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The last week in June saw us in the beautiful town of Bouillon. Before leaving for Belgium in February I was given the Cicerone guide to hiking in the Ardennes as a gift. This small town and its surroundings featured prominently in the guide and I was keen to see this part of Belgium perhaps more than any other. Although the hilltops rarely protrude much above 400m, they are steep and hard to avoid thanks to the meandering flow of the river Semois.
Bouillon
Hitting the trail
We set off north from the town centre, in the shadow of its famous castle up a steep hillside to a prominent lookout tower, the Belvedere. From here we continued north west to Botassart across steep and hilly terrain. On the ridge at Botassart a fine view point surveys the Tombeau du Geant - so named because a hillside rising between two meanders of the Semois resembles a large sarcophagus. Close to the viewpoint we also noticed a recently installed memorial plaque marking the spot where an RAF aircraft had been shot down in May 1940. One crew member was taken prisoner while two others were killed.
Tobeau du Geant
View from Belvedere
RAF memorial
We continued north west to the next big bend in the Semois. I had promised J that at this point in the day we could expect some mellower walking on the flat, beside the river itself. How wrong I was. Circling the northern bank of the river along a section of the GR16 trail took us over some very tricky terrain indeed with our hands grappling rock, tree roots and metal hand rails to get round safely. In wet weather this section would be treacherous. At one point we also had to ascend a 6m ladder up a small, vertical crag.
River Semois
Ladder section
Heading south we reached Poupehan where we stopped in a cafe for a welcome sandwich lunch. Recharged and refuelled we crossed the river and struck south for Corbion, very close to the French border. From Corbion we began our return to Bouillon across an easier section of the GR14 trail. However, on the outskirts of Bouillon we parted company. J preferred to stay on the bank of the river back into the centre of town while I decided to tack on one more hill to the day climbing up into the woods to the south of Bouillon to reach a lookout affording spectacular views of the castle.
Monument des Fusillees
On this detour I also passed by the Monument des Fusillees - a memorial to three Belgian civilians shot by the Gestapo at this spot in July 1944. According to the memorial plaque their execution was ordered by Leon Degrelle, a notorious Belgian collaborator, member of the SS and native of Bouillon. I was amazed to learn that this character had lived out his years peacefully on the Costa del Sol, dying in 1994 despite being sentenced to death in absentia by a Belgian court after the war and following unsuccessful attempts to extradite him from Spain. Standing in the quiet it was disturbing to look around at the trees and to realise this woodland would have been the last thing those three unfortunate souls ever saw. Once again, my wanderings in Belgium gave me a sharp reminder of Europe’s bloody and violent 20th century.
Today’s hike was the toughest day out I’ve had in Belgium, with almost 1000m of vertical ascent. Whoever says Belgium is a flat country is lying. Head to Bouillon and the Semois valley and see for yourself. The area is an obvious destination for canoeists and kayakers too and many of the kayak hire companies will drive your hiking gear to different points up or down stream from Bouillon so you can combine hikes and paddles in a single day. We really enjoyed our trip to Bouillon, finding excellent accommodation and great food and beer. On that score I have to give a special mention to Godefroy Blonde - a delicious (and powerful) brew that really hits the spot after a long day on the trail.
In three weeks’ time I’ll be in the Alps with the Belgian Alpine Club. I feel well prepared and have been pleased that despite living in a country with no mountains I’ve been able to rack up more than 8000m of vertical ascent in my hikes so far this year. Hopefullly this should set me in good stead for the Alps.
Belgium is not flat!
