The highlights of the walk are the former Solwaster peat bog, the Pîre al Marède, the Trou d’Sotês, the Bilisse rock and its eagle owl, the Nutons waterfall, the Solwaster scree slope (slightly off the route), Wihonfagne, La Vecquée (an ancient Roman road and the Belgian-Prussian border), the small waterfalls, the Centenary Bridge and probably a few others.
The Jalhay-Sart Tourist Office has placed information boards at key locations. These recount the history or tell the legends of these places.
La Hoëgne and La Statte
This magnificent walk, mainly through woodland, offers a leisurely exploration of two of the three iconic streams of the Hautes-Fagnes on the south-western side of Baraque Michel. The route follows one stream upstream and the other downstream.
Feel free to walk the route in both directions, as the experience of a rushing stream is often better when walking upstream. You will most likely discover other aspects of it.
The third stream in the region is the Sawe, which the route follows very briefly between kilometres 2 and 3. Numerous footbridges and boardwalks make it easier to navigate this wild, picturesque, sometimes chaotic, sometimes muddy environment, where the paths are covered in rocks and roots.
Details
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
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Activity: Walking -
Distance: 10.57 mi -
Average duration: 5h 50 -
Difficulty: Difficult -
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Back to start: Yes -
Ascent: + 1,115 ft -
Descent: - 1,106 ft -
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Highest point: 1,969 ft -
Lowest point: 988 ft
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Country:
Belgium
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Area: Massif des Ardennes -
City:
Jalhay -
Start/End: N 50.518994° / E 5.954772° -
Hour-by-hour weather
Photos
Description of the walk
Waypoints
- S/E : mi 0 - alt. 1,109 ft - Car park on Route du Roslin
- 1 : mi 0.31 - alt. 1,063 ft - Former Solwaster peat bog - Hoëgne (rivière) - Belgique - Affluent de la Vesdre
- 2 : mi 0.8 - alt. 997 ft - Bend near the confluence of the rivers - Hoëgne (rivière) - Belgique - Affluent de la Vesdre
- 3 : mi 1.73 - alt. 1,138 ft - Picnic area by the banks of the Sawe
- 4 : mi 2.6 - alt. 1,217 ft - Picnic area near La Statte
- 5 : mi 2.98 - alt. 1,322 ft - Pîre al Marède and Trou d'Sotês
- 6 : mi 3.08 - alt. 1,325 ft - Bilisse Rock
- 7 : mi 3.72 - alt. 1,516 ft - Nutons Waterfall
- 8 : mi 4.59 - alt. 1,742 ft - Croix des Rhus
- 9 : mi 5.12 - alt. 1,893 ft - Wihonfagne
- 10 : mi 6.34 - alt. 1,929 ft - La Vecquée
- 11 : mi 7.4 - alt. 1,683 ft - Centenaire Bridge and picnic tables
- 12 : mi 7.77 - alt. 1,621 ft - Les Cascatelles - Hoëgne (rivière) - Belgique - Affluent de la Vesdre
- 13 : mi 9 - alt. 1,342 ft - Picnic area on the banks of the Hoëgne - Hoëgne (rivière) - Belgique - Affluent de la Vesdre
- 14 : mi 9.67 - alt. 1,201 ft - Belleheid Bridge - Hoëgne (rivière) - Belgique - Affluent de la Vesdre
- S/E : mi 10.57 - alt. 1,109 ft - Car park on Route du Roslin
Notes
Plenty of benches and a few picnic tables along the route.
No shops.
A few catering establishments near the Belleheid bridge... opening hours vary out of season, so please check.
Worth a visit
Nearby:
- the Hautes-Fagnes nature reserve
- the spa town of Spa
Other walks in the area
Solwaster Sawe
Visorando Member 3.84 mi
+466 ft
-492 ft
2h 10
Moderate
Departure from Jalhay (Province de Liège)
The route is marked (yellow rectangles) and shown on the "Jalhay-Spa-Stavelot-Theux" walking map, available from the Tourist Office.The first half is a superb walk (with a few difficult and potentially slippery sections) along the Sawe.The second half (when you leave the Sawe) is the return to Solwaster on a more relaxing but more mundane path.There is also the option of a longer 8.5 km version (blue rectangles).
From La Sawe to La Statte along the water
Visorando Member 
7.86 mi
+899 ft
-919 ft
4h 25
Moderate
Departure from Jalhay (Province de Liège)
The Sawe and the Statte are two beautiful streams that cascade down from the Fagnes plateau and converge near the village of Solwaster. The ascent of the Sawe is surprising for the diversity of views in the forest and valley. The only thing missing is the Nutons. After crossing the Fagne and its typical open landscapes, you reach the Statte, which you descend along its waterfalls. Water is omnipresent on this route.
From La Statte to La Hoëgne in Solwaster
Visorando Member 
9.10 mi
+981 ft
-965 ft
5h 00
Moderate
Departure from Jalhay (Province de Liège)
Solwaster, a small village at the foot of the fagne, 16 km from Verviers, is unique in that it is located between two of the most beautiful rivers in the fagne: the Statte, which rises in the peat bogs of the Hautes-Fagnes, in the Wihonfagne fagne, and the Hoëgne, which rises in the Polleur fagne. These two rivers welcome us into a magical landscape of fens and forests.
Circular in the forest starting from Herbiester
Visorando Member 
6.98 mi
+466 ft
-486 ft
3h 35
Moderate
Departure from Jalhay (Province de Liège)
Route from the village of Herbiester, mainly through beautiful forests with changing scenery, downhill towards the Gileppe to the bottom of the dam lake of the same name, and back up to the village.
A significant part of the route is on small asphalt roads: between the crossing points (S/E) to (2) and (4) to (6), plus the short return to the village.
Walk around Jehanster
Visorando Member 4.41 mi
+305 ft
-322 ft
2h 20
Easy
Departure from Theux (Province de Liège)
The route starts in Jehanster and takes you on a walk through streets, country lanes and meadows.
The Malchamps fens
Visorando Member 
6.56 mi
+751 ft
-768 ft
3h 40
Moderate
Departure from Jalhay (Province de Liège)
Walk in the Malchamps Fagnes region through peat bogs, forests and meadows. Set off at sunrise with the sound of deer bellowing in the background.
The Roannay Valley starting from Francorchamps
Visorando Member 
7.60 mi
+1,027 ft
-1,043 ft
4h 25
Moderate
Departure from Stavelot (Province de Liège)
A circular route almost entirely through woodland along the River Roannay. This route combines two walks: Le Roannay, Yellow Cross and Hé Stienne Red Rectangles.
The Ru du Grand Chawion
Visorando Member 
7.31 mi
+774 ft
-761 ft
4h 00
Moderate
Departure from Spa (Province de Liège)
The Ru du Grand Chawion is a very pleasant stream that flows north of Spa and is worth following upstream to its wildest parts. The return journey takes you through the beautiful woods of Staneux and a section ofthe GR®5.
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