The route ran along typical Ardennes landscapes, with alternating forests, fields and meadows with (frolicking) cows. In the early morning, I met a GR trails volunteer doing his morning walk. I thanked him for the clear GR signage. The hike became much longer than expected because I had to deviate from the GR path. The Osmand app indicated a dirt road that turned out not to exist when I got there. As a result, I had to detour for several kilometres.
After the Iron, Lys, Scheldt and Samber I now walked a section along the bank of the Maas.
In the French town of Givet I could have lunch and stock up on some food. Above Givet stands the imposing Fort Charlemont, which in 1555 was built by order of Emperor Charles V. The fort's features include an 800-metre-long corridor system, 3 kilometres of trenches and an abandoned village with 48 buildings.
Today, for the first time, I Komoot used, a more user-friendly navigation app than Osmand, which sometimes suggests the most insane routes with huge detours or along non-existent paths and busy motorways.
Komoot pleased me: the path over a hill I wanted to follow I couldn't get mapped out with Osmand. The app wanted to send me 2 km back towards Givet each time and then have me follow a busy National Highway. I really didn't like that with this heatwave. Komoot spontaneously picked up my much shorter, if slightly tougher route over the hill when I entered my final destination and 'walking' as an activity. Moreover, if you download the world map (paid), you get spoken navigation instructions, even on small forest paths. However, you do have to check if you are still on the correct route at questionable junctions, because if you deviate you don't get a warning. But Osmand does....
First I walked about two kilometres on the towpath alongside the Meuse. Just before Chooz, I turned left into a steep mountain path that led to the top of the hill, with beautiful panoramic views over Chooz.
On the plateau above was a seismic monitoring station. This was followed by a long descent to the French village of Landrichamps. During that department, I held near a hunter's cabin stop to eat something. Barely seated, it started thundering in earnest over the hill, in the Meuse Valley. There was a small shelter at the hut where I could seek shelter from any torrential rain. I went to take a look, and then the bolt of the door not even locked. There were tables, chairs and even a real seat inside! The thunderstorm didn't make it over the hill in the end, but I couldn't resist taking a rest in that seat. Thanks for the welcoming open-door, hunters!
After Landrichamps followed a difficult section that is probably rarely, if ever, walked: repeatedly fallen trees across the road where it is difficult to get over or under with a backpack, poorly visible path, along a riverbed with large boulders, tall grass.... It was slow going, but I made my way through. Until I reached the reached forest edge, right on the Franco-Belgian border: there again opened up a wide field with a nicely passable path. Yesterday I walked parallel to the border for quite a while, and then it was also clearly visible that the French side is much bebetter than the Belgian.
After that descent, I reached Felenne, where another museum- customs post (main photo) state dating from the pre-Schengen era....
Tonight I am staying in the garden with Sébastien, his three children and two dogsn. He lives in a 19th-century row house that he is gradually renovating and has a goji berry bush in his garden. I never saw those nutritious berries in fresh condition before.
Panoramic views over Chooz
Around 9 am, I was out and about. The nature and hiking trails around Felenne are bloody beautiful: diverse translucent forest, wide grass avenues (firebreaks) and absolute silence. Until the village Vencimont didn't hear a single car. There are only a few places like that in Belgium, I think.
The Komoot app did a good job except for one 'mountain path to the left'. There I only saw a large area of ferns, not ideal for making your way through as they are full of ticks. According to Komoot and Osmand, I could get back on the marked route via a block around a meadow, but there was no path there either. So I walked through the forest around the ferns, descended to the ford by the river where Komoot wanted to lead me, and climbed back up on the other side until I came back on a passable path. There I was back on the route that a little later turned into beautiful wide grassy drives. A bliss to walk on ...
A few kilometres further on I reached the GR126. This followed the course of a small river and would therefore be fairly flat. Komoot suggested a shorter route over the mountain, but to save my strength and avoid untraceable mountain paths, I wisely followed the GR route around the mountain.
At Vencimont According to the map, there would be three eateries, a bakery and a butcher. Resto 1 only opened at 5pm. The bakery would only open an hour later (lunch break). The butcher was closed with no posted hours. Resto 2 permanently closed. Resto/hotel 3 closed on Wednesday. The lunch 'goesting tooth' I had to pull out and settle for a few hunks of bread and a surplus of non-perishable 'Goudkuipje' processed cheese along the way.
The GR to Gedinne continued the riverside route, fairly easy with few elevation changes, but a bit more crowded walking. Then again, that is not bad for Street Nurses fundraising, as I handed out flyers along the way and some people seemed genuinely interested.
In Vencimont I had Angeline met her son, who came to pick up her son from the hairdresser's. She offered me a lift to Gedinne as there are many restaurants and shops there. I told her about my walking project and said I was doing everything on foot. When she heard that after Gedinne I had to continue for 7 km to a Welcome To My Garden garden in Haut Fays, she offered me her garden in Gedinne. That was a big relief because those last 7 km with the food purchases from Gedinne still in the backpack would have been very tough.
Before I found Angeline's house in Gedinne, I took a walk with Christophe, who had just returned from a long walk with his dog. He told me there was a good camping was with an opened tavern. Christophe works as a waiter in a hotel owned by the same owner. Had I known this! That campsite was not displayed on Googlemaps. Since Thursday my friend Patricia Schellekens is coming after me with a load of flyers, I decided in Camping de la Croix-Scaille to spend the night and meet Patricia here. Of this, I informed Angeline by text message.
