L’Ermitage via the Bois de Niaux

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Magnificent in spring when the daffodils are in bloom, in autumn for the flamboyant colours of the deciduous trees, and largely shaded during the summer months. Set off to explore the Ermitage halfway along the route and the Réserve des Pairées, a juniper-lined reserve that you’ll pass on both the outward and return journeys.

Details

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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 2.62 mi
  • ◔
    Average duration: 1h 20 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Easy
  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 154 ft
  • ↘
    Descent: - 154 ft
  • ▲
    Highest point: 945 ft
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 778 ft
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Photos

The first tree to blossom in spring
Ruins of the Ermitage Tower
A carpet of daffodils

Description of the walk

Coming from Resteigne Castle, take Rue de la Carrière towards Belvaux. Drive for about 1.5 km; the car park is along the road on your left.

(S/E) With your back to the road, take the dirt track to the right of the information boards. Walk alongside the Réserve des Pairées Ouest.

(1) When the road begins an S-bend, carry on straight ahead along the unmarked track. Walk until you reach the path on your right, just before the fence of the meadow opposite. Go under the trees and follow the path; head uphill and continue until you reach a junction with a tree on your left bearing orange markings on its trunk.

(2) Turn left and follow the path.

(3) Join a path and continue along it to the left. Follow the path, keeping straight on at the various junctions you come to, until you reach the information boards for the Hermitage.

(4) Carry on for a few steps to see the remains of the tower, then return to the information boards.

(4) Turn right to walk through the ruins of the Hermitage and its arboretum. Leave the site boundaries and continue along the descending path. At the bottom, turn left, and at the next junction turn right. Ignore the path branching off to your left, and further on, the one to your right. Walk until you reach the wide dirt track on your left.

(5) Turn left and walk along the meadows until you reach a Fork in the road.

(6) Take the path on the right, walk alongside the Réserve des Pairées and its juniper trees, and return to the car park (S/E) keeping to your left.

Waypoints

  1. S/E : mi 0 - alt. 791 ft - Car park with information board
  2. 1 : mi 0.3 - alt. 807 ft - Start of the trail
  3. 2 : mi 0.67 - alt. 873 ft - Junction with a tree bearing inscriptions
  4. 3 : mi 0.9 - alt. 896 ft - Junction
  5. 4 : mi 1.44 - alt. 925 ft - Ermitage de Resteigne
  6. 5 : mi 2 - alt. 820 ft - Junction
  7. 6 : mi 2.25 - alt. 801 ft - Crossroads
  8. S/E : mi 2.62 - alt. 791 ft - Car park with information board

Notes

The perfect Sunday walk – parking spaces can be hard to come by on some weekends.

There is no water along the route. You can quench your thirst in the cafés near Resteigne Castle.

From October to the end of January, please check the hunting dates on the ‘Partageons la forêt ’ website or the ‘Chasse on web’ app

Worth a visit

Along the way

Resteigne Hermitage: built in the early 19th century by Edmond d’Hoffschmidt (1777–1861), son of the lord of Resteigne, and situated in the Bois de Niaux. It consisted of a stately cottage with a cellar, outbuilding, garden and aviary. Information panels are on display at the site.

Nearby

Han-sur-Lesse Cave.

Other walks in the area

Walking Walk from Resteigne to Belvaux

Visorando Member
Promenade de Resteigne à Belvaux
↔5.00 mi ↗+630 ft ↘-607 ft ◔2h 50 ▲Easy
⚑Departure from Rochefort (Belgique) (Province de Namur)
A delightful mix of sights to discover throughout these 8 km: some lovely viewpoints, including Rocher à Pic and the La Lesse quarry, the Ellinchamps Forest Reserve, the bread oven and the Belvaux Chapel, as well as the Herdal Resurgence on the way back.

Walking Circular Daffodil Walk to Edmond d’Hoffschmidt’s hermitage

Visorando Member
Boucle des jonquilles à l'ermitage d'Edmond d'Hoffschmidt
↔10.17 mi ↗+1,070 ft ↘-1,047 ft ◔5h 35 ▲Moderate
⚑Departure from Rochefort (Belgique) (Province de Namur)
Starting from the old Resteigne Quarry, set off to explore Resteigne Castle, the old watermill, the new footbridge over the Lesse, the nature reserves (pastures, juniper bushes, etc.), millions of wild daffodils (in season), the former hermitage of Edmond d’Hoffschmidt, the pretty village of Belvaux and the viewpoint overlooking the Lesse valley from the Rocher à Pic.

