Ardenne-Gaume Nature Reserve

Also known as: Bohan-Membre Park. The valley is very steep-sided, with steep slopes, but part of the hike will be along the Semois and on the ridges.

Details

640192
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 11.81 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 4h 55 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Difficult

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 542 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 534 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 354 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 168 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Parking in front of the Seigneurie du Moulin in Membre, on the other side of the low wall. Entrance via the forest road.

(S/E) Opposite the old mill, head to the right. Cross the bridge and turn left at the N935. A few metres further on, cross over to take the path going up near the house.

Markings: white-red-white flag

(1) At Roche de Saloru 180m, climb the path. Pass the first viewpoint over Membre. Continue climbing to the La Roche de Saloru viewpoint at 325m.

(2) At the fork on the left, descend. 650m further down, the path turns sharply to the left. Continue along the main path to the road, ignoring the hairpin bend on your right. Continue straight ahead to the N935.

No markings

Turn right and cross the bridge over the Semois. Turn left into Rue d'En Haut. At the crossroads, continue straight ahead. At the next road, follow the signpost and continue straight ahead.

Green-white-green flag markings

At the fork on the right, there is a superb tobacco drying shed along the road. Continue along the campsite and you will soon forget this passage.

(3) At the next choice, turn right and continue on the road, which becomes a path after the water treatment plant. Follow the Semois, move away from it and then make a circular loop. Follow the forest path to the fork.

(4) Turn left at Bois Fadret, leaving the marked trail.

No markings

Ignore the path on your left, 600m further on cross the ford (dry in June 2017, flowing in April 2019), continue. 550m further on, you will come to the Nansrîmont stream. Follow the path for a short while and cross a very wet section covered with wild garlic at the right time of year. 500 metres further on, ignore the path on your right.

(5) At a place called Le Sautou, turn right and take the path uphill, with the stream on your left. Be careful of branches to step over.

Vertical green rectangle marker

Climb up and, when you reach the first path, continue to the left. Take advantage of a rock to cross the stream and change banks. Continue climbing, with the stream now on your right. At the top, turn left. Stay on the main path. At the T-junction, turn left and join a forest path, which you will follow for approximately 950 metres. A path will come up on your right, ignore it and continue to the left.

No markings

(6) At the fork, go left and leave the markings. Stay on the ridge and follow the path until you descend onto the road at a place called Réserve Ardenne et Gaume.

(7) Take the road to the left for a few metres and then continue on the forest path going up to the left.

(8) At the fork on the left, go up and then down to a chalet.

(9) Pay attention at the start of the path, as it is very easy to take the road leading off to the right. Instead, keep left, follow the hedge of the house opposite the chalet and descend to Rue des Epeautés. Turn right. At the main road, turn left, cross the bridge and take the ramp down on your left to the banks of the Semois. Pass the church and turn right.

GR® markings

At the end of the road, turn left and then take the road going up to the right, Chemin des Grossarts.

(10) At the fork, turn right and climb the path to the crossroads with the lodges.

(11) Continue straight ahead and begin the climb up this beautiful slope.

(12) At a place called Les 8 Semois, there is a bench where you can rest after the climb. Then continue to the left and stay on the main path of La Roche aux Chevesnes to descend to the main road. Turn right and return to the car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 191 m - Car park in front of the Seigneurie.
  2. 1 : km 0.21 - alt. 192 m - Path near the house
  3. 2 : km 0.88 - alt. 324 m - Saloru viewpoint
  4. 3 : km 3.39 - alt. 175 m - Fourche
  5. 4 : km 4.65 - alt. 207 m - Fourche
  6. 5 : km 6.28 - alt. 197 m - Trail
  7. 6 : km 7.76 - alt. 303 m - Fourche
  8. 7 : km 8.5 - alt. 242 m - Route N973
  9. 8 : km 8.98 - alt. 236 m - Fourche
  10. 9 : km 9.51 - alt. 190 m - Path on the left. Towards the - Semoy (rivière)
  11. 10 : km 10.33 - alt. 188 m - Fourche
  12. 11 : km 10.55 - alt. 245 m - Crossroads lodges
  13. 12 : km 10.99 - alt. 351 m - Bench
  14. S/E : km 11.81 - alt. 192 m - Car park in front of the Seigneurie.

Notes

Bench at (7), on the banks of the Semois in Bohan just behind the church and at (12).

Three beautiful climbs: at (1), at (5) and at (11).

Walking poles recommended.

Water can be purchased in Membre and Bohan.

From October to January, check for dates of battues(game drives).

Worth a visit

During
Viewpoint from the rock at Saloru.
The Semois.
Church in Bohan.
Roche aux Chevesnes.

Nearby

Monthermé in France.

