The Malchamps fens

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Walk in the Malchamps Fagnes region through peat bogs, forests and meadows. Set off at sunrise with the sound of deer bellowing in the background.

Details

n°4079305
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 10.55 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 3h 40 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate
  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 229 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 234 m
  • ▲
    Highest point: 577 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 377 m
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Photos

Neuville valley
on the duckboards
on the duckboards
Beautiful local house

Description of the walk

Park near the military antenna not far from Malchamps aerodrome.

(S/E) Follow the wooden walkways towards Bérinzenne.

(1) At the cross, turn left onto theGR®5towards Andrimont.

(2) At the entrance to the village, turn left towards the Pouhon de Ruy walkway. Pass by a beautiful house built from local stone.

(3) Turn left, then immediately right and follow the promenade to the Roannay stream.

(4) Turn left, then keep left again onto the Roannay walkway and walk for about 1 km.

(5) Leave the promenade and head straight towards the Domaine de Malchamps.

(6) At the estate, turn left onto the main road. After 500 m, turn left to return to the starting point at the military antenna (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 577 m - Military antenna
  2. 1 : km 3.15 - alt. 569 m - Cross
  3. 2 : km 4.59 - alt. 467 m - Andrimont
  4. 3 : km 6.15 - alt. 444 m - Beautiful house and crossroads
  5. 4 : km 7.62 - alt. 377 m - Ru du Roannay
  6. 5 : km 8.63 - alt. 475 m - Straight ahead
  7. 6 : km 10 - alt. 566 m - Domaine de Malchamps
  8. S/E : km 10.55 - alt. 577 m - Military antenna

Notes

Watch out for bicycles and motorcycles on some paths.

Worth a visit

A short detour is possible via the Berinzenne tower, a wooden tower over 40 m high with superb views of the region.

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.

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Reviews and comments

4.6 / 5
Based on 10 reviews
Reliability of the description
4.6 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.7 / 5
Route interest
4.5 / 5
levince45
levince45

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 10, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

The boardwalks of the Malchamps Fagnes are a visual delight at any time of year

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Stéphanie R.
Stéphanie R.

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 22, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : Yes

As a lover of the Fagnard environment, I was tempted to try this route during my last trip to Belgium (October 2022). It is very easy to follow and the description is clear, so no worries on that front. The duckboards are still not in very good condition, but they are still usable nonetheless. However, I was a little disappointed by the (excessive) number of visitors to the site. It must be said that I did this hike on a Saturday. The nearby Berinzenne estate unfortunately attracts visitors who are not always very respectful of the site and the sensitive nature of this ecosystem (families letting their dogs run free... which is prohibited in nature reserves... groups of scouts with teenagers walking around with headphones on and loud music...). What's more, the views of the fen are not the most spectacular in the area; other hikes not far away are, in my opinion, much more extraordinary.

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Archimede
Archimede

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 06, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

The duckboard is indeed in poor condition (broken or even missing) but remains passable.
The high-voltage line is being rebuilt and is not yet fully installed.
The total distance is close to 11.5 km.

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LZP674
LZP674

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 13, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Hello,
The duckboards are in poor condition... and it can only get better! After Croix Pottier, the start of the path to Andrimont has been made difficult to walk on due to repeated use by mountain bikers and their bikes, which are unfortunately increasingly motorised (hello environment)!!!
The map shows a 70 kV high-voltage line, which cannot be found on the ground! It may be buried, in which case its presence on the map is of little interest!
Enjoy your walk.

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Bilou D
Bilou D

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 13, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A very beautiful and varied hike

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Dadoumont
Dadoumont

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 07, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Superb walk. Definitely worth doing again.

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gfeller
gfeller

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Dec 01, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

A very beautiful hike with varied landscapes and surroundings. Best done in good weather to enjoy the views of the Fagne. After the wooden walkways, there is a section that is very muddy at this time of year.

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Ref Serein
Ref Serein

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Dec 26, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

with people, given the number of walks starting at almost the same place (car park quickly fills up)
Leaving early in the morning was a good idea (10:00 a.m. at the latest).
Muddy due to snowfall and melting snow

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Jeanfil
Jeanfil

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 25, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful route on duckboards at the start. Then towards Andrimont, very muddy in November but fun to do, jumping between the puddles. Beautiful variety of landscapes. It's true that from point 4, it climbs continuously for nearly 3 km to the end. So I think starting from point 4 is a good idea to make the end of the route easier. Definitely worth doing!

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michel docquier
michel docquier

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 07, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful hike with a varied route. I would do it again, but starting from the bridge over the Roannay (point 4) in Neuville, so that the long climb to Malchamps is at the beginning of the hike rather than at the end.

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