Tour of the four villages

A hike in the Condroz region, starting from the small village of Foy-Notre-Dame on a rolling plateau with pleasant trails, including the Chemin des Pèlerins with its shrines.

Details

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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 8.72 mi
  • ◔
    Average duration: 4h 40 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 794 ft
  • ↘
    Descent: - 771 ft

  • ▲
    Highest point: 961 ft
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 587 ft

Photos

Description of the walk

Start from the car park near the church, the picnic table and the hiking signposts.

(S/E) With the church and the hiking signposts on your right, head straight ahead.

GR®® signposts

Carry on straight ahead along the Chemin des Pèlerins. After the last houses, the road becomes a farm track. Follow this track and, all along the way, discover the wayside shrines of the Chemin des Pèlerins. Enter the forest.

(1) At the crossroads, carry on straight ahead. Walk uphill and discover two magnificent centuries-old lime trees surrounding a wayside shrine. At the next crossroads (not shown on the map), carry on straight ahead. Leave the forest and walk to the junction.

Unmarked

(2) At the T-junction, turn left. Enter the woodland and head downhill to the road. Turn left onto the road and, at the N94, turn right. Follow the N94 and, before you reach the houses, look out for the path on the other side of the road to your left. Cross carefully, head uphill and keep going straight on at all junctions.

(3) Leave the woods. Once back on a path, carry on straight ahead. Cross over the dual carriageway. Enter the village of Dréhance.

(4) At the junction, head straight on into Rue de la Ferme. When you reach another road, turn right and head downhill. At the junction, take the sharp left-hand bend into Rue de Sûre.

(5) At the large fir tree, turn right onto the path towards Furfooz. After 500 m, when you reach a farm track, turn left and follow it for a few metres.

(6) At the fence around the meadow, turn right and carry on straight ahead; the farm track turns into a road. Enter the village of Furfooz. When you reach another road, carry on straight ahead. Ignore a road on the right, then one on the left, and continue along the dead-end road.

(7) At No. 27, turn left and take the path opposite. This path becomes an uphill track and leads to a farm track. Turn right.

GR®® signposting

(8) At the fork in the road, keep left for 600 m.

(9) The path splits into two routes: a farm track or a grassy path. Choose either one; they rejoin further on. Enter the woods. The path turns sharply to the left. Ignore the footpath on your right and carry on until you reach the road. (See practical information if you wish to visit Vêves Castle)

(10) Turn left and follow the road uphill to the Fork in the road.

(11) At the hamlet of Hubermont, turn right. Walk uphill and, at the property gate, turn left. Walk for 700 m.

(12) At the junction, keep to your left. Walk alongside the hedge of Boisseilles Castle. At the N94, first turn right then left, and then keep to your left.

No signposting

Ignore the dead-end road and head left. At the end of the road, turn right. Pass under the dual carriageway and continue to the right along the farm track. Follow the track; it bends left and then right. At the end of the field, go round the hedge on the left and walk to the trees.

(13) Ignore the path on the right and turn left into the gully. At the road, turn left, then carry on straight ahead and return to the car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : mi 0 - alt. 837 ft - Car park near the church
  2. 1 : mi 1.05 - alt. 686 ft - At the crossroads, go straight on
  3. 2 : mi 1.78 - alt. 774 ft - At the T-junction, turn left
  4. 3 : mi 2.83 - alt. 830 ft - Carry straight on along the path
  5. 4 : mi 3.29 - alt. 902 ft - At the crossroads, go straight on
  6. 5 : mi 3.51 - alt. 833 ft - At the large fir tree on the right-hand side of the path
  7. 6 : mi 3.84 - alt. 860 ft - Turn right at the fence
  8. 7 : mi 4.63 - alt. 692 ft - At no. 27, turn left onto the path opposite
  9. 8 : mi 4.95 - alt. 738 ft - At the fork in the road, turn left
  10. 9 : mi 5.34 - alt. 725 ft - Two paths to choose from: a farm track or a grassy path
  11. 10 : mi 5.98 - alt. 669 ft - Turn left uphill
  12. 11 : mi 6.36 - alt. 735 ft - At the fork in the road, turn right
  13. 12 : mi 6.9 - alt. 837 ft - At the junction, turn left
  14. 13 : mi 8.24 - alt. 945 ft - Turn left into the ravine
  15. S/E : mi 8.72 - alt. 837 ft - Car park near the church

Notes

The path between (5) and (6) does exist, and there is a public right of way, but unfortunately it may be ploughed at certain times of the year.

Alternative route:
(10) If you’d like to see Vêves Castle, take a detour to the right of about 800m.

Mostly in open country.
From October to December, be aware of hunting.
There is no water along the route.

