Little Switzerland from Roly

Departure from Place de Roly.

(S/E) With your back to the beautiful Roly farm-castle, head right towards Saint-Denis Church. Go around it on the right and follow a grassy path up to Rue de l'Azeille (old public pump on the left). Turn right/left and take the path that climbs up opposite. Ignore the first path on the left and take the next one, which continues to climb until you reach an old cemetery.

(1). Go around it on the left and join a gravel path. Follow it and join another wider path, Rue de l'Azeille.

(2) The path runs through fields and joins a new wood. Leave the^GR® trail that branches off to the right and continue straight ahead. Reach a clearing and walk alongside a forest shelter.
Continue along the path, which shortly begins to descend gently towards Villers-en-Fagne. It becomes a sunken lane and leads to a beautiful view of the village. Join a road (Auvivôyes) and follow it to the right to reach a grassy path that branches off to the right.

(3) Pass between two farms and head left towards the church of Villers-en-Fagne. At a fork, turn right into Rue de l'Église, which leads to a crossroads.

(4) Take the street that descends to the right. After the last houses, the street becomes a dirt track. Follow it, enter the woods and continue up a hill that leads to a road, Rue de la Station.

(5) Follow it to the left, passing in front of abandoned industrial buildings (former powder magazine) until you reach the edge of the woods. After the first houses in the village and a speed bump, you will reach a gravel path that turns left and leads back towards the woods. Route for mountain bikes.

(6) Take this stony path. Pass an information board on your right and continue to the left. Stay on the path, ignoring the other paths and tracks on either side, until you reach a fork and take the left-hand branch. Continue to follow the mountain bike signs.

(7) Continue until you reach a stream (this can be tricky after heavy rain).
Continue in the same direction, pass a hunting shelter and exit the woods. Join a small road and turn left to quickly reach another road that branches off to the right, Avenue du Docteur Vander Elst.

(8) Turn right. The road becomes a gravel path and climbs (beautiful views of Villers-en-Fagne on the left). At the top, ignore the path that descends in front of you.

(9) Turn left to return to Rue du Grand Ry, follow it and head towards Petite Suisse.

(10) Leave the road, turn right to enter the Petite Suisse housing estate. Take the road that branches off to the left and cross the estate. As you enter the woods, the road becomes a gravel path. Turn right/left to join the path that climbs gently to the right.

(11) Follow the path, continuing straight ahead at a crossroads. After a sharp left turn, continue to a road, Rue des Grillons. Cross it very carefully and follow it to the right, downhill. Stay on the left-hand side of the road. Cross the Hermeton bridge to reach, after a steep hill, the Vieux Sautour farm.

(12) At the crossroads, go straight up the stony path. At the next crossroads, continue straight ahead. The slope becomes steeper and reaches Chemin des Trois Chênes.

(13) Turn left. Before reaching a road, Rue des Terres aux Pierres, pass a cross erected in memory of RAF pilots who fell during the Second World War. Follow the street to the left until you reach a crossroads, which you should cross with caution, to head towards the village of Sautour.

(14) Follow Rue Haut du Village until you reach a small square (with a bench) and turn right onto Rue du Presbytère (on the right, you will see some remains of the old walls) to reach the church of Sautour.

(15) Walk along the left side of the church and head towards the "Porte Romaine" via the path that descends to the right. Go through the Porte Romaine and take the path that descends to the right, just after a few steps.

(16) At the bottom of the descent, turn left to follow Rue des Faubourgs. A few metres further on, take the road to the right and pass by a picnic area (with a table).

(17) Turn right and cross the Hermeton bridge; follow Rue Pont de Pierres. Pass a street on your left and take the next one (^GR® markings).

(18) Turn onto Rue des Trys, then quickly leave it at a fork and take the left branch (leaving the^GR® markings).

(19) Leave a grassy path on your left and follow the wide track. Continue forward and descend to cross a small river. The path climbs until it turns at the top of the hill, first at a right angle to the left and then further on to the right. Ignore all the paths that branch off to the left or right until you reach Rue de l'Argilière at the edge of the woods.

(20) Carefully follow this road to the left. Shortly before Roly, leave the road coming from the left before tackling a final hill. Return to the centre of the village and Place de Roly (A/D).

After heavy rain, the terrain between points (4) and (8) can become difficult (mud, small streams to cross). To avoid this part of the hike, you can follow a detour that I describe below: At point (4), do not turn right but take the gravel path that descends opposite to quickly reach Rue du Grand Ry. Follow it to the right towards Sart-en-Fagne and Merlemont. When you reach the Roly cemetery, at a fork, turn right to reach point (8) and resume the route. The distance then increases to 18.5km.
I recommend wearing good walking shoes and bringing drinks, or even a picnic, to enjoy at the Sautour area.

The superb Roly farm castle is not open to visitors but is worth admiring from the outside.
Villers-en-Fagne, after point (3) at the end of the grassy path, take the time to admire (250 m detour) the two farms on the right. The first is located almost immediately at the end of the path, the second a little further on, at the edge of the village.
Sautour, perched on its rocky spur, is worth exploring in more detail.
B&B in Villers-en-Fagne, lodges, B&B and restaurant in Sautour.