The two mills and the marble sawmill at the start of Gochenée

de fr

Discover the Moulin de Prêle, the marble sawmill, the mill and the village of Soulme, listed among the most beautiful villages in Wallonia.

Details

n°6318394
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 8.11 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 2h 45 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Easy
  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 152 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 155 m
  • ▲
    Highest point: 233 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 138 m
Downloads
Open in the mobile app
Download GPX GPX
Download PDF PDF

Photos

Soulme
forest path
beautiful trail
path

Description of the walk

Car park located near a picnic area.

(S/E) Carefully take the N977 towards the centre of the village and the church of Gochenée until you reach a crossroads.

Green rectangle markings.
(1) Turn left onto Rue des Biaux to leave the village and ignore the roads and paths on the right and left. After a short hill, in a bend, leave the green markings and take the beautiful dirt track on your left.

(2) Follow this path which, after a small copse, begins its descent towards the Hermeton valley. Pass a small chapel on the right. The slope becomes steeper and the path descends to a bridge over the Hermeton.

(3) After the bridge, turn left and follow the left bank of the Hermeton. Red and whiteGR® 125 and red and yellow markings. Leave a path that climbs to the right and cross a stream (ford). Join a stony path coming from the right and when it turns right uphill, take the path to the left.

(4) The trail leaves the woods (you are now on one of the routes of the Way of St James) and reaches the Moulin de Prêle. The trail gives way to a path and leads to the N977.

(5) Follow it very carefully, turning left. This road is narrow. Turn right onto Chemin des Scieries.

(6) You will soon reach a mining village and, on the left, an old marble sawmill.

(7) The road climbs and joins the village of Soulme. At the T-junction, turn right to take a short tour of the village. Leave Rue des Pachis on your right and take the street that leads to Sainte-Colombe Church and goes around it. Join Rue Désiré Mathieu, turn right then left to follow a small road, Chemin du Vieux Moulin.

(8). Pass in front of a chapel and continue downhill towards the Hermeton. Cross the Pont du Moulin and reach the beautiful (private) site of the Vieux Moulin de Soulme.

(9) Take the path opposite you that leaves the valley and climbs steeply to Gochenée and the car park near the picnic area (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 218 m - Car park located near the picnic area.
  2. 1 : km 0.16 - alt. 221 m - Crossroads
  3. 2 : km 1.15 - alt. 226 m - Beautiful path that branches off to the left
  4. 3 : km 2.84 - alt. 144 m - The "Christine" or "Marie-Christine" bridge over the - Hermeton (rivière) - Belgique
  5. 4 : km 3.93 - alt. 143 m - Path to the left
  6. 5 : km 5.27 - alt. 138 m - Route N977
  7. 6 : km 5.31 - alt. 139 m - Sawmill trail
  8. 7 : km 5.39 - alt. 138 m - Former marble sawmill
  9. 8 : km 6.48 - alt. 196 m - Chemin du Vieux Moulin
  10. 9 : km 7.08 - alt. 145 m - Ascent to Gochenée
  11. S/E : km 8.11 - alt. 218 m - Car park near the picnic area

Notes

Picnic table and area at the start and in Soulme near the church with information panel on marked hikes.
Refreshments: shop open even on Sundays in Vodelée, 4 km away.

From Soulme to the Old Mill of Soulme, the route follows, in reverse, hike no. 150836 by Jacque Nys, published on Visorando in September 2015. It also follows the end of the route between the Old Mill of Soulme and Gochenée.

Worth a visit

Don't hesitate to explore the streets of the village centres of Gochenée and Soulme.
Enjoy the view of the Hermeton valley between points (1) and (2).

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.

Downloads
Open in the mobile app
Download GPX GPX
Download PDF PDF

Reviews and comments

4.8 / 5
Based on 12 reviews
Reliability of the description
4.8 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.8 / 5
Route interest
4.7 / 5
User 26275379

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

A lovely walk, partly along the water's edge. A beautiful walk through the forest. A moment of paradise when an old mill appears at the end of the forest.

Machine-translated

jamy quintens
jamy quintens

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 24, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Jamy and Joy (dog) walk on 23/02/2025

It was a wonderful experience, surrounded by nature, woods and countryside. I didn't meet anyone and my dog was off the leash for almost the entire walk. I highly recommend it.
Thank you for this wonderful discovery of our Wallonia region

Machine-translated

pierre gobin
pierre gobin

Hello, Thank you for your comments and feedback. Looking at your photos entitled "beautiful path" and "trail", I think I understand where you left the trail, which is at (4).
You need to leave the path and turn left to stay in the valley and reach the Prêle mill (red and white GR signposts).
You probably stayed on the path which climbs out of the valley to the right and then followed the trail to the left, which initially took you along a field on your right and joined the N 977.
You followed the national road, which is not very bucolic, downhill to the left to reach the dirt track at the bottom of the valley (5) which led you to the Prêle mill.
I am very happy for you that you met the owner of this mill and received his explanations.
I am even a little jealous because, although I have been there several times during my reconnaissance trips, I have never met him.
As for the starting point and parking area, you reached it after walking up the path from the Soulme mill towards Gochenée.
You're right, the region is magnificent, and the entire Hermeton Valley is worth a visit. There are other hikes on this site which, upstream, pass through Roly, Sautour, Villers en Fagne, Merlemont... and, downstream, Hermeton-sur-Meuse (this one is more challenging).

