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This guidebook describes 32 varied day walks and one longer route in the Ardennes, an area which lies mostly in Belgium but extends into both Luxembourg and France, with easy access from the English Channel ports. It's an area of beech and oak-forested hills divided by deep, winding valleys with wide, shallow rivers. Medieval castles and fortified farmhouses abound, perched above the villages. The walking possibilities are endless, all without the large height gains that are a feature of routes in the European Alps. Relics and museums of the WW2 'Battle of the Bulge' abound, a bonus for military history enthusiasts.
Given the huge variety of other entertainments including kayaking, cross-country biking, even just playing at the water's edge, it's a great family destination. And there's the beer. Walking in the Ardennes is illustrated with clear custom-made maps and contains lots of information about the vivid history of the area, as well as all the practical accommodation needed to plan a trip, including accommodation, food and drink and advice on when to go.
Introduction
Geography
Geology
World War II and the Ardennes
Plants and wildlife
Food and drink
Early guides to the Ardennes
Scope of this guide
Getting there
When to visit
Accommodation
Money
Health and safety
What to take
Maps
Waymarking
Communications
The RAVeL network
Using this guide
1 Bouillon and the River Semois
Walk 1 Bouillon to Sedan
Walk 2 Corbion, Crêtes de Frahan, Rochehaut and Corbion
Walk 3 Bouillon to Poupehan and back
Walk 4 Vresse and Membre
Walk 5 Bohan and the French frontier
Walk 6 Dohan and the Semois
Walk 7 L’Abbaye Notre-Dame d’Orval
Walk 8 Herbeumont: Viaduct and château
Walk 9 Herbeumont: Mortehan, viaduct and the château
Walk 10 La Ramonette
Walk 11 The Belvédère
Walk 12 Arboretum and patriots’ memorial
2 Spa
Walk 13 Solwaster and the Statte stream
Walk 14 Fagne de Malchamps
Walk 15 Château de Franchimont
Walk 16 L’Étang de Chawion and Lac de Warfaaz
3 Hautes Fagnes, Malmédy and Stavelot
Walk 17 An excursion in the Hautes Fagnes
Walk 18 Kaiser Karl’s Bettstatt
Walk 19 Cascade and canyon
Walk 20 Château de Reinhardstein
Walk 21 Stavelot, Coo and Trois Ponts triangle
4 Dinant, the Meuse and the Lesse
Walk 22 The Meuse and the Lesse
Walk 23 Gendron-Celles station to Houyet along the Lesse
Walk 24 Le Parc de Furfooz
Walk 25 Château de Walzin
Walk 26 Belvaux and the Bois de Niau
Walk 27 Han-sur-Lesse and Rochefort
Walk 28 Château de Montaigle
5 La Roche-en-Ardenne
Walk 29 Maboge, Borzée and the ridges above the Ourthe
Walk 30 The Celtic fort
Walk 31 Circuit of the Lac des Deux Ourthes
Walk 32 La Roche, Cielle and Le Grand Bois
6 Luxembourg
Walk 33 The Sentier du Nord
Stage 1 Weiswampach to Troisvierges
Stage 2 Troisvierges to Clervaux
Stage 3 Clervaux to Drauffelt
Stage 4 Drauffelt to Kautenbach
Stage 5 Kautenbach to Goebelsmühle
Stage 6 Goebelsmühle to Diekirch
Appendix A Route summary table
Appendix B Useful websites
After a short commission in the Army, Jeff Williams trained in paediatric medicine and worked as a consultant paediatrician in North Wales for 30 years. During that time he wrote walking and climbing guides for the Stubai, Silvretta and Otztal Alps, as well as the Cicerone guide Walking in the Drakensberg. Jeff also trained as a safari guide in South Africa and currently teaches new guides and lectures in Wales on guiding and walking.
