La Roche à l'Appel, an exceptional natural treasure

A few steps from the French border, La Roche à l'Appel is a geological curiosity located in one of the Gaume nature reserves, in the village of Muno. It appears as a chaotic pile of enormous blocks of Fépin puddingstone.

Details

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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 7.55 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 3h 00 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 282 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 282 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 384 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 227 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Parking at the Calvary near Pont Lerat, at the intersection of Rue de Cugnon and Rue des Petits Prés.

No signposts

(S/E) Facing the Calvary, turn left onto Rue des Petits Prés. Look for the path near the pillar of an old gate; this is where you will return. Walk along the road, crossing over the Ruisseau du Tremble. At the intersection with the road, turn right. Pass under the viaduct. Ignore the roads on your left. Follow the main road to the right. Cross over the Ruisseau des Cailloux stream.

(1) Cross carefully and take thesecond forest path on your left leading into the woods. Climb fairly steeply and turn left at the contour line. Ignore the semblance of a path on your right. Follow this forest track for 800 m. Ignore the track on your right and continue straight ahead. At the T-junction, turn left. Descend. The track turns sharply to the left. Join a wide track and continue to the right.

(2) At the crossroads, turn right. Walk along the Goutelle des Chemineaux. Go uphill. At the crossroads, turn right and walk back to see the ford and the Goutelle. Return to the crossroads and continue uphill. At the top of the next crossroads, take thesecond forest path on your left, which climbs steeply for a short while and then more gradually. Pass a clear, grassy, fenced area. Continue climbing gradually.

(3) At an old junction, the path turns sharply to the right. Keep to your right when you reach another path, then turn right at the crossroads. Walk straight ahead until you reach the road. Cross carefully and take the middle path.

Markings: Red Triangle Rectangle 4

Go down the path and then continue to the right. Pass a clear-cut area. Continue overlooking the Ruisseau des Roches stream. Continue downhill until you reach a wide forest path where the markings change.

Yellow diamond marker 6

Go straight ahead, cross the small stone bridge and the Gué du Roy stream. Take the path on the left that leads up to the Roche à l'Appel. Climb the winding path. Admire the first pile of puddingstone. Continue towards another pile of puddingstone.

(4) Climb up to the right into the crack between the rocks and discover a superb view of the valley. Continue over the rocks. Then take the path behind them. Ignore all the branches (not shown on the maps) and follow the main path for about 800m.

(5) Descend the ravined path and you will arrive at the old quarry. Continue to the right and stay on this path until you reach a new path further down. Follow it to the right. Ignore the barrier giving access to the RAVeL on your left. At the crossroads near the Ruisseau des Roches, continue straight ahead until the signposting changes.

Red Triangle Rectangle 4

Ignore the passage on your left leading to the RAVeL. Go up and, at the fork, continue straight ahead and leave the signposting.

No Markings

(6) Stay on the main forest path. Ford two springs crossing the path, one after the other. Take a path on your left and follow the RAVeL fence. Go around the barrier and this time enter the RAVeL on the left.

(7) Continue to the right for a few hundred metres. Before the start of thesecond safety rail, look for the path on your left.
Note: if you are on the viaduct, you have gone too far.

(8) Take a sharp left turn and go downhill. At the path, turn left onto the trail towards the statues. Go downhill to the right of the statues and, at the road, return to the Calvary car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 238 m - Calvaire car park
  2. 1 : km 0.39 - alt. 243 m - Second forest path after the stream.
  3. 2 : km 1.45 - alt. 261 m - Crossroads near La Goutelle.
  4. 3 : km 2.87 - alt. 378 m - Old junction
  5. 4 : km 4.55 - alt. 349 m - Crack in the rocks.
  6. 5 : km 5.26 - alt. 299 m - Rutted trail.
  7. 6 : km 5.93 - alt. 289 m - Abandoned fork in the trail
  8. 7 : km 7.19 - alt. 262 m - RAVeL
  9. 8 : km 7.47 - alt. 252 m - Hairpin bend trail
  10. S/E : km 7.55 - alt. 238 m - Calvaire car park

Notes

The climb to La Roche à l'Appel is challenging.
Very muddy along the Goutelle des Chemineaux at the start of the hike.
No drinking water along the route.
Most of the paths are on IGN but not on OSM.
Picnic tables: at the bottom of La Roche à l'Appel, in the old quarry, at the crossroads near the stream after leaving the quarry.
Bench at the top of Roche à l'Appel.
From October to December, bear in mind the hunting season.

