Sainte-Ode walks

With beautiful panoramic views over the delightfully undulating countryside, this walk starting from the hamlet of Beauplateau is sure to delight many. Cow pastures dominate the landscape: there are few crops and no real woodland sections, although you do skirt round the odd copse here and there… and are sometimes in for a lovely surprise. Those who dislike tarmac, however, might want to give this a miss, even though the many small country roads taken aren’t particularly busy. The church at Tillet, with its freestanding bell tower, is well worth a visit.

The Agaric walk, adapted here, offers a wide variety of landscapes along the route: sometimes wooded with scrub, sometimes with deciduous trees, and often open, with beautiful panoramic views of the neighbouring rolling countryside.

Starting from the hamlet of Beauplateau and the former convent built in 1880, set off to discover the Chapel of Notre-Dame de Lorette via covered and uncovered trails, roads and dirt tracks.

The walk begins in an orchard with heritage fruit varieties and an apiary, before following a sunken path that descends to the bottom of the Laval Valley. Beavers, ponds, artistic installations... so many discoveries await you.

As a result, the walk is more rural than wooded, offering more panoramic views of this beautiful region. Whilst the natural scenery is lovely, don’t expect too many architectural or artistic highlights: there are a few works of art along the old country lane between Amberloup and Lavacherie, the Saint-Hubert Chapel in Bonnerue and the Church of Saint-Ouen in Tillet with its separate bell tower, but that’s about it.

This beautiful hike in Sainte-Ode takes you on a journey of discovery through the valleys of the Ourthe, Baseille and Laval streams, alternating between forest and pretty panoramic views of this region of the Ardennes, with a return trip through the Orti Nature Reserve.

A few sculptures, a bit of nature reserve with the occasional sign of beavers here and there, and a bit of countryside: that’s what this walk has to offer.

Le Laval is the name given to the stream that originates upstream of Magerotte and flows into the Western Ourthe at Sainte-Ode after passing through Magery, Houmont, Rechrival, Laval (near Laval Castle), Fosset and Sprimont.‘Le Tram’ is the former local railway line that linked Marche to Bastogne: you’ll only really see the route itself near the ‘Espace de jeux’ in Chenogne. A number of signposted walks have been marked out in the region based on this railway line.This highly scenic walk takes you through the rolling Ardennes countryside, with its meadows and farmland. There is only 1.5 km of woodland on this route, towards the end between Chenogne and the gigantic commemorative cross erected ‘in the middle of nowhere’.

The valleys of the western Ourthe, its tributary the Laval, and the Orti Nature Reserve are particularly interesting at the start. After Wachirock, a succession of lovely countryside scenes unfolds, with panoramic views across this beautiful, rolling region. The stretch between Tillet and Amberloup offers a particularly relaxing atmosphere. The return journey along the outskirts of Tonny, through the countryside, in the undergrowth or along the edges of woodland, provides a very pleasant finale to this easy walk.Keen observers will probably spot the odd remnant of a work of art near the nature reserve, the gigantic white building of the holiday centre overlooking Amberloup, and the Château du Celly in the direction of the Cheslin Rocks. Happy spotting! Well worth a go in any season!

From the beautiful village of Lavacherie, set off to explore the Chapelle de la Bonne Dame and the Cheslin viewpoint. On your way back, pass by the Golet campsite and through the village streets, where magnificent houses built from local stone come into view.

Is the walk awful? Not at all! The route winds through the countryside and forests of north-eastern Libramont. And when the magic of winter appears, it can take many forms! Even when there is no snow! Frosty fog can adorn the vegetation with a magnificent display. Another completely different natural phenomenon is the formation of white filamentous ice on dead branches caused by a fungus that releases water which freezes in the form of silky filaments. In summer, the atmosphere is inevitably different... and so are the landscapes! You are unlikely to have the chance to observe a stray deer in the middle of the meadows near the ponds of Château de Freux for long.

This unpretentious walk allows you to wander around the villages of Freux and Bras, through pastures and along country roads. The walk starts in front of Freux church, where there is a large car park.

No dazzling monuments here, just nature at its best! The walk begins on a stretch of an old local track and gradually winds its way into the woodland.After passing the hamlet of ‘Mesy’ – a charming clearing with a few beautifully restored houses – the route reaches the village of Poisson-Moulin and continues towards Magerotte and Houmont along country lanes offering magnificent panoramic views of the green hills, which are coloured in season by a profusion of flowers and fields of rapeseed.The return to the starting point first climbs up to the wooded heights between Hubermont and Senonchamps before descending once more towards Chenogne through the Ardennes countryside.

Once upon a time, there was a railway line numbered 163 that linked Libramont to Gouvy via Bastogne. It is the small stretch of the Ardennes situated between Remience and Morhet, to the north of this disused railway line, that this walk invites you to discover.The alternation between forest and countryside provides the variety of experiences essential to any good walk.Although there are a few rather gloomy stretches of pine forest here and there, the walk ends with a splendid stretch of forest, as wild as you could wish for, around the 18 km mark.Architecture-wise: a small castle hidden in the woods near Morhet Station and the Chapel of Remience (where a touch of AI helps remove the countless power lines that spoil the photos).

Set off to explore the River La Basseille, a tributary of the Ourthe which rises in Saint-Hubert. The river, whose banks form a Nature Reserve, flows exclusively through the Forest of Freyr for around 10 km. Please note: there are two sections that are more difficult to follow; a GPX track is recommended.

This Ardennes circular route offers beautiful scenery across the rolling countryside around Laneuville and Remience and passes through open forests with a variety of tree species typical of the region.Magnificent in spring, the colours of nature are just as splendid in autumn... and what can one say when nature is covered in a pristine blanket of snow in winter.A few ponds and beaver dams add a pleasant touch to the route.Completely off the beaten track, the likelihood of meeting anyone is very low: we only came across one person loading logs onto his lorry and a farmer repairing the fences around his pastures.Consequently, there are very few benches and not a single picnic table along the entire route. There are no shops either: don’t set off without bringing at least some food and drink.

The Ruisseau de Basseille has its source in the Fagne de la Borne near the Saint-Hubert Aerodrome and flows into the western Ourthe near Ortheuville. This walk follows its course more or less closely for about 6 km.

Those who love nature and solitude will be in their element: it is possible not to encounter a single hiker on this circular route, which is half countryside and half woodland, even on a fine summer’s day. You may come across some roe deer.

The hike takes you on a journey of discovery through the countryside and forests on the heights of the Deux Ourthes Natural Park. The balanced alternation between panoramic views and deciduous and coniferous forests provides all the ingredients for a beautiful and enjoyable outing in nature.

Here is a circular walking route within the Two Ourthes Nature Park, offering a lovely mix of countryside and woodland (alternating between coniferous and deciduous trees) with magnificent views of the Ardennes hills between La Roche-en-Ardenne and the Pays de Bastogne. The section along the River Ourthe is wonderfully wild, and progress is slower here than on the wide country lanes to the north of the route. It is likely that this route would be impassable without getting your feet wet in the event of heavy flooding.