Worth a visit

Along the:
Pilgrims’ Path: The pilgrimage (Whit Monday) from Dinant to Foy-Notre-Dame dates back to the 17th century. In 1609, a statue of the Virgin Mary was discovered inside a large felled oak tree on the site of the present-day church.
There are lovely stone shrines all along the route. A shrine is a niche containing a statuette of the Virgin Mary or a patron saint. You’ll come across a few of them along the Pilgrims’ Trail from (S/E) to (2).
Two magnificent lime trees, both several hundred years old, flank a potale.

Foy-Notre-Dame is the smallest village – in terms of area – in the Dinant area.

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 20 reviews

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

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Dec 31, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

On a sunny Saturday in December, the ground is frozen, making it easier to walk. When it thaws, it's not the same.

The landscape is very beautiful.

The route varies between woods, fields and villages, following small paths and farm tracks.

Thanks to the geo.

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Johnsioux
Johnsioux
• Edited:

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Dec 04, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful and varied route! Although we have been criss-crossing the region for a long time, it allowed us to discover some paths that we had not yet explored.

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Hedwig
Hedwig

Route close to national roads (noisy), hike with little interest. However, we have already enjoyed many other Visorando walks. On the plus side, the charming village of Foy-Notre-Dame is a good starting point.

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Tommyu
Tommyu

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 08, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A pleasant hike in a part of Belgium we didn't know. It was 13°C... cloudy but dry. The sun came out on our way back from the walk. The route is very well explained, no problems.
The paths were a little muddy in places.
We only came across two people!
Thank you!

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Tommyu
Tommyu

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 10, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A pleasant hike in a part of Belgium we didn't know. It was 13°C... cloudy but dry. The sun came out on our way back from the walk. The route is very well explained, no problems.
The paths were a little muddy in places.
We only came across two people!
Thank you!

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ArinaTomberg
ArinaTomberg

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 20, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A lovely walk through the fields.
Bench after point 6, just after the Sûre Farm, with a beautiful view of the valley.
The yellow fields of rapeseed in bloom are very picturesque.

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dupontrb
dupontrb

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 08, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Very beautiful views along the entire route. It's pleasant to pass through these four villages. It gives the walk a nice rhythm.

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chris cherpion
chris cherpion

We did it again on Sunday... and what a delight! Beautiful landscapes, forest trails, stunning fields! Thank you so much.
And now for an announcement:
During the first quarter of the hike, we walked along a meadow that was partly covered with poppies, with the promise that this was only the beginning...
So, this weekend, the meadow (at the edge of the forest) and before the shrine...
will be simply magical because it will be covered with poppies!
Hurry up!

Carine & Christian

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Sibboh
Sibboh

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 01, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful route through magnificent countryside. Some pleasant wooded sections, but also plenty to satisfy those who enjoy wide open views. The route follows lots of nice paths and very few roads (just a few unavoidable junctions). Passes through the beautiful villages of Foy-Notre-Dame and, above all, Furfooz.
We mainly followed the text of the description (not the app, and only occasionally the route on the map), and it was very clear. Thank you to the person who put together this lovely walk.

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chris cherpion
chris cherpion

Thank you for your encouragement, Carla!
We're doing it again this weekend
:-)

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lazzerini
lazzerini

Hello Chris Cherpion,

i am sorry to hear about your misadventure.
In fact, you only left with the printed map, as I understand that the description was not used.
That's not much, really.
Having the description with you is a real bonus if you don't know how to install the app on your mobile phone.
For your information: my hikes are a mixture of different types of markings or no markings at all, but when I use markings over a long distance, they are marked in bold at the beginning of the paragraph concerned.

You got home safe and sound...at least I hope so
and you went for a walk...admittedly not the one you wanted, but it's only a postponement.
I look forward to hearing from you on another hike

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chris cherpion
chris cherpion

Overall rating : 3 / 5

Date of your route : May 23, 2021
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : Not used / Not applicable
Very busy route : No

Visorando for Dummies!
I put my ego aside and chose self-deprecation.
As my smartphone wouldn't let me download the Visorando app, we set off with only the description and...we went in the wrong direction! Shame on us! We were misled by the sign
Promenade Foy Notre Dame (to the right when facing the church )
You can imagine what happened next... It was near the N910 that we realised our mistake
So: a simple starting arrow? Or less stupid people?
But we'll try again with the app on a smartphone

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pseudokyste
pseudokyste

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 11, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

This is already the second time I've done this hike!
It's still just as great!

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Philippe Degeye
Philippe Degeye

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 25, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Hello,

In FURFOOZ, using street names would have been more appropriate.

A few more people around Vêves Castle.

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Dehch
Dehch

It's a large farm high up, at the end of the path that leaves Sûre; we didn't immediately notice the sign for Furfooz. I should have followed the Visorando app on my smartphone... I'll know for next time.

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