The Hermeton Valley with a return via the Bois des Deux Fonds de Lays

Set off to explore the natural, wild and rugged surroundings of the Hermeton by following it upstream to the Moulin de Soulme. The return journey takes you along small country roads, forest paths and trails where you can admire the landscape of the Meuse valley and its farmland.

Details

3334774
Creation:
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 18.55 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 6h 05 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 288 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 285 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 257 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 100 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Car park next to the road bridge over the Hermeton in the centre of Hermeton-sur-Meuse.

(S/E) Cross the road bridge towards Hastière, spanning the Hermeton.

(1) Turn left at thefirst road.

Yellow rectangle signposting

Continue straight ahead and ignore the road on your right coming from the house.
At Moulin d'Hermeton, the road becomes a path.

(2) Ignore the bridge at the Limnigraphique station and continue straight ahead for 1.5 km. Over this distance, the track becomes a path, runs closer to the Hermeton and a stream runs alongside the path for a while.

(3) At the handrail on your right, climb up and then descend the path on the other side of the rocky escarpment. Further on, ford another stream.

(4) At the fork, continue to the left. Follow the path, stepping over tree trunks on the ground and crossing streams. The path is wilder and you will be surrounded by nettles and brambles.

(5) At the fallen tree, turn right, pick up the handrail and climb up. At the top, ignore the path on your left and then the path on your right with barrier posts. Descend to the left and find another handrail. Carefully descend the slope. At the bottom, continue to the right.

(6) At the fork, at the sign for "Vallée de l'Hermeton" on a tree, continue to the left. Follow the winding path for 1.7 km, where tree trunks still lie across the path in places.

(7) Ignore the bridge on your left and cross a stream. Ignore the path on your right and the next one, then wade across the Belvaux stream.

(8) Return to a forest path and continue to the left. At the crossroads, turn left. Pass in front of the Moulin de Prêle. Leave the forest and walk along the meadows to the road.

(9) At the road, turn left and before the stream, turn right. Pass the old marble sawmill and turn left. Cross the Hermeton river and turn right. Pass through the turnstile, go around the barrier and pass through another turnstile. Cross the meadow with tall grass.

(10) At the road, with the Moulin de Soulme in front of you, continue to the left. Markings end.

No markings

Climb up, the path becomes a road. Enter Gochenée. Ignore the path on your left and walk past the chapel.

(11) At the road, opposite a remarkable tree, an ash tree, turn right. Turn left at thefirst road and leave Gochenée.

(12) At the fork, go right. Leave the path on your right and continue. Pass the last house where the road becomes a dirt track. Go downhill.

(13) At the crossroads, turn right. At the fork, continue left.

(14) At the next fork (not shown on the map), turn left onto the path that curves sharply to the left. Take the path on your left that climbs up the embankment and overlooks the wide forest path.

(15) The path joins the forest road. At the crossroads (not shown on the OSM map), continue straight ahead until you reach the road.

(16) At the road, turn right for 1 km and pass the Onches farm, keeping to your right.

(17) At the crossroads, turn left. Enter under the trees. Ignore the path on your left.

(18) At the crossroads (not on the OSM map), continue straight ahead. The path is sometimes narrow. Continue downhill until you reach the road. At a place called Cumont, continue straight ahead.

(19) Stay on the main road. Pass the church and at the crossroads, go straight ahead into Les Biaux lane. Leave the street on your right and continue to Rue de Dinant. Turn left and return to the car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 101 m - Car park near the bridge over the - Hermeton (rivière) - Belgique
  2. 1 : km 0.11 - alt. 100 m - 1st road on the left
  3. 2 : km 1.46 - alt. 117 m - Straight ahead on the path, not the bridge
  4. 3 : km 2.86 - alt. 124 m - Handrail
  5. 4 : km 3.48 - alt. 126 m - At the fork to the left
  6. 5 : km 4.06 - alt. 135 m - Handrail on the right
  7. 6 : km 5.48 - alt. 135 m - On the left at the sign on the tree
  8. 7 : km 7.17 - alt. 142 m - Go straight ahead, ignoring the bridge.
  9. 8 : km 8.07 - alt. 147 m - At the forest path on the left
  10. 9 : km 9.58 - alt. 138 m - At the road on the left
  11. 10 : km 10.56 - alt. 145 m - Path on the left
  12. 11 : km 11.62 - alt. 218 m - At the road on the right
  13. 12 : km 12.18 - alt. 216 m - At the crossroads on the right
  14. 13 : km 13.19 - alt. 162 m - At the crossroads on the right
  15. 14 : km 13.39 - alt. 173 m - At the fork to the left
  16. 15 : km 13.95 - alt. 233 m - At the crossroads, go straight ahead.
  17. 16 : km 14.87 - alt. 256 m - At the road on the right
  18. 17 : km 15.83 - alt. 224 m - At the crossroads on the left
  19. 18 : km 16.85 - alt. 232 m - At the crossroads, go straight ahead.
  20. 19 : km 17.86 - alt. 115 m - Keep left – Walk along the - Meuse (fleuve)
  21. S/E : km 18.55 - alt. 101 m - Car park near the bridge over the Hermeton

Notes

Walking sticks, long trousers and waterproof shoes are recommended as there are steep climbs, nettles and brambles, streams and brooks to ford, and tall grass.
At (3) and (5), there are sustained climbs and tricky descents with handrails installed to help.
There is no drinking water along the route.
From October to December, remember to check the hunting dates.

