the right) to enter the woods towards marker 83. At marker 83 (stairs on the right), continue straight on to reach marker 82: Mont Kemmel.

(25) Before reaching the road, take the path leading down to the left (March 2025: well-maintained path to avoid a wet area) to reach marker 81 near a road.

(26) Just before this road, take the path on the right towards marker 80 (staircase). Follow the arrows carefully (towards the play area) to reach a small road. Cross it and enter the woods. Find a lovely path (grey bricks) to follow on the right. Shortly after the picnic area (with a barbecue!), then the totem, you’ll arrive facing the paved road leading up to Kemmel.

(27) Turn left and immediately, at the junction (marker 3 and dwarf statue), take the wide path opposite (GR®). A very clear path in the middle of a pasture. A lovely staircase leads down to a restaurant. Walk past the children’s playground, then veer slightly left (picnic table) and reach a gate. (marker 72).

(28) Cross the small road. Take the path opposite towards marker 65. You’ll soon reach a large pasture on the left. There’s no longer a gate, but the track is clearly visible.

(29) Cross the pasture diagonally (a lovely farmhouse on the left) and reach a wide path. Follow it to the right. You will immediately come to a gate on the left.

(30) Go through it and follow the path across the fields. Just before another metal gate, turn right and walk alongside a copse for about a hundred metres.

(31) At the end of the copse, turn right to pass two turnstiles (risk of mud). Continue towards a third turnstile, a little further up on the right, and cross a copse. On the other side, continue along the edge on the right. The path turns sharply left and reaches a fork.

(32) Head straight ahead and follow the path that zigzags through the fields (risk of mud) before reaching a small road. Follow it for about fifty metres to the left until you reach marker 97.

(33) Turn right towards the vineyard (Wiingoed Monteberg). A long, beautiful path, with some improvements (though it is sometimes extremely spongy), which zigzags through the fields then runs alongside the Lindebeek before reaching a road (marker 96).

(34) Turn left onto the path running alongside it (gate). A little further on, join the road and follow it to the left towards Dranouter. A good hundred metres further on, turn left to enter the town. Ignore the small street on the right, and continue for a few metres.

(35) Turn right onto a path between the houses. After the grassy area, move closer to the hedge on the left and follow it.

(36) Don’t miss the small lane (opposite the playground) which branches off to the left and joins the main road. Follow it to the right to reach the car park (S/E).

On 15 July 2024, the trails were in perfect condition!

Good equipment is of course necessary, especially if the weather turns rainy.

Bring plenty of drinks, but you can always stop at one of the many cafés along the way.

For details of the hiking points