The Red and the Black

Mont Rouge, large car park near the Kosmos (former hotel).

(S/E) With your back to the Kosmos, head for the hedge opposite and set off to the left. Pass marker 32 and you’ll soon reach marker 31. Turn right and you’ll immediately come to a Fork in the road. Turn right here (Picon signpost). Unfortunately, the Picon arrow has now disappeared, no doubt taken by some idiot. Follow the narrow, winding path, taking care not to trespass onto private property. Pass an old pump (at Picon?) and arrive near a chapel. Then turn right and join the road.

(1) Cross the road and follow it to the right for about fifty metres to reach marker 47. Then take the path on the left. 150 metres further down, turn right onto the path that runs between the horse paddocks. Reach a T-junction and turn right towards the Mill. Arrive at the car park.

(2) Walk along the edge of the car park, skirting the field, until you reach the edge of a wood. Then take the path on the left and stay along the edge of the wood until you reach a small road (after a lovely descent).

(3) You’ll find a gate opposite (slightly to the left). Go through it and head left (grassy path) to follow the road (observation post). The path turns right and joins a T-junction (gate on the left). Turn right and follow the path through the woodland. After two gates, you’ll reach a small road (marker 41).

(4) Follow it to the left. Pass marker 60 (you can then leave the tarmac and walk a few metres along the roadside to the left, before rejoining it). After the lodge (on the left), set off again along a good path. At the gate, turn left and follow the path along the edge of the woodland until you reach another gate (this section is sometimes very wet!) and marker 62.

(5) Go through the gate and head right. Ignore a road on the left (marker 59) and reach a junction (marker 58). Continue straight ahead along the path between the fields and reach another junction (marker 93). Carry on straight ahead to reach the D 223.

(6) Follow it for a few metres to the right before turning left onto a track (towards the military cemetery).
At the fork in the road (marker 94), just after the cemetery, turn left. A little further on, join the^GR®® 128. Follow it straight ahead, descending through the Bois Noir (some sections may be damp). You’ll reach a gate (lift your feet and duck your head!).

(7) After the gate, leave the^GR®® and turn right. Ignore the two paths on the left (marker 3 at the second one) and reach a T-junction. Turn right and reach another T-junction (marker 2). Turn right towards the fishing ponds and stay on the small road (ignore a path leading off straight ahead). Just before the car park, turn left (gate) and follow the path uphill, keeping close to the edge of the woodland on the right. Pass to the right of the buildings and, at the top, reach a T-junction (marker 99).

(8) Take the path on the right and you’ll soon reach a barrier. Go through it and take the hairpin bend to the left to join the D 318. Follow it for a few metres to the left (against the flow of traffic) then leave it to head straight ahead into Rue du Mont Noir. After about a hundred metres, turn right (Impasse 3582), first onto tarmac, then down a sloping path. You’ll reach a T-junction (marker 95).

(9) Turn left and rejoin Rue du Mont Noir. Follow it to the right for a few metres. At the Fork in the road, head straight ahead (Impasse 3303) along a path to reach a junction (marker 96). Then turn right. 300 metres further on, at the crossroads (marker 4), turn left onto the^GRP®®. This path is quite difficult and, in places, it is better to go round to the right, along the edge of the fields. Pass a few buildings (on the right), cross a road on the left and reach a crossroads (marker 3).

(10) Turn right onto the small road until you reach a T-junction (marker 6). Turn right, and immediately at the Fork in the road, take the correct path straight ahead. 250 metres further on, at the junction (marker 7), turn right. You’ll soon reach a grassy path which turns left at a right angle and leads to a gate at marker 8 (an area that is often very damp).

(11) Go through the gate and head right. You’ll immediately come to another gate on the right. Go through it to follow the stream (this corresponds to a hairpin bend to the right: be careful, it’s not obvious!). You’ll reach a small road. Follow it for a few metres to the right, then turn left (marker 9) onto the Langedreef. Walk alongside some ponds (on the left) and reach a junction at the edge of a small copse (marker 10). Turn left, then immediately right onto a lovely uphill path. You’ll reach a road and the first shops on Mont Noir.

(12) Turn left. 100 metres further on, turn right into the car park (barrier). Turn left to go round the back of the buildings, then turn left to leave the car park (another barrier) and rejoin the road (see practical information). Follow the road for a few metres to the right and turn immediately right onto a path (marker 12). The path turns right at a right angle. You’ll reach marker 63 (when the tarmac begins).

(13) Turn left. A series of wooden walkways and steps lead you to a T-junction (marker 62).

(14) You’ll pass close to the source of the Douve. 50 m further on, turn right. Stay on this good path. Pass a gate (on the right) marked by marker 61, then cross the vineyard and join the road at a chapel. Cross the main road and follow it to the right (footpath) for about 200 metres until you reach a track on the left.

(15) Take this path down towards the woods and marker 38. At the crossroads, carry on straight ahead to reach the bottom of the valley. Then turn left, where a flight of steps leads you back up to a T-junction. Turn right and go through the gate. Continue along the^GR®® until you reach a Fork in the road (marker 65). Then turn right onto the boardwalk. Shortly after the boardwalk, you’ll reach a Fork in the road^. Turn left onto the^GR®®. Follow it, keeping as close as possible to the wire fence on the left (it’s fairly well signposted). Just after a gate, you’ll come to a path leading off to the right (Speelzone).

(16) Follow this path (leaving the^GR®®) until you reach a gate. Go through it to reach a main track (marker 24). Turn left and you’ll arrive near a small road (marker 11). Just before the road, turn right at the edge of the woodland. About fifty metres further on, you’ll find a gate on the left. Go through it and head right onto the small road. When the road bends left (marker 26), take the path on the right following the^GRP®®. 200 metres further on, turn right onto a very wide path (see practical information), then another 200 metres further on, turn left to join a wide path (marker 25).

(17) Turn left. You’ll reach a large grassy plain (on the left), then a small building, also on the left.

(18) Immediately afterwards, leave the main path and take the track on the right. You’ll soon reach a Fork in the road and turn left onto some old wooden planks. You’ll then come to a superb flight of steps which you’ll have to struggle to climb (a good hundred very high steps with a steep gradient!). Go right to the top and you’ll find a good path.
There, take a moment to curse the route’s creator, before heading off to the right. Stay firmly on this path (which is flat!), pass marker 35 and arrive near the road (marker 36).

(19) Then take the path on the left through the woodland (towards marker 34) which leads back to Kosmos (S/E).

Make sure you’re wearing suitable footwear, especially in wet weather. Walking poles can also be a great help.

On weekdays, the Mont Noir car park is free and can therefore serve as a starting point.

You can also reach point (17) by following the numerous paths that cross the grassy plain. With the app and the OpenStreetMap hiking base map (World), this is fairly straightforward.