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 woodland. Go through the gate on the left towards marker 68. A very scenic path that follows the southern edge of the woodland. At marker 68, veer to the 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 track. Reach the road (marker 1) and follow it to the right. Just after the entrance to the château, turn left onto the path. Reach a Fork in the road (marker 42).

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

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

(4) Cross it (take care!) and take the path straight ahead. You’ll reach a Fork in the road (marker 94). Turn left to reach another Fork in the road very quickly. Turn right (GR®128). When you reach a gate, continue straight on to reach the D318: (^first pass 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 in the road, turn right (dead end 3582). After a lovely path through a ravine, you’ll 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 in the road. 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) You’ll reach a junction (marker 8 and barriers). Head straight ahead (past the barrier) onto a track, which can be in very poor condition in wet weather but has now been improved.

(9) Reach a T-junction (marker 14 and barrier). Turn right and, immediately, leave the tarmac to take the path leading uphill straight ahead (risk of mud). As you climb, 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 the road to find, opposite (marker 13), a path running alongside a shop:^second visit to Mont Noir.

(10) Follow this path, which runs alongside a campsite, until you reach a Fork in the road (marker 62). Carry on straight ahead (on the tarmac section) until you reach a gate on the right (marker 61). The old gate is boarded up, but our Belgian neighbours (who are absolutely brilliant) have put up a new one just beyond it. This is to prevent the muddy mess that used to form during 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 leading uphill to the right. At the junction, carry on straight ahead to reach a T-junction. Take the narrow path on the left and join a small road. Follow it to the left and you’ll arrive near the mill.

(14) Opposite, take a very narrow track which, after a junction, joins a small road.

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

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

(17) Turn left and reach a road (marker 34). Turn left and then immediately right (black letterbox no. 55A) onto a narrow path. Walk for about a hundred metres and turn right to join the Grand’ Route (marker 47). Cross it (take care) and take the path leading downhill 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 the Galooiesraat. Pass the^first junction and reach a junction with the Grand’ Route. Cross it (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. Shortly after a house and just before crossing the stream.

(20) Choose one of these two options:

• Turn right (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 track has often formed: very nice in late July 2026): 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 curves 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 (with wooden duckboards in the damp sections). You’ll reach a wide path (marker 61 and a café on the right).

(22) Continue straight ahead (up the steps) towards marker 63, following the fence. Ignore a path on the right (hiking marker), and carry on (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’ll 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 (staircase 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 route 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 head into the woods. Look for a lovely path (grey bricks) to follow on the right. Shortly after the picnic area (with a barbecue!), then the totem pole, you’ll come out facing the cobbled 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 through the middle of a pasture. A lovely flight of steps leads down to a restaurant. Walk past the children’s playground, then veer slightly to the left (picnic table) and you’ll 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 your left. There’s no longer a gate, but the track is very clearly visible.

(29) Cross the pasture (a lovely farm on the left) diagonally and reach a wide track. Follow it to the right. You’ll immediately come to a gate on the left.

(30) Go through it and follow the track 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 emerging, continue along the edge of the copse on the right. The path turns sharply left and reaches a Fork in the road.

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

(33) Turn right towards the vineyard (Wiingoed Monteberg). A long, scenic path, with some improvements (though it can be extremely spongy in places), 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