The walk follows the River Ourthe for roughly the first half of the route, passing by the Cresse des Chevaux, that enormous vertical rock face which can be admired from very close up and is also visible from the François Remy viewpoint, a few hundred metres further on.
Walkers looking for a bit more of a thrill can hold onto the chain to descend the path along the rock face, passing beneath the François Remy viewpoint and rejoining the route a little further on at a bend in the path towards Tiebiewe.
The route leaves the river and heads up the hill to the chapels of Ollomont and Notre-Dame de Halle, offering a short stretch through the countryside before re-entering the forest towards Bérismenil.
The return route is mainly through the countryside as far as Les Crestelles, a paragliding launch site offering a lovely view over the village of Maboge.
La Cresse des Chevaux
This walk is quite challenging, not so much because of its length or total elevation gain, but rather due to the number of obstacles encountered along the Ourthe: mud, water, rocks that are difficult to cross and fallen trees often force walkers to stray from the ‘official’ paths and wind their way both horizontally and vertically. Challenging, then, but well worth the trip. The more adventurous may want to take a short detour to the Cheslé site.
Details
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
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Activity: Walking -
Distance: 10.23 mi -
Average duration: 6h 00 -
Difficulty: Difficult -
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Back to start: Yes -
Ascent: + 1,532 ft -
Descent: - 1,532 ft -
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Highest point: 1,440 ft -
Lowest point: 817 ft
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Country:
Belgium
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Area: Massif des Ardennes -
City:
La Roche-en-Ardenne -
Start/End: N 50.173913° / E 5.632754° -
Hour-by-hour weather
Photos
Description of the walk
Waypoints
- S/E : mi 0 - alt. 896 ft - Car park for access to Le Cheslé
- 1 : mi 1.06 - alt. 846 ft - Access path to Le Cheslé - Ourthe (rivière) - Belgique
- 2 : mi 2.02 - alt. 850 ft - Access path to Le Cheslé - Ourthe (rivière) - Belgique
- 3 : mi 4.11 - alt. 883 ft - Horsetail
- 4 : mi 4.32 - alt. 1,089 ft - Access to the Hérou site (car park, tower, restaurant)
- 5 : mi 4.38 - alt. 1,050 ft - François Remy viewpoint
- 6 : mi 4.86 - alt. 902 ft - Tîebièwé - Ourthe (rivière) - Belgique
- 7 : mi 5.45 - alt. 899 ft - Bend - Ourthe (rivière) - Belgique
- 8 : mi 5.92 - alt. 1,227 ft - Ollomont Chapel
- 9 : mi 6.1 - alt. 1,299 ft - Notre-Dame de Halle Chapel in Nadrin
- 10 : mi 8.36 - alt. 1,437 ft - Entrance to Bérismenil
- 11 : mi 9.35 - alt. 1,394 ft - WW2 Airmen’s Memorial
- 12 : mi 9.51 - alt. 1,355 ft - Crestelles viewpoint
- S/E : mi 10.23 - alt. 896 ft - Car park for access to Le Cheslé
Notes
Picnic tables at (1), just before (8), just after (9) and at (12).
Worth a visit
Completely off the route:
- The Nisramont dam and the confluence of the two Ourthes
- La Roche-en-Ardenne
- Houffalize
Other walks in the area
Borzée, or a beaver’s paradise
Visorando Member
10.21 mi
+1,490 ft
-1,463 ft
6h 00
Moderate
Departure from La Roche-en-Ardenne (Province de Luxembourg)
Borzée, the cul-de-sac hamlet in the woods halfway up between Maboge along the Ourthe and Samrée on the plateau, had become virtually deserted since the closure of its iconic Nature Centre. It has come back to life and will likely become even livelier once the final phases of the Anatura Ardenne project to build a holiday village are completed.Borzée, the stream which officially rises in the hamlet’s pond behind the chapel and flows into the Mer stream barely 1.5 km further down, is literally overrun by beavers, whose dams, driftwood and gnawed, fallen tree trunks can be seen on either side of the valley.
Mer and Belle Meuse starting from Bérismenil
9.75 mi
+1,175 ft
-1,145 ft
5h 30
Moderate
Departure from La Roche-en-Ardenne (Province de Luxembourg)
Mer or Mère … signposts and place-name signs use both spellings. This stream rises in the hills south of Samrée and flows gently from cascade to cascade as far as Maboge, where it joins the Ourthe.Further on, the other main stream on this walk is indeed called the Belle Meuse and has recently been colonised by beavers, judging by photos taken in 2017 – when there was virtually no sign of them and fording the stream posed no major problem – and in 2022, when crossing the path at km 14 is impossible without the small wooden bridges added at the side or without putting on waders. It, too, rises in the hills, at La Fange aux Mochettes to the north-east of Samrée, and flows southwards to join the Martin Moulin stream between Achouffe and Engreux.
From Cheslé to Hérou
6.28 mi
+981 ft
-981 ft
3h 45
Difficult
Departure from Houffalize (Province de Luxembourg)
A challenging walk in the Upper Ourthe region, along the wildest and most picturesque section of the valley. Discover an ancient Celtic fortress and the Hérou panorama, rated 2 stars by Michelin.
Forest loop in the heart of the Ardennes via Samrée
10.45 mi
+1,706 ft
-1,690 ft
6h 15
Moderate
Departure from La Roche-en-Ardenne (Province de Luxembourg)
Set off to discover the authentic Ardennes forest, far from the hustle and bustle of the tourist centre of La Roche-en-Ardenne. In mid-August, apart from a few people on the outskirts of Borzée, you may not meet any other hikers. Peace and quiet guaranteed.
An Ardennes getaway in the heart of the forest at Borzée
10.66 mi
+1,358 ft
-1,385 ft
6h 05
Moderate
Departure from La Roche-en-Ardenne (Province de Luxembourg)
The forest completely surrounds Borzée. Borzée is a hamlet of La Roche-en-Ardenne. La Roche-en-Ardenne lies at the heart of the Ardennes. This circular tour takes you on a tour of the hamlet of Borzée and a section of the valleys of the Mer and Belle Meuse streams, two tributaries of the Ourthe.
The two Ourthes rivers and the Nisramont Dam
4.71 mi
+850 ft
-846 ft
2h 55
Moderate
Departure from La Roche-en-Ardenne (Province de Luxembourg)
Superb walk, relatively difficult in its first part
Around the Aisne tourist tramway between Dochamps and Lamorménil
11.05 mi
+1,119 ft
-1,129 ft
6h 05
Moderate
Departure from Manhay (Province de Luxembourg)
Since 1965, the Tramway Touristique de l'Aisne (TTA) has been operating an old Ardennes local railway line between Pont d'Érezée and Lamorménil. This long walk allows you to discover the last two (old) stations or stops.
Circular loop at the source of the Aisne
10.00 mi
+715 ft
-715 ft
5h 15
Moderate
Departure from Manhay (Province de Luxembourg)
The Tailles plateau rises to an altitude of around 650 metres, where fagnes, fanges, pools and peat bogs are home to the sources of many of the Ourthe’s tributaries. Two of the best-known streams are the Henri Moulin, which flows southwards and joins the Eastern Ourthe just before the Nisramont dam, and the Aisne, which flows northwards and joins the Ourthe at Bomal.This walk explores the northern part of the Plateau des Tailles and the wetlands where the Aisne has its source. The boardwalks installed in recent years at the bottom of the Fagne de Pouhon will save you from the wet feet that were a certainty in previous years! While you’re unlikely to spot any beavers, a bit of careful observation is all it takes to discover their handiwork.
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