Belgium's adventurous side: Wallonia

Slow travel and the great outdoors are natural partners, where an element of unexpectedness is all part of the experience. As the city centre fades through a train window or hills rise and fall beneath your feet or bicycle pedals, a rough itinerary allows room for surprise. Whether you stumble across a spectacular viewpoint or a delay causes you to find a hidden restaurant, there is room for exploration. Just as you might share a table and conversation with strangers on a train through the fields of France, you might just as easily encounter a herd of deer in a quiet, wooded glen. 

It was in unsung Wallonia, in Belgium, where my colleague Harriet and I put this combination of slow travel and adventure to the test. Many will recognise Belgium as the home of Flanders, and the wonderful cities of Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp. But head south and there is a wilder side to Belgium, with real hills, forested valleys and winding rivers.

Harriet Matthews

Day 1

4.45am. The alarm goes off. Normally this isn’t met with a huge amount of enthusiasm, but on this occasion the early call marked the start of a few days of exploration. I had actually grown up in Mons when younger, as part of a military family, and was excited to go back and explore more of the region, to revisit the wooded forests and meandering valleys that I tentatively remember from childhood. 

The 05:31 train from Winchester was perfectly on time, before tube-ing through London to St. Pancras International, for the 09:01 Eurostar to Brussels. 

After grabbing breakfast and a new book for the journey at the station, I met Hatty just before check-in, and we made it through in about 10 minutes. 

Time sped by and the clocks changed as we briefly entered France, through Lille and onwards into Belgium and Bruxelles-Midi. Bruxelles-Midi is a fairly big station, and a hub for connections onwards to the Netherlands, Germany, Luxembourg and France; but you filter quickly onto the main concourse, with access to the boards and platforms, clear and straightforward. So despite only having a 28-minute connection, we had plenty of time to buy our onward tickets, pick up some lunch from the Carrefour and find our way to the platform to Namur, the capital of Wallonia. 

Every town and landscape is amplified in the sun, but Namur has a welcoming square outside the station and a large pedestrian area, with lots of medieval winding streets weaving their way through the city. Namur has an interesting niche rule throughout the city centre, that if the level crossing has been painted black, you can cross anywhere and pedestrians have the right of way over all traffic, anywhere. That being said, we would always advise checking before stepping onto the road!

We headed to our hotel, Les Tanneurs, the site of the old leather creation area of the town. The hotel is grand, consisting of 13 interconnected townhouses, beautifully restored, full of red brick and timber. They also have a Michelin-recommended restaurant, l’Espièglerie, on the ground floor. The rooms were large, some with a sauna included in the room, which was a surprise, and thankfully optional, considering the 30+ degrees. 

After stashing our bags, we were away with Valerie on some E-Bikes, from Coop Cyclette to explore the banks of the River Meuse on a return trip to Dinant. The Belgians, as well as the Dutch, are famous for the culture of cycling, and the infrastructure around Wallonia is nothing short of exceptional. A system called the ‘Ravel’ has linked thousands of kilometres of towpaths and disused railways to create traffic-free spaces for bikes and hikers. It was along one of these stretches on the Ravel that we were headed to Dinant.

It was strawberry season in Wallonia, and our first signs of this emerged as we left the city limits of Namur. Strawberry stands lined the towpath, serving up punnets of incredibly sweet, incredibly juicy strawberries from the surrounding fields. 

As we carried on, we reeled past châteaux along the banks of the Meuse, owned by the rich and famous of Belgium who use these as holiday homes. Wallonia is the region with the most concentrated number of castles anywhere in the world, a beautiful but stark reminder of its history. They are all different, all varying in their splendour, but all with magnificent views and access to the river. The towpath naturally follows the lazy meanders of the Meuse down towards Dinant, but there are a few towns en route offering cafes for welcome refreshment.

Dinant itself is a beautiful riverside town, sometimes colloquially called the 'Cannes of the Meuse'. Surrounded by an commanding citadel on a cliff face high above, and some imposing rocks marking the southern edge of the town. One carriageway of the main road actually passes through the rock, and is worth seeing quite how tight the local buses squeeze through. The town is also the home of Adolphe Sax, and the city bridge is dotted with statues of saxophones celebrating his invention. 

The route to Dinant and back is in total around 60km depending on how much you explore Dinant, and although the terrain is flat, you may want to consider wearing cycling shorts for the extra comfort, especially for the final 20km or so back to Namur. The route back towards Namur, retracing our steps, was frequently interrupted by families of Canada Geese, escorting their goslings to and from the river. 

After a rest and a cold shower, we headed back into town to find some dinner. Namur isn’t the biggest or busiest of towns, but it's full of character with lots of bars and restaurants spilling out onto the pavement, allowing you to fully experience and embrace European dining on the cobbles. The most bustling spot was the market square, overlooked by the wonky church, where people used to eat and drink away from the river banks to avoid the attacks of enemies surfacing from the waters. 

We enjoyed local Trappiste beer, made by monks in the area, of which some can be pretty strong and Boulets à la Liegeoise - Liege style meatballs, also in an ale sauce, incredibly tasty and very welcome after a day of travelling and then cycling. After dinner, we then work our way through some of the pedestrian zones of the city, exploring more of the local streets before heading back to the hotel for a very well-earned sleep before the following day’s adventure.

Day 2

The second day of our trip to Wallonia was a day of exploring the valleys and forests south of Dinant and the Lesse River. We boarded the hourly train down the Meuse valley to Anseremme to meet our guide Julien Libert, who would show us around the area.

