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Warche and Warenne

— On a hot day in the Walloon countryside, the long woodland path running beside a river made for particularly pleasant walking.”

A quiet corner of the Belgian Ardennes, the Warche-Warenne valley is just east of Malmedy.

Highlights on this walk included the beautifully restored Château Reinhardstein (originally dates from 1354), long riverside sections and pleasant views atop the numerous climbs.

• Walking route: Arimont – Bruyères – Walk – Reinhardstein – Bevercé – Chôdes – Arimont (loop) detailed commentary
• Distance: 20.7km
• Original source: Ardennenwandelen.nl

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Warche and Warenne

A walk between two rivers in the rolling Ardennes hills to the east of Malmedy.

Larger map of this route at GoogleMaps

Detailed commentary

Translated from the original source with numerous small changes

1. Park in Arimont and walk north down the Chemin du Val towards the defunct railway.
2. The road descends to cross what was once the railway line. There’s also a fishing pond in front of you. Turn right to follow the trackbed for a few metres and take a left up a clearly discernible track into the forest. Walk up through the forest, straight on until you reach a T-junction at the hamlet Boussire. Turn right here onto the Route d’Espérance, following it until it bends off quite sharply to the right. At this point turn onto the gravel road to the left until you reach a sharp left corner, where there’s a fenced-off path going straight ahead.
3. Climb the fence and follow that path for about 200 meters along the right side of a wide pasture. When you see another fenced-off path to your right which runs between two fields, squeeze through the little gap and beat a path along it. Initially it’s very overgrown, but it gets gradually wider until finally it becomes a tarmac road. You can follow it downhill almost to the end, where you’ll come to the hamlet of Bruyères.
4. Just a little before the main road through Bruyères, take the little asphalt road to the left which runs between some houses. At the end, take the first left again and stay on this road all the way to Walk. Cross over the N681 at Walk.
5. Continue straight on and then turn down the first, tree-lined road to the right. This road brings you through a farm back to the N681 just at the eastern edge of Walk, so take a left onto it and continue downhill beyond the Barrage (Dam) de Robertville. There isn’t a pavement on the N681, so stick to the grass verges.
6. Immediately after the dam, turn left and follow the wide semi-paved path towards Chateau Reinhardstein, for which there are clear signs.
7. At a Y-junction where the broad path (with the red / white GR marking) descends, take the narrower left path. After about 150 meters turn the narrower, right-hand path that cuts between rocks in the direction of the Chateau. Descend down over the little bridge with the castle on your left. Being privately owned, the castle is not often open to the public, so check in advance to avoid disappointment. With the castle to your left, there’s a path straight ahead which climbs into the wood (this is the continuation of the GR with red / white marking) and then descends again. Keep heading left and descending – sharply at times – towards the river.
8. Now follow the valley of the Warche on the right bank for a few miles until, after passing a very large quarry, you arrive ultimately at a campsite. Turn left into the main entrance and pass between the bar/resto (left side) and the reception (right side). This track continues right through the campsite, then crosses a bridge over the Warche.
9. After the little bridge take the first path on the left and up into the woodland. This is quite a tough climb out of the river valley. The hill pulls out of the woodland and curves around a crest gently to the right, the gradient lessening. There’s a seat at the top that’s a nice little rest stop!
10. The little road we’re on now is called Roptintchamp and it leads eventually to a T-junction with the Rue des Crêtes in the little village called Chôdes, where you should again turn left, following almost immediately right off the roundabout, a road which is in fact a continuation of the Rue des Crêtes.
11. The Rue des Crêtes descends slightly to another T-junction as you leave Chôdes, this time with the Route du Barrage (your old friend the N681). Go left for a minute or two, then right immediately after the chapel. You can follow this road, which narrows after turning into a track, and descends quite sharply until you reach the first house of a hamlet called Winbômont.
12. When you get to this first house, no need to pass by it, just take the path to the left beside it. This path turns grassy, descending and narrowing again as it enters the woods. Once in the woods, it becomes wider, finally linking up with another path as you continue on. You’ll cross over that same the defunct railway line again, following the path until you reach a slightly unusual wooden bridge that crosses the river Warchenne.
13. Immediately after this crossing, take the path to the right which climbs quite steeply again. This eventually becomes asphalt until you finally reach Arimont, where you can find your way easily back to the car.