Machine-translated

Tommyu
Tommyu

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : May 18, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

We couldn't find the picnic area and car park next to it... No matter, we parked the car at the church.
After the bridge over the Hermeton, we followed the left bank of the river. Then we lost the markings and, unfortunately, found ourselves on a path that took us away from the river (on the downloaded PDF map, the waypoint numbers are very large and placed ON the route...this sometimes prevents us from locating the exact place we need to follow, hence the distance from the river). Still, it was a beautiful path! But we were unable to reach the Moulin de Prêle via the suggested route. (However, we made a detour to get there from the path that leads to the N977) (a round trip that frustrated us a little... even though the path to the mill was pleasant) (the owner of the mill was standing in front of his door and spontaneously gave us a summary of the history of the mill!) -
Overall, we enjoyed the walk, but we were expecting a slightly more bucolic getaway... (perhaps because we were 'deprived' of the river due to getting lost...)
The weather was beautiful, and even though it was a public holiday, we only came across one other family! The typical village of Soulme is well worth a visit! It's a lovely region that we didn't know about.

Machine-translated

pierre gobin
pierre gobin

Thank you for your comments. Reading them, I almost felt like I could smell the scent of wild garlic.

Pierre Gobin

Machine-translated

Daisylè
Daisylè

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 01, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Magnificent landscapes with beautiful views over the Hermeton Valley. The banks of the river are largely covered with flowering wild garlic.
We are delighted to have discovered this beautiful region.
We will definitely return in the autumn to see the colours of the trees.

Machine-translated

pierre gobin
pierre gobin

Thank you for your feedback. The car park is located at the entrance to the village, coming from Florennes, in front of a large stone house. The picnic area is located opposite, on the other side of the road

Machine-translated

pierre gobin
pierre gobin
• Edited:

Thank you, it's always nice to read that you enjoyed this hike as much as we enjoyed creating it.

Machine-translated

bodyj
bodyj

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 08, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

beautiful and varied route

Machine-translated

Christianne
Christianne

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 20, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Pleasant hike but never found the car park.
Very muddy between points 3 and 4 due to tractors driving on the sides of the trail.
Overall, no regrets about driving an hour to get there.

Machine-translated

Yogiyoga
Yogiyoga

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 20, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

The scenery is pleasing to the eye, the environment calm and soothing, the sky clear and bright. The detour to the village of Soulme adds to the typical character of the region. The ups and downs are felt in the legs but add a form of pleasure for the mind.
In fact, my mind is more alert at the end of the route than at the start. As I set off again, I discover a picnic area sheltered from view by a lush hedge with just one entrance leading to a lawn and facilities worthy of any restaurant area.

Machine-translated

pierre gobin
pierre gobin

Hello, Thank you for your comments. It's always nice to read that hikers have enjoyed the route.
You're right, this region is magnificent. In fact, the entire Hermeton Valley, from its source in Neuville to the Meuse River in Hermeton-sur-Meuse, is worth the trip.

Machine-translated

Alain7060
Alain7060

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 11, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Superb walk. The last hill (at the end of the route, thankfully!) is quite tough going. There are also two fairly steep descents, but they are perfectly manageable. The region is very pleasant to walk through.

Machine-translated

bottine
bottine

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 02, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful and varied walk, most of which was completed in a rare silence. The first part was long and very easy, with a few challenging hills in the second part, but nothing too difficult. The distance was accurate, contrary to a review we had read. We will do it again with our grandchildren.

Machine-translated

jojobad
jojobad

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 26, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Very beautiful hike.

Machine-translated

Other walks in the area

Walking Soulme and the Hermeton valley

Visorando member
Soulme et la vallée de l'Hermeton
↔15.76 km ↗+226 m ↘-229 m ◔5h 10 ▲Moderate
⚑Departure from Doische (Province de Namur)
A circular hike to discover the aquatic resources of the Hermeton between Vodelée and Soulme, as well as three listed sites: the Chapel of Notre-Dame de Bonne Fontaine, the Moulin de Soulme and the Church of Sainte-Colombe de Soulme.