When I checked in for two nights I got it from the super-friendly campsite manager free for my Street Nurses project. I am happy to transfer that donation to Street Nurses ASBL.
Thursday I take a rest day and try to load the maps on my Garmin cycling and walking GPS, which I bought in Bruges and picked up in Ypres, using the tablet that Patricia also brings. I have been lugging that rather heavy thing around since Ypres without being able to use it. I hope I manage to download the maps, otherwise that thing will go back home with Patricia and that will be something for my next long (cycling) trip.
This morning I left in a light shower, but it cleared up after half an hour.
I partially followed GR126. At a point where the GR split off to make a large diversions, I decided to follow the shorter route (17 km) suggested by Komoot. Over 8 km that also ran via a beautiful forest path Where I was all alone. And again that wonderful silence, except for the occasional plane.
So it went smoothly until the last 5km before Bohan (according to signposts). That's where things went a bit wrong. To avoid asphalt roads, Komoot first sent me into a forest path, which a little further along a very steep, albeit signposted, hairpin path descended to the bed of a dry river. Not so simple with a heavy backpack, because on dry leaves and small pebbles you easily slide under.
I kept following the signposted path, which was also littered with natural barriers, follow, but a long way down the road I saw that it was at the had ended up on the wrong side of the Semois. To get to Bohan I would have to make a diversion up to the next bridge in Membre, a village beyond Bohan. According to Komoot, I had to follow the difficult path, on which I only avanced very slowly, for another 2 km. Fortunately, after 500 metres it turned into a wide footpath beside the bank of the Semois. And as soon as I came out of the forest, I saw Camping Le Jardinet, where I decided to spend the night. So Bohan is now well behind me.
When I set up my little tent, there was one big green tent in all. When I returned from the village, the whole Semois bank was full of tents. Meanwhile, a large group of Latinos from Brussels who are now throwing a, thankfully fairly quiet, party here with Latin music.
Camping on the banks of a river: I took advantage of this to give my tired feet a cool water massage. And the numerous fish were very interested in my toes and came to sip on them too.
Enjoying the silence
It became not a quiet night in camping Le Jardinet with the partying Latinos next to my little tent. As the wine flowed in, the voices increased. Fortunately, I always have earplugs at and I was able to sleep through it reasonably well. The music went out a bit earlier, but the last chattering crowd did not move tentwards until 5:30. Then there was only snoring.... As quietness only returned by the time I get up normally now because of the heat, I decided to sleep a bit longer anyway to compensate for the noisy night. This allowed me to pack my tent, which was very wet from condensation, dry.
Today's tour promised four climbs, each time coming out of the Semois valley uphill into the woods, descending to the next village, and then up again. Two of those loops I could cut off because there were lower alternative paths or quiet lanes. As a result, I only had to climb twice, together still good for 540 altimeters. If I hadn't taken those shortcuts, I would have again 20km truncated. This while for cars the distance Membre-Alle only 9 km is.
This region is very touristy and now I get food easily. There is something in every village. In Alle there's even a supermarket, so tomorrow yogurt for breakfast. The campsites here are a bit too crowded for me, but at least they don't throw me out like in France. This will probably improve from next week, when the summer holidays are over.
This Sunday was not a day of rest. Between Alle and Epine stood me over 20 km and 600 altitude metres await. As the GR line followed the river nicely, I thought the route would be up to Frahan would not be too tough along the banks of the Semois, but that turned out to be wishfull thinking. Immediately after the last canoe hire it went path steeply uphill.
What those canoe rental concerns: boats lie unused along the banks. Due to the drought, the water level too low and all Ardennes rivers have been closed to canoeing since mid-June. This in the middle of the high season, and already for the fourth year in a row. What a noose for people who make their living doing this. The effects of climate change...
The climb out of Alle was followed by a long descent to Frahan on a ridge path where a slide left would still land you about 50 metres lower. That path was also marked as a mountain bike route. I take off my hat and bow deeply for those who dare/can take this path by bike. On some sections, the rideable section was barely a wheel width wide, with rocks at pedal or handlebar height to make it even more difficult. For no money would I dare take a bike over this, I already found it difficult on foot.
After that descent, I saw a jumper hanging over a signpost. Taking a closer look at it, I saw one of those beautiful beetle on which artist Jan Fabre lined the ceiling of the Royal Palace. It was the first time I saw such a beetle alive and in a natural environment.
The last 2 km to Frahan I followed an easy meadow path instead of the GR16, which again went straight over a hill.
After the Passerelle bridge from Frahan followed a long but tame climb to Rochehaut, a pretty and very touristy village with a beautiful panorama over the Semois river near Frahan. In pastures just outside the village were bison and buffalo-like cattle.
The remainder of the route was less strenuous, with a final climb rewarding the panorama over the Tombeau du Géant near Botissart. A piece of natural heritage and the most photographed place in Wallonia.
This evening I am sleeping in the garden of Ruben in Epine, a hamlet of a few houses 4 km outside Bouillon. But not in my tent. Ruben allowed me to sleep in a visitor's caravan in his garden. In a real bed with pillow, lovely!
Tombeau du géant
16 September: Opening the door at Diamondway Buddhist Centre in Tallinn The centre's meditation sessions are open
