The viewpoints of Chiny

The village of Chiny is renowned for its storytelling festival. Located on the border between the Ardennes and Gaume regions, Chiny is ideal for walking. Come and discover its magnificent views, nestled among the meanders of the Semois.

Revised route

Details

564501
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 14.38 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 4h 55 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 285 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 287 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 411 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 306 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Parking: in front of the church, near the Semois footbridge, Rue de l'Embarcadère, and at (16)

(S/E) With your back to the church entrance, go up to the right, Rue du Millénaire. Take the first right and go down Rue de l'Embarcadère. Follow the main road, ignoring the turn-off on your right onto Chemin de la Violette. Then look for the path to take on your left.

(1) Take the path and go uphill. At the T-junction, turn left until you reach the multiple crossroads in front of an antenna.

Markings: Yellow diamond or triangle 25

(2) Keep as far to the right as possible. At the fork, follow the left path. At the next junction, keep to the right. You will arrive at the Rocher du Hât viewpoint.

(3) Descend to the bench to see a bend in the Semois river and Long Pré. Retrace your steps and continue along the path to the left near the information board. Descend to the forest path and follow it to the right for just over 600 m until you reach the junction with Rue de Cornicelles. Turn left and head towards the footbridge.

No markings

(4) Cross the Semois and, on the other side, turn left. Descend near the Semois and follow it without paying attention to the paths branching off to your right. After about 800 m, the path turns right and away from the Semois. Walk to a wide forest path and continue to the left.

GR® markings

Ignore the gate to the private property and continue until you see a wooden bridge over the Burnéchamps stream.

(5) Head towards the wooden bridge and cross the stream. Ignore the path climbing up in front of you; you will return that way. Markings end.

No markings

Continue to the left, follow the path which becomes a trail and climbs until it joins a wide forest track. Continue to your left.

(6) Turn onto the grassy but clearly visible path on your left. Walk along and cross two streams. You will come to a wide bend.

(7) Head straight ahead onto the path climbing up the rocky slope. Head towards the top of the rock on the left. Continue along the narrow path starting at the top of the rock until you reach a fork.

(8) Turn left towards Long Pré. Descend to the banks of the Semois. Look for the Rocher du Hât on the other side. Follow the path into the forest.

(9) Turn right towards Rocher Pinco. Climb up the main path to reach the viewpoint.

GR® trail markers

(10) With your back to the viewpoint, take the path and, at the fork, continue to the right.

(11) At the three-way junction, where the twoGR® trails separate, follow theGR® 16 to the right. Head towards Chiny.

(12) At the crossroads, continue along the path opposite, alongside the N85. The path leads to a forest track, which you follow to the right for about 700 metres.

(13) Turn right and head towards the Écureuil viewpoint. Continue along the path to the left of the bench. Descend to the wooden bridge. Cross it and climb back up to the forest track you passed on the way out.

(5) Turn right and walk straight ahead for about 350 m until you reach a large crossroads. The trail markings end here.

No markings

Turn left and walk for 200 metres.

(14) At the fork, turn right.

(15) At the next fork, turn right again. Follow the path for a little over 2 km, ignoring the side paths, until you reach Moulin Cambier.

(16) Take the road and cross Pont Nicolas. Turn left just after the bridge and follow the forest path. Go up the path, which turns sharply to the right. The path becomes a road. At the end of the road, turn left onto Rue du Liry. At the end of this street, turn right onto Rue de Corbuha. Walk until you reach the church and your car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 377 m - Car park - Église Sainte-Walburge (Chiny)
  2. 1 : km 0.47 - alt. 360 m - Path
  3. 2 : km 1.25 - alt. 368 m - Antenna
  4. 3 : km 2.1 - alt. 347 m - Hât viewpoint - Semoy (rivière)
  5. 4 : km 3.21 - alt. 310 m - Footbridge over the Semois
  6. 5 : km 4.33 - alt. 319 m - Bridge. Common fork in the road (return trip)
  7. 6 : km 5.28 - alt. 332 m - Path on the left
  8. 7 : km 5.75 - alt. 318 m - Wide bend and path on rocky slope
  9. 8 : km 5.92 - alt. 336 m - Fork
  10. 9 : km 6.59 - alt. 326 m - Direction Roche Pinco
  11. 10 : km 7 - alt. 355 m - Roche Pinco viewpoint
  12. 11 : km 7.43 - alt. 392 m - GR separation
  13. 12 : km 7.89 - alt. 392 m - Crossroads and viewpoint over the village
  14. 13 : km 9.14 - alt. 352 m - Towards Point de Vue de l'Écureuil
  15. 14 : km 9.97 - alt. 339 m - Crossroads on the right
  16. 15 : km 10.25 - alt. 358 m - Fork to the right
  17. 16 : km 12.67 - alt. 329 m - Cambier Mill
  18. S/E : km 14.38 - alt. 377 m - Car park - Église Sainte-Walburge (Chiny)

Notes

There is no drinking water or shelter along the route.
You can quench your thirst at Moulin Cambier at the end of the hike, at the restaurant in front of the church and not far from the footbridge.
There is a short, steep climb at (8), but otherwise there are no major difficulties.
Picnic table at the footbridge, at (4)
Benches at (3), at (11), at the Point de Vue de l'Écureuil after (13)
Hunting season begins in early October and lasts until the end of December. Please be vigilant. Occasionally, during May, roe deer hunting is permitted in the early morning and evening.

