Are you an enthusiastic hiker, have good legs and want to visit some of Belgium's hot spots during this 13km walk? Then this walk is for you. On the programme: Many panoramic views, Tombeau du Géant, Passerelle de l'Epine and Bouillon.
Highlights:
- Tombeau du Géant
- Semois River
- Passerelle de l'Epine
- Bouillon
 Starting point: Parking Tombeau du Géant |
End Point: Parking Tombeau du Géant
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 Height difference: 320m |
 Distance: 13km |
 Difficulty: Challenging |
 GPX file: Download
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Lunch/picnic
Along the way, you will come across several nice places where you can have lunch with beautiful views. We chose to have lunch near Bouillon overlooking the castle.
Description
Starting point, as shown above, is the Tombeau du Géant car park. This car park is free, but we definitely recommend starting the walk during the morning anyway. There was plenty of parking during our visit, but during the high season this car park can fill up quickly.
The hike starts with a steep descent that will test your knees, once down you arrive to the banks of the Semois river. Our visit to this valley was during mid-October and the autumn colours were spectacular.
You then follow the banks of the Semois and a few kilometres further on you will see the Passerelle de l'Epine, a recent (2020) suspension bridge 55 metres long that was built to connect the walks between Botassart and Corbion.
We stay on the same side of the river and continue on towards the beautiful town of Bouillon. A few kilometres further on you will discover the Abbey of Notre-Dame de Clairfontaine (is also called Abbey of Cordemois), it is open to the public, but we skipped a visit.
Time for a lunch break with stunning views of Bouillon Castle. By the way, did you know that this high castle is 1 of the oldest castles in Belgium?
Take some time to digest, because as soon as you leave Bouillon there is a steep climb ahead. Also, be careful because for us it was hard to find the path due to the many leaves covering the path.
Take your time during this ascent, because afterwards you get a beautiful view of the valley of Bouillon. By the way, there is also a bench (in the middle of nowhere) where you can pause and enjoy the breathtaking view. A little further on, you get to the top of the hill and also have the chance to go even higher up via the observation tower.
The way back goes through a beautiful forest and then you walk back along the banks of the Semois. Hopefully you will still have energy left by then, as the last 2km is uphill.
Arriving back at the Tombeau du Géant car park, we decided to drive to Brasserie de Rochehaut. Took some more photos of the panoramic view of Frahan and then enjoyed a nice local beer. Cheers!