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La Mehaigne

— The rural Hesbaye-Haspengouw is known for its produce and not much else, but quiet rural settings make for good walking.”

The wide plains and rich soils of Hesbaye-Haspengouw are responsible for much of Belgium’s food produce.

The area is not otherwise well known, flanked as it is by the more populated Namurois and the more dramatic Ardennes. For many visitors however, the silent rurality is one of its attractions.

This walk encounters the Mehaigne river on several occasions and runs through the Parc Naturel des Vallées de la Burdinale-Mehaigne.

• Walking route: Fallais – Fumal – Huccorgne – Marneffe – Fallais (loop) detailed commentary
• Distance: 20km
• Original route by Godfried

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La Mehaigne

The Mehaigne river wanders through the sleepy villages and windy plains of Hesbaye-Haspengouw, an area that grows much of Belgium's fresh produce.

Detailed commentary

Larger map of this route

With the church behind, turn left on Rue de l’Eglise and follow it to the end, going right at the first fork then turning right onto Rue Hubert Krains and heading gently downhill and over the river as far as the old railway line. Turn right onto the old railbed (a RAVeL path) and follow it for about 500m to a road (Rue du Val de Mehaigne) onto which turn right. Go straight on the road and continue straight uphill when the road bends away. At the junction at the top, turn left. Soon the road runs out onto a stony field track.

Follow the track until it eventually joins a road (Rue Hougnée). Go left on this road and take the first left, descending gently to a junction with the Rue de Fleuron. Turn right and head downhill into the village of Fumal, taking the first left and passing first the church then the Château and Château-Ferme de Fumal. As the path descends, turn right at the bottom and cross the bridge over the Mehaigne to the left. Next to the far side of the bridge, a path runs to the right alongside the river with the football field over on the opposite bank. At the junction just after another small bridge in the woods, turn left and eventually reach a road (Rue sous Chaumont) onto which turn right and go uphill to another junction, this time with the Rue du Village. Turn left here momentarily and at a fork in the road where a chapel forms the apex, take the right branch uphill (Thier Mozon).

Thier Mozon becomes a rougher track as it runs between fields. With the A15 Namur-Liège in sight on the skyline ahead, at a t-junction turn right and head gently downhill. Go straight between the farm buildings and into a woodland track that heads left. The track gets rougher, drops downhill into a shallow bowl valley and passes a marshy pond on the right before heading uphill again and joining a road. Turn right onto the road and carefully cross over. Go downhill as far as the main road into Huccorgne and cross over, continuing straight in the direction of the village church. As the main roads bends away, continue straight keeping the church above to the right. Take the right fork uphill onto Rue Gohette, then first right onto a flatter road and first left steeply uphill on Rue des Petites Trixhes. At the top of the hill, turn right (Rue Chénia) and when the road runs out, go straight onto a narrow descending footpath. The path descends through woodland and at a noticeboard, just before the path exits onto a road, turn left onto another path that crosses over then runs beside a stream.

The path eventually meets a road (Rue du Sart). Turn right and soon after cross the main road going left and steeply uphill on a narrow track that passes the old cemetery of the village of Marneffe. Still heading uphill, pass straight through one junction before joining a wider road. Continue uphill, passing a village square and church on the left before taking the first narrow street to the left (Ruelle Collon). Pass a bakery and when the street runs out, continue on the grassy path between fields. The path turns to the left around the edge of trees and heads downhill to a road (Rue du Buck). Turn right here and then take the first left by a picnic bench. The road bends to the right and reaches a junction, at which turn left and pass another cemetery on the left. At the end of the road is a solitary, new house. Go straight ahead on the track beside it that runs out into the wide fields.

The track dips then rises to a crossroads of tracks. Turn right here and go straight, crossing a road with a chapel at some distance off to the right and continuing on past the next junction. The track bends to the right and crosses another road. Soon after, go left at a corner junction of tracks and eventually descend to a t-junction. Looking right here, an earlier part of the route can be seen, but go left onto a stony track between fields that descends to houses and another junction. Turn right here onto the Rue de Bossiaux. The Château de Fallais can now be seen. Turn right again and on reaching the old railway line from near the beginning of the walk, turn left onto the old railway.

Continue straight until just after a railway bridge. Leave the path and turn right on the road back towards the bridge, at which turn left and go downhill through the hamlet of Hosdent, keeping to the right at the fork of three roads. Continue straight on Thier des Broux and when the road runs out, follow the path into the woodlands. Having climbed up to meet the Rue du Chardon, turn right onto it and arrive back at the church.