Walking Grand tour of the Han Caves estate

Visorando Member
Grand tour du domaine des Grottes de Han
↔13.20 mi ↗+1,257 ft ↘-1,240 ft ◔7h 10 ▲Difficult
⚑Departure from Rochefort (Belgique) (Province de Namur)
A visit to the Caves of Han is a must. At least once in your life, you must go there to admire the natural beauty shaped by water in the Boine limestone massif over millions of years! Of course, the walk suggested here does not go inside, but takes a wide loop around the forest estate, which has been privately owned and fenced off since the 1960s to preserve its condition. As a result, whilst you can still see the Lesse resurgence, it is unfortunately no longer possible to see beyond the top of the rock at the point where it disappears into the Gouffre de Belvaux. That said, this walk also offers the chance to discover the Ry d’Ave, the Rocher d’Hérimont, the limestone hill on the north side, the viewpoint at the Rocher de Griffaloux on the east side, the village of Belvaux, the old Lesse quarry, Resteigne Castle, the Tiennes and Pairées nature reserves, the juniper-covered meadows, and the undergrowth carpeted with daffodils, lilies of the valley and other flowers depending on the season.

Walking Hermitage and Resteigne Castle

Visorando Member
Ermitage et Château de Resteigne
↔10.20 mi ↗+922 ft ↘-892 ft ◔5h 30 ▲Moderate
⚑Departure from Tellin (Province de Luxembourg)
A walk starting from Tellin to discover the villages of Resteigne and Belvaux via the La Lesse valley and the Bois de Niau (woodland) where a hermit lived. There are still ruins of the hermitage of this former officer of Napoleon and heir to the Château de Resteigne (castle). On the way go past the Rocher à Pic viewpoint, the Belvaux chapel, the Hermitage, the Mill, the Castle and the old Resteigne quarry.

Walking Han-sur-Lesse geological walk

Visorando Member
Promenade géologique de Han-sur-Lesse
↔5.93 mi ↗+554 ft ↘-551 ft ◔3h 15 ▲Moderate
⚑Departure from Rochefort (Belgique) (Province de Namur)
UNESCO created the Geopark label to promote geological heritage. On this walk, you will discover part of Belgium's first Geopark, Famenne-Ardenne. On the agenda: caves, clay pits and resurgences.

Walking Around Ave-et-Auffe

Visorando Member
Autour d'Ave-et-Auffe
↔6.47 mi ↗+446 ft ↘-446 ft ◔3h 20 ▲Moderate
⚑Departure from Rochefort (Belgique) (Province de Namur)
An easy hike accessible via the E411 motorway. Just 5 km from the Caves of Han-sur-Lesse, come and discover the charming village of Ave-et-Auffe, the village of my childhood. Formed by a merger in 1820, it stretches on either side of the Ry d’Ave, on the border with the province of Luxembourg but still within the province of Namur. Beautiful views over the Famenne and the foothills of the Ardennes. Breeding of Ardennes horses and alpacas. In March and April, daffodils, flowerbeds and hawthorns will delight you.

Walking Circular forest from Chanly

Visorando Member
Boucle forestière depuis Chanly
↔11.91 mi ↗+1,631 ft ↘-1,608 ft ◔6h 55 ▲Moderate
⚑Departure from Wellin (Province de Luxembourg)
Based on sections of Grande Randonnée trails and marked walks, in particular the new 'Par Monts et par Vaulx' circulars inaugurated in 2025 by the Wellin Tourist Office, the walk takes place mainly in magnificent deciduous forests where beech and oak trees reign supreme.

Walking Between rock and water in Han-sur-Lesse

Visorando Member
↔9.92 mi ↗+1,237 ft ↘-1,230 ft ◔5h 40 ▲Moderate
⚑Departure from Rochefort (Belgique) (Province de Namur)
Welcome to Han-sur-Lesse, where nature and mystery meet. Between rivers and ponds, the Lesse winds its way between limestone cliffs and dry hills with rare flora, contrasting with the damp valleys. Underground, a fascinating world: rocks sculpted by water, caves, sinkholes and cavities bear witness to millions of years of erosion. In woods such as the Banalbois or the Griffaloux, the atmosphere becomes wilder. Ancient hermitages remind us of the presence of recluses in search of peace. A walk amidst rock, water and forest, rich in history and sensations.

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