Circular nature walk via Braine-l’Alleud, Lillois, Maransart and Lasne

Parking is available at the Site 1815 car park.

(S/E) Head towards the Butte du Lion. At the corner by the museum, turn right onto the small path that goes round it. When you reach the foot of the hill, turn right, following the Chemin des Vertes Bornes. Ignore the various paths to the right and left, and carry on straight ahead. The concrete path gives way to tarmac. You’ll come to a Fork in the road.

(1) Carry on along the dirt track, running alongside the motorway, until you reach a T-junction (Chemin de la Maison du Roi).

(2) First turn right then left to go down Rue de la Maison à Tout Vent. At the bottom, go round the small waterworks building on the right. The path runs alongside the wall, then climbs back up to the recycling centre. Opposite, take the Chaussée de Nivelles, keeping to the left-hand side of the roundabout, and continue to a fork in the road.

(3) Turn left and follow the Chemin de Vieux-Genappe. At the top of a short hill (two houses), turn right onto Rue de la Neuve-Cour and you’ll come to a Fork in the road.

(4) Take the first farm track on the left. You are now back on the Chemin de Vieux-Genappe. At the first junction, carry straight on until you reach a second junction. 

(5) Turn left onto Chemin du Crucifix (former signpost for Lillois–Brussels), and carry on until you reach the Chaussée de Charleroi.

(6) Cross the road carefully . Please note: this is a very busy road and there is no pedestrian crossing. Continue straight ahead along the cobbled road towards “les Flamanches”. At the Fork in the road, leave the road to reach the Chantelet farm, directly opposite you.

(7) Cross the farmyard, keeping straight ahead, and, once you’ve left it, take the farm track leading down to the left to reach a crossroads. Ignore the first path on the left and take the next one, also to the left (Chemin du Bois Impérial), which leads into the woods. The crossroads and this path can be very muddy. Carry on until you reach Rue du Bois Impérial.

(8) Walk up the street, staying on this road as it turns into a clay track and then, further on, a tarmac road. Ignore all paths branching off to the right. Walk past the Hubermont farm and join the Route de l’État (N271) at Court-Saint-Étienne.

(9) Turn left. At the next junction, carry on straight ahead along Rue d’Anogrune (towards Plancenoit), but for your safety, cross the road at the junction, as the next crossing is in the middle of a bend with no visibility. At the first bend, carry on straight ahead along Rue de Payot until you reach an uphill stretch and a footpath at the first bend.

(10) Take the path which climbs steeply through the woods and continues through the back of a garden to join Rue de Payot. Carry on straight ahead, cross Rue de Fichermont, and continue straight ahead along the ascending sunken lane until you reach a Fork in the road at Rue Bois Elois. 

(11) Follow it to the left and walk as far as Ferme Bobulle. Turn left onto the path that runs alongside its wall, then along the hedge bordering the property. The path continues across the next field, sloping slightly to the right, until it reaches the edge of the woodland opposite you.

(12) Cross Rue de Fichermont and, opposite, take the farm track that runs alongside the woodland. This track descends, then climbs again, passes a tarmac section, crosses Chemin de Plancenoit and becomes a dirt track once more, still straight ahead. In the woodland, continue down the slope to the right until you reach Chemin des Cosaques, near a small chapel.

(13) Turn right onto the Chemin de la Sablonnière, then very quickly left onto the Chemin des Catamouriaux, a cobbled track. At the Fork in the road, take the Chemin de la Sablonnière on the right. Large, loose cobblestones. At the next crossroads, carry on straight ahead along a narrow path between the fields until you reach a junction of paths.

(14) Take the path on the left, which climbs slightly. Follow it straight on until you reach the Chemin de l’Alouette, a country lane, and continue to the Chapelle Jacques, situated a little further on, directly in front of you.

(15) Turn right and follow the Vieux-Chemin de Wavre. Cross the Royal Golf Club de Waterloo and continue to the second path on your left.

(16) Turn onto Chemin 57 de l’Abbaye until you reach a crossroads of paths at the top of a hill.

(17) Turn left, and further on, left again, until you reach the Chapelle Jacques.

(15) Turn right onto the Vieux-Chemin de Wavre. Ignore all paths to the left and right. You’ll come to a road with rough, uneven cobblestones just past the former Fichermont monastery. Take this road straight ahead until you reach the Chaussée de Charleroi at the traffic lights. Caution: heavy and fast-moving traffic. Wait until the pedestrian lights turn green before crossing!

(18) Carry on straight ahead along Rue de la Croix. At the foot of the Butte du Lion, turn right and head for the car park (S/E).

* Sturdy walking shoes suitable for all terrains are recommended

* Refreshment options: numerous hotels at the 1815 site and in the surrounding area; a medium-sized supermarket (Proxy Delhaize) on the Route de l’Etat in Couture-Saint-Germain

(S/E) , (1), (7), (9) and (18): for history enthusiasts, see the various points relating to Napoleon’s final battle listed under “

* For lovers of beautiful trees: between points (8) and (9) on the plateau before Hubermont Farm, and between points (16) and (17) on Chemin 57 de l’Abbaye.