MikePadgett.com

Solwaster

— Following the paths less beaten around a particularly beautiful corner of Belgium.”

The area around Solwaster, through which the Statte and Hoegne rivers pass, is a particularly beautiful corner of the Ardennes.

With the leaves starting to turn, we headed into the cool autumn woodland and eventually – thanks to a bit of presumptuous map-reading – up onto the boggy Fagnes above Jalhay.

Fortunately the weather was excellent and the landscape not too bewitching, so we managed to find our way back to the thick woodlands below. We stopped for lunch at a lovely section of the Statte, where J had packed us a bit of Tunnbröd, a delicious Swedish flatbread currently en vogue à Paris.

• Walking route: Solwaster – Solwaster (loop) detailed commentary
• Distance: c. 16km
• Modified from original source at Ardennenwandelen.nl

Larger map of this route at GoogleMaps

Detailed commentary

Translated from the original source with some significant modifications

1. Park by the roadside just above the bridge. Head back up the hill slightly and at the bend, take the small path that descends to the right (a marked GR)
2. After following the river bank for some time, you’ll pass through two wooden V-gates. At the second, cross the bridge over the river.
3. Head up the little track and cross the metal bridge over a tributary of the Hoegne.
4. At the crossroads follow the GR up into another wood. Follow this path for a while as it runs high above the right bank of the Hoegne.
5. After passing a barrier, head down to the left (still GR). After a second barrier, head right (now leaving the GR).
6. Sharp right at the fork and climb steadily up the hill.
7. At a crossroads with another track, where you can see a clearing with a house in the distance, turn right. At the end of the track you reach a T-junction, so turn left. This leads to a paved road (Gospinal) so turn right onto it, now going downhill.
8. At a junction with mirrors, turn left and follow the small road marked with a yellow square which runs more or less alongside the stream. After a technical section which climbs gently, you’ll reach a junction with the ‘Pont d’Ermitage’
9. From the Pont d’Ermitage, keep to the yellow square route straight on (not joining the road, see the deviation on the map).
10. When you reach a paved road follow it right, around a bend. After about 100 metres, you’ll reach a T-junction at which you should turn sharp left.
11. After about another 100 metres with the trail running dead straight, turn right onto a grassy (and sometimes unclear) path.
12. Straight on until you come to a small creek. You can try to follow the left bank for a short while, but you need to cross the stream at some point before it hits the woodland! Skirt around the right edge of the woodland.
13. At the junction of a track, turn right and follow the yellow square downhill again
14. Having passed the Cabane des Nutons on the left, you’ll reach a T-junction into which you can turn right and after about 100 metres – just before a bridge – take the descending path right. This is a particularly beautiful path alongside the river.
15. After passing the Cascade des Nutons, and just after the Rocher de Bilisse, turn left crossing a bridge and then another bridge (after which immediate left again up the hillside) and follow the path marked with a blue square.
16. Pass by a large stone (Le Dolmen) which may or may not be historically significant, then walk through the woods until you come out on a track between two meadows.
17. At the junction turn left. Climbing gently, ignore the first left and continue around the shallow bend to a Y-junction, taking the right fork.
18. About 500 metres on from the Y-junction, take a right onto a paved path and after about 50 metres pass through a fence. Caution with the electric fencing.
19. Keep walking straight on downhill until you reach a T-junction.
20. Take a left at the T-junction and follow the GR-marked trail quite steeply down to the parking lot of the Pont de Belleheid.
21. Head out of the right nearside of the car park via a bridge over the Hoegne and just after the wooden horeca, turn right onto the GR path.
22. Stick to this GR beside the Hoegne passing a little river island until you reach the roadside where you started.