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

4.8 / 5
Based on 11 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.7 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.9 / 5
Route interest
4.6 / 5
Sev1978
Sev1978

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 30, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful but fairly strenuous hike thanks to (or because of ) its three climbs. Beautiful trails through woods or along the Semois river. As much of the hike takes place in the woods, you don't suffer too much from the heat.
Those looking for elevation gain will be delighted, but those hoping for beautiful views may be a little disappointed.
The GPX track is very reliable.

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Leonet mimie
Leonet mimie

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 14, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very physically demanding but beautiful walk.

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zemike0013
zemike0013

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

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

Well, for anyone who wants to climb... there's plenty to do.

Right from the start, you're brought up to speed :-)... no time for a warm-up, you do it on the first nice climb.

And there were some beautiful climbs, as well as some beautiful descents.

A superb hike for its views and elevation changes.

We got lost or hesitated two or three times, especially towards the end before reaching the road. Following the white markings on the trees, we ended up a few hundred metres above the nature reserve... and in the forest, we may have missed one or two signs.

But we covered about 12.5 km and it was very enjoyable.

Without walking sticks, I'm not sure it's accessible to everyone...

I will come back with other people because we found two or three nice spots for a picnic and drone photography in the middle of the day.

I would definitely recommend it.

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Teneombre
Teneombre
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 26, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

Good hike, if you don't forget the very difficult tag like I did ^^ We missed the first small circular, but that was our mistake because the description is quite clear
Some parts of the hike are particularly steep, but it's worth it.
In terms of scenery, however, we were a little disappointed. We missed the first circular and its viewpoints, and on the second circular, there is only a clear view at the end of the last climb. The rest is mainly forest, with cliffs and the river, which you can sometimes glimpse below. It has a certain charm, but I wouldn't recommend this hike if you're mainly looking for beautiful scenery.

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Didierisaso
Didierisaso

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 21, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

We had a wonderful time with Point de Vue and these three challenges, which we really enjoyed. Thank you.

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lazzerini
lazzerini
• Edited:

Hello muchke,
thank you for your constructive help.
I did this hike again this year to train for the GR20 and get some elevation gain under my belt, which is why the update is recent. I tried to look at it with fresh eyes, but apparently they're not fresh enough yet.

At (2), there is no need to take the hairpin bend to the right (if I understand correctly where you are referring to) because by continuing straight ahead, as I suggest by marking "follow the main path", you will also end up on the road and closer to the N935.
As for (5) and its 950m: I double-checked and there are indeed 950m between (5) and the fork before (6).

Everything worked out well for you in the end, which is great. I'll see what information I can provide on the points you raised, as I see that you didn't use the track, which means you had one less way of confirming your intuition.

The Visorando app is really easy to use on a smartphone, so you might want to consider it for your next hike. It's free and practical.
Best regards

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muchke
muchke

Overall rating : 4.5 / 5

Date of your route : May 01, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : Not used / Not applicable
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A magical wooded course with lovely views, enhanced by streams. Varied and physically demanding.
However, there are two points where you might hesitate:
(2): "At the fork on the left, go downhill and follow the main path to the road. Continue straight ahead to the N935." There is a hairpin bend path on the right at the bottom of the main path, otherwise you will end up too far along the road...
After (5): "Change banks. Continue climbing, with the stream now on your right. At the top, turn left. Stay on the main path. At the T-junction, turn left and join a forest path which you will follow for +/-950m": it's never 950m...is it?
Almost perfect.

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Max Zim
Max Zim

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 21, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A magnificent hike with three beautiful climbs... Extraordinary views under the sun!

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morgantifr
morgantifr

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 10, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

Good hike, medium difficulty, 3 hours long with beautiful views! I give it an average rating for the route, as we got lost in the middle of the forest because the paths were hidden by leaves on the ground and the markings on the trees weren't always there. But the views are superb, I've added some photos.

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nonac
nonac

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 02, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

Great training. The climbs are really tough. If you want to make the most of a long trip and are looking for beautiful scenery, there are undoubtedly more beautiful walks to be had in the surrounding area.
The description is perfect (except for one place where the GPX track was very helpful).

Thank you.

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sivi
sivi

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 19, 2017
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A superb walk! We set off from the tourist office in Vresse-sur-Semois. We covered a total of 19 km with a cumulative elevation gain of 680 m in 6 hours. The route has four beautiful hills, which are great training for the TMB.
And the scenery is magnificent! Well done to whoever created this route.

Sivi.

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lazzerini
lazzerini

Thank you, Terberndom, for starting the hike.
It was challenging, but you confirmed that it was not in vain.
Thank you again, and we look forward to the next hike.

Carla

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TERBERNDOM
TERBERNDOM

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 18, 2017
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A very beautiful hike under the last rays of sunshine in 2017.
Very good description (I hadn't downloaded the GPX track onto my GPS).
Very tiring (we're approaching 70) but a very, very beautiful route.

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