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Virelles Aquascope
Grand tour of Virelles Pond
The Virelles Pond is a beautiful natural body of water in the Botte du Hainaut, unlike the nearby Eau d’Heure lakes, which were created by man in the 1970s.
This long walk around Virelles Pond doesn’t actually take you right up to the water’s edge, as the pond has been designated a nature reserve and management of its surroundings has been entrusted to the Aquascope. There’s an entry fee to get close to the lake!
That said, the route follows a short stretch of the RAVeL, plenty of footpaths and forest tracks, and a bit of tarmac, allowing you to discover, in turn, the onion-domed bell tower of Virelles Church, the Blaimont viaduct and its silent clock (a sundial erected in 2022), the northern part of La Ferrière, the Prés de Virelles nature reserve, the odd bit of work by our beaver friends, a very damp woodland area beyond the Prés de Virelles, and a path that gets particularly muddy in winter after the picnic area.
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Activity: Walking -
Distance: 9.39 mi -
Average duration: 4h 45 -
Difficulty: Moderate -
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Back to start: Yes -
Ascent: + 541 ft -
Descent: - 551 ft -
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Highest point: 883 ft -
Lowest point: 659 ft
Photos
Waypoints
- S/E : mi 0 - alt. 705 ft - Virelles Cemetery
- 1 : mi 0.37 - alt. 679 ft - Rue de Chimay - Eau Blanche (rivière) - Belgique
- 2 : mi 1.3 - alt. 692 ft - Blaimont Viaduct - Eau Blanche (rivière) - Belgique
- 3 : mi 1.77 - alt. 820 ft - Blaimont Woods
- 4 : mi 4.43 - alt. 686 ft - La Ferrière
- 5 : mi 5.46 - alt. 682 ft - Les Prés de Virelles
- 6 : mi 7.21 - alt. 784 ft - Picnic tables
- S/E : mi 9.39 - alt. 705 ft - Virelles Cemetery
Worth a visit
Other walks in the area
The Virelles Pond
Visorando Member6.37 mi
+276 ft
-302 ft
3h 10
Moderate
Departure from Chimay (Hainaut)
The Virelles Pond, known locally as "Lac de Virelles", and its Aquascope are major centres for nature conservation. You will be blown away by this natural site, surrounded by green valleys, wooded slopes and picturesque villages. Along the Eau Blanche, the murmur of the waterfalls will lull you as you walk.
In the Great Forest of Chimay
10.53 mi
+456 ft
-449 ft
5h 15
Moderate
Departure from Chimay (Hainaut)
The large Chimay forest can be reached by first crossing some pretty countryside. And it's the same again for a kilometre as you leave the woods to the south-east of Seloignes. The end, from km 14, is back in the countryside.
Étang de la Fourchinée and Bois de Seloignes circular
4.00 mi
+108 ft
-108 ft
1h 55
Easy
Departure from Chimay (Hainaut)
This walk starts at the Étang de la Fourchinée nature reserve, crosses the Bois de Saint-Remy and then the Bois de Seloignes, before returning along a small tarmac country road for about 1,500 metres. In the Bois de Seloignes, you will pass close to the Source de l'Eau Blanche.
In the Hainaut boot, starting from Macon
8.16 mi
+449 ft
-469 ft
4h 10
Moderate
Departure from Momignies (Hainaut)
Explore the bocage landscape in the Chimay region via quiet country lanes, beautiful forest paths and hidden trails. Enjoy the stunning scenery dotted with numerous ponds in this region, which saw the arrival of American soldiers in September 1944.
Around Montbliart
3.86 mi
+315 ft
-315 ft
2h 05
Easy
Departure from Sivry-Rance (Hainaut)
Circular between bocage and woods, from Eau d'Eppe to Ry de Fromont. Montbliart is a small village in Belgium surrounded by hamlets and farms. The built heritage is typical.Montbliart was also the headquarters of an academy of surrealist artists (painters and poets) who created an art magazine, the Daily-Bul (information panels in front of the village hall).
Blue stone, from quarrying to construction in Wallers-en-Fagne
AONB
2.16 mi
+128 ft
-112 ft
1h 05
Moderate
Departure from Wallers-en-Fagne (Nord)
In the Baladavesnois collection, this walk takes young and old alike to the heart of the village’s attractions.Through a route full of questions and games, explore Wallers-en-Fagne and uncover the beautiful legend that explains the origins of the local tradition of stonemasons, who today practise their craft in this lovely village. For centuries, they have kept alive a precious craft that owes everything to the mysterious day once experienced by the young Clotaire...
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