Walking The Hermeton and Bonne Fontaine

Visorando member
↔14.01 km ↗+209 m ↘-209 m ◔4h 35 ▲Moderate
⚑Departure from Doische (Province de Namur)
Relatively unknown to hikers, the Hermeton is a rather wild river in the province of Namur, which flows into the Meuse on the left bank at Hermeton-sur-Meuse. This very accessible hike sets out to explore it around Soulme, passing by the Bonne-Fontaine site, its source, its tufa and its chapel located on the hillside between the Hermeton and Vodelée.

Walking Long circular loop around Lautenne and Surice

Visorando member
Grande Boucle autour de Lautenne et de Surice
↔23.28 km ↗+292 m ↘-292 m ◔7h 30 ▲Difficult
⚑Departure from Philippeville (Province de Namur)
Partly rural, partly forest, this rather long hike is a circular route to the east of the municipality of Philippeville with detours to Doische (Soulme) and Florennes (Rosée). Beautiful view (behind) of the church and the old castle next to it from the Omezée cemetery. Centuries-old lime trees and a grotto dedicated to the Virgin Mary in Omezée. Soulme has been named one of the most beautiful villages in Wallonia. After Soulme, the hike enters the Hermeton valley, home to one of Wallonia's wildest rivers (with active beavers). You can't miss the imposing church of Romedenne or any of the wheelbarrow decorations. Romedenne has been the scene of a big wheelbarrow festival every first weekend in August for over 40 years. The northern part, which is also partly wooded and partly rural, is usually very quiet... but this calm can be severely disrupted when military aircraft take off from the nearby Florennes air base.

Walking Circular between Romedenne and Rosée

Visorando member
Boucle entre Romedenne et Rosée
↔14.48 km ↗+177 m ↘-185 m ◔4h 40 ▲Moderate
⚑Departure from Philippeville (Province de Namur)
A circular that is half countryside, half forest, allowing you to discover the region east of Philippeville between Romedenne, the village where the wheelbarrow festival has been in full swing (with participants and spectators from all walks of life and, above all, a friendly atmosphere and good humour) every first weekend in August for over 40 years, and the southern borders of Rosée (part of Florennes). Surice Castle is easy to spot but rather difficult to photograph (trees, surrounding walls, electric wires, etc.). The castle in Omezée, on the other hand, is clearly visible from the cemetery at the entrance to the village (in the direction of the route) but it is rather neglected. Omezée, the smallest village in Wallonia, has two hundred-year-old lime trees, one next to the church and the other in Champelle at the entrance to the village on the way back, after the northern tip towards Rosée.Don't miss the work of art 'La vie éternelle' (Eternal Life), on display along the main road between Lautenne and Surice, while it is still there.

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

Visorando member
La vallée de l'Hermeton avec un retour par le bois des deux fonds de Lays
↔18.55 km ↗+288 m ↘-285 m ◔6h 05 ▲Moderate
⚑Departure from Hastière (Province de Namur)
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.

Walking Along the Hermeton

Visorando member
Le long de l'Hermeton
↔9.34 km ↗+176 m ↘-168 m ◔3h 10 ▲Moderate
⚑Departure from Hastière (Province de Namur)
Despite the first few kilometres being very easy, make no mistake, this walk still requires some stamina with a section featuring handrails along the Hermeton and the climb up the aptly named Tienne d'Enfer (Hell's Hill).

Walking Soulme and Omezée from Romedenne

Visorando member
Soulme et Omezée au départ de Romedenne
↔13.90 km ↗+166 m ↘-160 m ◔4h 25 ▲Moderate
⚑Departure from Philippeville (Province de Namur)
This hike is a shorter version of the Grande Boucle around Lautenne and Surice, southern section, cut off at Omezée, reversed and starting from the Romedenne cemetery. As indicated, the route passes through Soulme, ranked among the most beautiful villages in Wallonia, after descending into the Hermeton valley (home to beavers). Here you will see the old Moulin Bayot mill, which has been beautifully renovated. Partly rural, the circular route follows country and forest paths, a few trails, some local roads with little traffic and crosses a nature reserve shortly before the finish. Of the three villages, Romedenne has the most monumental church. It is also where the annual wheelbarrow festival takes place on the first weekend of August. In Omezée, there is a beautiful view from the cemetery at the entrance to the village of the church and the old castle next to it. There are also two lime trees and a grotto dedicated to the Virgin Mary.

Walking The Pont d'Arcole Caves

Tourist office
↔4.88 km ↗+134 m ↘-134 m ◔1h 45 ▲Moderate
⚑Departure from Hastière (Province de Namur)
This hike takes you from the Meuse valley to the heights of the left bank and the village of Inzemont, initially following the course of the Feron, a small tributary of the Meuse. Along the way, you can visit the Pont d'Arcole caves, one of the many karst caves in the Upper Meuse region. The route also offers beautiful views of the valley.

For more walks, use our search engine .

The GPS track and description are the property of this route's author. Please do not copy them without permission.