Loker, Mont Rouge, the Monteberg vineyard and the Douve Valley

Departure and arrival at the car park of Loker Church via the countryside of Saint Jans Cappel and the Marguerite Yourcenar Nature Reserve at Mont Noir. Pass through the Douve Valley, which forms the border with France, and along Mont Rouge.

A long stretch along the slopes of Mont Kemmel to discover the Lettenberg, a small hill near Kemmel (perhaps the result of the union between Mont Rouge and Mont Kemmel?). The rest of the route is fairly standard, but passes through areas that are often very damp. And as always in this area, the elevation gain is quite significant. Avoid this walk in early August, during the Dranouter Festival.

Departure and arrival at the car park of Loker church via the Westouter countryside. Crossing the Hellegatbos woods with a passage through the Hell Hole of Mont Rouge. Passing near the Baneberg mill in Westouter. Crossing the Douve valley, which forms the border between France and Belgium. Passing into France through the Mont Noir countryside in Saint Jans Cappel and the vineyards of Dranouter.

When the weather becomes a little wetter, you can still hike on Mont Rouge. This route alternates between small roads (with little traffic), paths and forest trails, which makes it a little less strenuous. It is a winding route, so the app is very useful. There is quite a bit of elevation gain and, in wet weather, the trails are quite slippery. The walk is therefore quite tiring (equivalent to a 25 km route).

This is a route on which I had fun concentrating as many difficulties as possible (more than 400 m of elevation gain). This gives it a somewhat labyrinthine feel, but it allows you to avoid tarmac as much as possible. So you walk from peak to peak on well-marked, clean paths. The use ofthe Visorando app is highly recommended, even though the numbering system is very practical.

A long, slightly winding route to enjoy the beautiful Belgian trails, which are well maintained and clearly marked. Simple signposting: there are posts with numbers and an arrow indicating the number you want to go to (not easy to explain but obvious when you're there). Difficult route, even very difficult in wet weather.

Return to Mont Rouge, passing through the Bois du Mont Noir. Enjoy a beautiful stroll through the woods, ending with a superb (and challenging) staircase. Be careful, as soon as it gets a little wet, the paths become very difficult and you can sometimes find yourself with mud up to your mid-shoes. This was the case this morning (19 November 2021).

A pleasant short hike near Loker and Le Mont Rouge, with easy-to-use numbered markings.