Some signposts are gradually being changed.
Yellow and red markings will appear on our GR® de Pays trails.
In the future, the GR® trails (all Tours de ...) will be marked in the same way, as and when the corresponding guidebook is reissued or a new edition is published:
in this case, the GR® 125 Tour de l'Entre-Sambre-et-Meuse.
SomeGR® markings still appear alongside GRP® markings in certain places.

Worth a visit

During:
The Hermeton and its limnigraphic station: in the Walloon Region, more than two hundred stations measure river water levels and thus help to prevent flooding.
Wild garlic, very fragrant from late April to mid-May
Hermeton Mill, Prêle Mill, Soulme Mill: private properties, not open to visitors.

Always be cautious and plan ahead when you're outdoors. Visorando and the author of this route cannot be held responsible for any accidents occurring on this route.

The GR® and PR® markings are the intellectual property of the Fédération Française de Randonnée Pédestre.

Reviews and comments

4.9 / 5
Based on 9 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.9 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.8 / 5
Route interest
4.9 / 5
User 24250697

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 18, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Nice loop, no difficulty except possibly at points 3 and 5; handrails are welcome. I found the first part particularly interesting.

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lazzerini
lazzerini

Hello vervoort,

Thank you for the information about the remarkable tree.
I will also add the website here: https://partageonslaforet.be/

I look forward to hearing from you again...

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vervoort
vervoort

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 27, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Here is my experience on 1 October 2022: overall, a beautiful hike in good weather (it could be much more difficult in bad weather!! In detail, I have a few comments: P2, after the Limmigraph station, the rocky path is slippery in places. P9, due to hunting, I took the road to point 11 (the remarkable tree is an ash tree). P12, as already mentioned in another comment, this is not a crossroads but a fork. P13 OK, turn right then left and follow the path, which is steep at the beginning, to P16 (for me, P14 and 15 are unnecessary as other paths are closed).I can also confirm the presence of ticks on Himalayan balsam (an invasive plant), especially between P8 and P9. I haven't tested it, but is it impossible to get drinking water at the Prèle mill? A very beautiful route in any case, 4.5/5. Thank you.

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Pounet Rando
Pounet Rando

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 12, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Hike completed this Saturday with three friends. We discovered a truly natural, unspoilt forest along the Hermeton stream. The path was clear of grass and nettles (although we did brush against them in a few places).
The small hills where you can use the fixed rope are not too difficult. A very beautiful hike that also allows you to discover the countryside around Soulme and Gochenée. At this time of year, a word of advice to all hikers on any hike: bring a special tick remover. I also create Viso hikes and I had pinned yours among my favourites.

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Dida
Dida

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 21, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A magnificent hike. There are a few slightly more technical sections, it's true, but that helps you loosen up ^^ Lots of beautiful places to see and discover. 5/5 hands down.

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ChristianVdp
ChristianVdp

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 15, 2021
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

The stunning Hermeton Valley, a bit challenging in places (walking poles required). We did it from Soulme village. We highly recommend it!

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camlamb5
camlamb5

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 13, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

It was great, we loved it. Just so you know, there are some steep slopes in the forest, so it can be slippery if it has rained.
Other than that, it's a beautiful area and the description is very clear. Thank you.

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Pietmarabout
Pietmarabout

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 07, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A very pleasant walk (about 20 km).
The first part has some ascents and descents that are very slippery at this time of year. Good footwear is essential.
The route is well signposted, but using a map (paper or on your smartphone) is very useful.
One small drawback: this walk passes through two municipalities, Hastière and Doische. However, each has its own signage. A little more coordination would be welcome.

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jcmumu
jcmumu

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 15, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Superb hike through woods, fields and meadows. Hike completed following the route described in the technical sheet. No problems, the sheet is accurate and the GPS route is completely reliable. The section following the Hermetton river is simply magnificent and a few physically demanding passages (passages with handrails) add to the enjoyment of this section. Be careful, however, as in rainy or wet weather some passages could be dangerous. As far as we were concerned, given the current weather, there were no problems, even in places that would normally have to be forded. The sections mentioned as problematic due to nettles and/or brambles had been mowed, and it was perfectly possible to walk through in shorts without getting scratched and/or stung. Easy parking near the Hermetton bridge. Thank you to the site managers for allowing us to enjoy this very pretty walk in the heart of nature, which is still wild in places. Have a great trip, everyone.

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ch.zi
ch.zi

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 14, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Not very busy, but not deserted either.
Just a moment's hesitation at point 12:
There is no "crossroads" where you have to turn right; Rue des Biaux, which has been newly resurfaced, continues beyond that point towards other new (?) buildings, which makes you wonder...
Suggestion:
Leave Rue des Biaux about 400m after the crossroads (see point 11, 2nd sentence), just before an isolated house with an old stone cross in the lawn.
A superb route with some relatively challenging sections.

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