Worth a visit

During
Hat viewpoint
Footbridge over the Semois: one of the few footbridges over the Semois
Roche Pinco viewpoint
Viewpoint of the village
Viewpoint from L'Écureuil
Saint Nicolas Bridge: bridge destroyed by the Allies during theSecond World War to prevent the Germans from crossing the Semois.

Nearby
Kayaking, mountain biking
Storytelling Day in early July
Street Arts Festival in August in Chassepierre
Ruins of Herbeumont Castle
Orval Abbey

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

4.6 / 5
Based on 16 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.4 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.5 / 5
Route interest
4.8 / 5
kiki70
kiki70

Overall rating : 4.5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 03, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : Not used / Not applicable
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful hike with magnificent views of the Semois valley. The GPS was very useful in helping us find the rest of the trail. A wonderful experience, thank you.

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Christinerizzo
Christinerizzo
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 21, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

We did this hike in beautiful weather. The route goes through the forest and along the Semois river, which is nice when it's really hot. A quick dip is always welcome😉 Some really beautiful views 🤩
Between points 7 and 8, the trail is almost impassable. First of all, it was very difficult to find because nature has reclaimed its rights and it is practically closed off. Consider an alternative? At point 10, we retraced our steps to point 9 to catch up with point 11. We noticed that part of the route was on the road, which is quite busy.
Towards the end of the route, we stopped at the mill to quench our thirst 🍻 we are in Belgium, after all😊
I didn't like the end of the hike on the road as much, but perhaps there is no other alternative to reach the village.
A beautiful walk, I recommend it.

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Adri
Adri
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 18, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

1) The junction with the road to take on our left is just before the Semois river and the wooden footbridge. The road to the left leads to the woods.

2) Follow the yellow triangle 25 markings to Rocher du Hât.

3) Follow the yellow triangle 25 markings to return to the start of the woods where you entered and head towards the wooden footbridge over the Semois

4) Once you have crossed the wooden footbridge over the Semois, take the path on the left that goes up into the woods and continue straight ahead for a few hundred metres until you come to a descent and a path that goes to the left with a small wooden bridge over a stream.

5) Cross the wooden bridge and go straight to the left to follow the Semois.

Continue along the path on your left and leave the GR®. Climb up to
until you reach the bend in a wide forest path. Turn left and walk
a few metres

6 and 7, stay on the path, the main trail, until point 9.

10) Join the N85 and follow it on the right-hand side for a few hundred metres until you reach the path that leads right into the woods.

Then follow the GR markings and explanations, which are more or less correct.

A very beautiful hike with stunning views.

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ArinaTomberg
ArinaTomberg
• Edited:

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 13, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very pleasant walk with some beautiful views of the picturesque meanders of the Semois.

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Pinsonjoyeux
Pinsonjoyeux
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 15, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Very beautiful route, but as soon as we lost sight of the markers, the description was insufficient and we got lost.
Distances should be added, for example: "after approx. 500 m, turn left"
Thank you

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Rednof
Rednof
• Edited:

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 09, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Hello,

A very nice tour, very varied, and in spring (with the soft green of the leaves) and sunshine, it's great. From one viewpoint to another, with the Semois as the common thread. I would definitely go back. It's good to have included different viewpoints, and it's no problem to retrace your steps.
The Visorando app on iPhone works well.
It's a peaceful place: the river, the birds, the wind in the trees, children playing below, two or three kayaks. A bit of road but not a problem.
highly recommended.

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Manu2
Manu2
• Edited:

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 05, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

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Girard Daniel
Girard Daniel
• Edited:

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 28, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Wonderful hike: well done and thank you!

May I make three small observations:
1. At point 10, after the Roche Pinco viewpoint, why take the RN 85 when you can simply return to the GR?

2. At point 4 (return), the left turn is not "at the end of the path"!

3. At point 15, after the Nicolas bridge, why take the road when the path that climbs to the left is magnificent, with a new viewpoint over the Semois?

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avanbrabant
avanbrabant
• Edited:

Overall rating : 5 / 5

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

Very beautiful route and magnificent views.
Please note that between points 7 and 8, some brush clearing would be very useful.

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fabdvr
fabdvr
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 06, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful walk with magnificent views over the Semois valley and its surroundings. This was our first time trying Visorando offline and viewing our position on the map, and it's a real bonus!

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Athénafully
Athénafully
• Edited:

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 03, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

We would recommend it and would do it again

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Athénafully
Athénafully
• Edited:

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 03, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A highly appreciated route that we refer and recommend.

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selbrun
selbrun
• Edited:

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 22, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

PLEASE NOTE: due to African swine fever, the surrounding woods have been fenced off and are beginning to close in all around...
Don't delay, do it before the forest closes permanently, which will be soon! Serge 29/07/2019

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erriep73
erriep73
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 13, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

The Belgian trail markings are difficult to understand and follow (one colour + one number). So the map is quite useful and well designed to help you avoid getting lost in the various circular loops of the Semois and Rando trails. Fortunately, there are a few landmarks that are impossible to miss (bridges, panoramic views). The area is not very popular with hikers. A few families and a few fishermen in a very quiet and relaxing place.

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chberthier
chberthier
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 24, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

a lovely walk in the snow... indeed, the snowplough along the road is not necessary.

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