Worth a visit

During:
Calvary: It was erected in 1924, on 15 August, in gratitude after the 1914-18 war. The location was chosen after the creation of the railway because there was no embankment at this crossroads on the Cugnon road. The gravestones from the old cemetery surrounding the church were used to build the altar and the pedestals for the statues of Mary and St John. Since 15 August 1980, the village band has celebrated an annual open-air mass there. Since 1989, the procession with banners and the statue of Our Lady has reappeared, and all the parishioners converge on this place of worship. The chapel was erected as a calvary in 1935.
Goutelle des Chemineaux: small stream
Petit Pont Jean Damien: made from stones found on site.
Ruisseau des Roches.
Roche à l'Appel: Fépin puddingstone, pebbles agglomerated by quartz cement.
Viewpoint over the Cuestas Lorraines.
Old quarry.

Reviews and comments

4.6 / 5
Based on 6 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.7 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.7 / 5
Route interest
4.3 / 5
Abyssalt
Abyssalt
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 04, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

La Roche à l'Appel in Muno: the perfect place to start

This hike to La Roche à l'Appel is an excellent introduction to hiking in the Muno region. The trail is particularly accessible to beginners, with an intuitive and well-marked route that allows you to test your fitness without excessive difficulty.

The site offers remarkable views of the Semois valley and the surrounding Ardennes plateaus - landscapes of surprising beauty that are unexpected from the village. The rock formation of La Roche à l'Appel itself offers a breathtaking view that more than rewards the effort.

One of the great advantages of this hike is its tranquillity: very little used, even deserted at times, it allows you to immerse yourself completely in the Ardennes countryside. The environment is unspoilt and clean, with no litter - a real bonus for enjoying the natural surroundings to the full.

The route is also well designed with several places to stop for a break or a picnic, allowing you to savour the beauty of the site at your own pace.

This hike perfectly illustrates the hidden treasures of the Belgian Ardennes, accessible from the charming village of Muno.

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FabLab
FabLab

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 16, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A very pleasant hike for forest enthusiasts.
Some comments might make you think it's difficult, but honestly, it's very doable. The climb is very short, and the rest is just hilly enough.
It was the school holidays, yet we didn't meet anyone on the trail.
Even without anyone around, it wasn't easy to find a "reliable" place to park at the indicated location, so we parked in the village in a real square, which felt safer.
The description is perfect, even too detailed. You have to follow the instructions to the letter (which is the point, you might say!), but that's really just a minor detail.
Enjoy your walk!

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Guenther
Guenther

Hello,

At least once a year, I hike from La Roche to L'Appel, but starting from the Pérensart farm, well before Muno when coming from Sainte-Cécile. I park just before the bridge (under which the RAVeL passes) and walk through the woods until I climb up to the old hunting lodge, which faces the old quarry, before going up into the (superb) woods and reaching the top of the rock from the rear. You then have to climb down the side of the cliff, which is quite dangerous as the path is very narrow and littered with roots and rocks, some of which are sharp. Once you have crossed the stone bridge, continue to the right, climbing for a few hundred metres to the "Gué du Roy", where you have to cross another small (wooden) bridge, then wade across a branch of the stream, climb back up into the woods, then descend until you reach the original path, which runs partly alongside the RAVeL (before veering off significantly). This hike is 8.07 km long. I did it again yesterday. It is quite technical in places, especially on the "Roche" section. The site is a nature reserve and very interesting from a botanical point of view.

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Anoukje52
Anoukje52
• Edited:

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 11, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

The first part of the circular loop is particularly beautiful!
Once you pass La Roche à l'Appel, the walk becomes a little less interesting (RAVeL nearby), but it's still necessary in order to get back to the starting point!

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Olivier P.
Olivier P.

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 29, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Excellent description of the route

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tirou 08
tirou 08

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 19, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

I just did this route and, like the previous comment, I would say that this hike and the rocky section are very difficult, physically demanding and dangerous. It's a hike that is quite physically demanding, even in the first section, which is entirely in the forest.
I enjoyed this route, especially at this time of year. Mushrooms, autumn colours in the deciduous forest.
Best regards
Thierry

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lazzerini
lazzerini

Hello Ardin Midré, and thank you for your comment.
In general, the Visorando website provides information on difficulty based on elevation gain and distance. I hesitated to classify it as moderate because I had to travel a long way to arrive at this conclusion, which meant a lot of extra kilometres for my research. This prevented me from being objective. I will change it to moderate as soon as I can and note in the information that the climb to La Roche à l'Appel is steep.

Best regards

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Ardin Midré
Ardin Midré

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 23, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

I have just completed this route with my wife. We have been keen walkers for years and we think that this route should be reclassified from "easy" to "moderate" or even "difficult". This assessment is mainly based on the climb up to the rocks, which is very steep and quite dangerous in both directions.
Otherwise, it is a very beautiful hike that is well worth doing.

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