Sous les Roches, between Flémalle and Awirs

Car park: Chaussée de Chokier (opposite number 80) in Chokier, 4400 Flémalle.

(S/E) Start at the bottom of Rue Houlbouse (junction with Chemin de Chokier). Walk up Rue Houlbouse, cross the railway line, and shortly after the small chapel, just before the hairpin bend, turn right onto the path which leads slightly back and winds through the woods.

(1) At the end of the path, turn right (there is a gate leading to a meadow on the left). At the next junction, keep left. Push open the gate to enter the Sous les Roche nature reserve (a grassy area; the railway line is visible below) and then head back into the woods. After the hill, ignore the path climbing the slope (to the left) and the path leading back down (to the right), and shortly afterwards pass through another gate marking the boundary of the nature reserve.

(2) After the gate, the path opens out onto a grassy clearing overlooked by an impressive rock face, before heading back into the woods (another gate) whilst widening out.

(3) At the bottom, just before the path joins a wider track, take the narrow path on the left, which starts with a few steps and climbs up the slope.

(4) Halfway up the slope, keep to the right to follow the path that runs along the contour line on the hillside. Ignore the path climbing to the left, as well as the one on the right that heads back down, and continue straight on. At the next junction, just as the path you are following is about to make a hairpin bend to the left, take the small path on the right (flat).

(5) The path will soon run alongside a wall before joining another path: head up to the left. Just before reaching the summit, take the flight of steps on the left, cross the junction and continue along the path which turns right before crossing a cyclo-cross track. Keep to the right to rejoin the path lined with tall oak trees.

(6) At the large grassy crossroads (picnic spot), turn left onto the wide forest track. This narrows as it leads out onto a hay meadow, then enters the woods again, soon reaching some tennis courts which you walk alongside.

(7) After the tennis courts, turn immediately left onto the grass (a barely visible path) to walk alongside the athletics track (with a row of maple trees on the right). At the end of this, turn right, go down the few steps, enter Rue Les Taillisses and turn left straight away: the short tarmac section continues onto grass and leads into Rue du Herdier, which you take to the right. Carry on straight ahead and keep left twice to join Avenue de Piombino, which runs alongside the boarding school.

(8) After 200 metres, near a street lamp and a cast-iron manhole cover, take the small path that heads diagonally to the left into the woods. At the first junction, keep to the right to skirt a field briefly, before returning to the woods. Go straight across at the junction with a stony farm track and continue towards the woods. In the woodland, continue along the main path (signposted ‘chasse gardée’), then turn right onto the forest track. Shortly after a forest track on the right which is closed to the public (signposted), first turn left then right in front of a field to continue along a narrower track. You’ll pass the Croix Galloy.

As it runs alongside a field, the path soon emerges onto a road in poor condition. Turn right onto this road, which curves to the left and then begins a right-hand bend before reaching a junction (picnic spot).

(9) At this junction, turn immediately left onto the path marked by two stone blocks. Then take the forest track on the right, cross the tarmac road and take the path on the left running alongside a pasture (Rue du Château d’Aigremont).

This path narrows as it approaches the houses, passes between them (between numbers 15 and 16) to go round them, and continues as a downhill path to reach the end of a gravelled track. Continue down this road (Chemin des Seize Pieds) until you reach Rue Bois des Moines, which you follow down to the left until the next junction (chapel). At the junction, turn left onto Rue Sart d’Avette and follow it down to the large junction (school).

(10) At the junction, turn left, cross the car park and go round the back of the school buildings to reach a small forest track. After crossing the stream and passing a few houses, take the path (grass-covered at the start) on the left which runs parallel to the road and the stream. It passes successively under a conveyor belt, past a quarry and then past an old lime kiln (presumably!) before joining the road at the bottom of the valley.
Take this road (Rue des Awirs) to the left for about 250 m.

(11) Turn left along a meadow and a fallow field (between numbers 22 and 18) and reach the foot of the hillside. Continue to the right for a few metres, then begin the climb up the slope to the left. Three-quarters of the way up the slope, keep to the left to reach the outer wall of Aigremont Castle. Turn left to go round the castle, then immediately right opposite the gate to take a grassy path lined with trees through the fields.

At the end of the path, facing the conveyor belt, turn right towards the woods. Turn left at the junction, pass under the conveyor belt and continue to the tarmac road. When you reach the road, first turn left then right and continue along a gravel track. This continues as a footpath and heads deep into the woods whilst descending steeply (!).
Once at the bottom, turn right onto the tarmac road (Rue Trokay) and continue downhill.

(12) Immediately after number 2 Rue Trokay, take the forest track on the left which climbs up the hillside, then shortly afterwards turn left again to climb up the ravine. This leads out onto a flat hay meadow before rejoining the woods.
The path joins a wider track (Chapel of Our Lady), passes the gates of Chokier Castle, then begins the descent towards the village, continuing along the Chemin du Château. Just after number 1 on this street, turn right, keeping close to the rear of this house, into Rue Aripette. Pass under the railway bridge, then turn left onto the Chaussée de Chokier to return to the starting point, at the bottom of Rue Houlbouse (junction with the Chaussée de Chokier) (S/E).

At km 10, the descent to the Trokay can be very difficult in wet weather (slippery!).