There were two hikes on the agenda: the first from Anseremme station, through the town, before crossing over a bridge and heading up some stairs into the forest, and into the woodland. Considering the many rivers, we knew this would be a pretty punchy hike with fair elevation, and getting out of Anseremme, we climbed past some suburban houses, some meadows of wildflowers, before reaching the valley's ridgeline. Along the way, we caught glimpses, through the leaves, of the view we were going to be rewarded with, and when it came, we were not disappointed. We had climbed to a point above some towering rocks overlooking the river, now far below. Tree-lined valleys spread as far as the eye could see, with the river weaving its way towards the horizon.

After crossing a main road, you then come across a rock-climbing area, famous amongst locals and tourists alike. Some local climbers have even put in a highwire a couple of hundred meters long, suspended a couple of hundred meters in the air, essentially a combination of about 20 slack lines all connected, suspended 100 meters or so in the air - not for the faint of heart. Some Germans were camped above one large wall of rock, whether they were eyeing up this high wire or just enjoying being outdoors, the views and the climbing. However, circling just around the corner revealed yet more châteaux with beautiful gardens and mazes. From here, we ducked back into the forest, down some steeper switchbacks towards the riverside. Following the river, you bring yourself back into Anseremme past a boat club, marina and a beautiful wedding venue. The hike finishes up at around 10km, with around 400 meters of climbing. The route was well signposted with blue arrows conveniently placed at any decision points. You can also pick up maps at the tourist office in Namur or Dinant, which have the routes included on them, to make this and other hikes easy to follow.

The second hike was one station further south to Gendron-Celles - an hourly service at 28 minutes past the hour. However, in Anseremme, close to the station are a bar and a boulangerie, so if you need to fill some time, grab a drink or a well-earned pastry and enjoy the river.

The train journey is only short, 1 station and 7 minutes later we arrive at Gendron-Celles. This is home to a large kayaking business, which we will later use to head back down the river to Anseremme. But first: a 5km hike through the Furfooz nature reserve. This is a maintained reserve by the local area. The nature reserve comprises rocks, cliffs and caves linking down a large underground river.

After a couple of kilometres, we come across a small restaurant called La Flobette: it is a beautiful spot right on the shores of the river serving locally sourced, seasonal ingredients on an exclusively vegetarian menu, with refreshing homemade cordial. Once finished eating, we head back on the trail, climbing towards the office of the Furfooz National Park. There is a €7 entry fee for walking in the reserve. With all proceeds maintaining the reserve, its birds, bats and other animals within, as well as looking after the cliffs and trees. Through the reserve, we come across Roman and medieval ruins on our way, as well as a steep staircase to an amazing viewpoint through the rock over the valley, where we watch huge birds of prey circling above. This is apparently one of the most Instagrammable spots in Wallonia, but we are fortunate and have the spot to ourselves to savour in the greens of the forest, the blues of the river, and the relative cool of the rock. The path then eventually brings us back down to the river to retrace our steps back to the station at Gendron-Celles.

The kayak company, Dinant Evasion, is serious business. They have up to a thousand kayaks, so in high summer, or on a particularly hot weekend, there is a chance that this activity, and the river, is very busy. However, being term time, we were blessed with tranquil waters. With the occasional mellow rapid, the river current flows smoothly, and without doing much paddling, we made quick progress, only occasionally meeting the bank or beaching ourselves on the shallower inside line of the meanders as we reacquainted ourselves with how to kayak.

A few bends of the river later, and we are met with the most amazing chateau, doing its best impersonation of Hogwarts on top of a cliff, literally on top of the river. Visually, it was stunning, and letting the river guide us, we could take it in before one more rapids section took us past a family having a full dinner on their dining table in the middle of a shallow section of the river, with chairs, cutlery, and serving bowls. We continued to make our way down the river, fishing on the outskirts of Anseremme -  a journey of around 11- 12 km, depending on how straight you can navigate the river. We arrived in Anseremme and completed our triathlon of 2 hikes and a kayak. Hatty quickly fell asleep on the train back into Namur (again, an hourly service always departing 8 minutes to the hour), and I also had a few minutes of shut eye. It had been a beautiful day, exploring some amazing woodlands, valleys and the river, but the heat had taken its toll, and we were both pretty spent.

We took some time back at Les Tanneurs to cool down and freshen up before heading out for a second and final meal in Namur. We found a beautiful restaurant called L’huile Sur les Feu, an Italian restaurant serving some of the finest pasta I’ve had in a long time. I would highly recommend the ‘Demi-Lunes’ or ‘Half-Moon’ pasta if visiting. I tried an Orval beer - another Trappist beer from the very southern area of Belgium, a ‘marmite beer’; thankfully, I was on the love side. 

Wandering back to the hotel, we stumbled across a riverside bar overlooking the citadel and the river. There was the sound of a French Horn playing, normally to signify a hunt, but in this case, maybe someone was just practising. This riverside bar turns out to be only open on occasion from the rear of Vino Vino. It is only open if they have enough students working and the weather is good; today was one of those days. We had someone explain the wines to us and their origins, taking in the citadel, the river and the runners in the evening up and down the riverside, in the easing heat of the day and the evening light. 

Day 3

On day three, we headed to Spa: a historical thermal town in the Ardennes, in the east of Belgium, now made more famous perhaps by the F1 race held at Spa-Francochamps just down the road. 

After a quick breakfast at Les Tanneurs, we boarded the 08:20 train along a beautiful, albeit slightly industrial valley with yet more wooded hillsides. A generous connection in Liège gave us enough time to explore a little. Liège station, along with Mons, was designed by the same architect, Santiago Calatrava, clearly with a flair for the modern and perhaps science fiction genre. It's a work of art, very modern; all white steel and glass, giving the feeling of being outdoors whilst inside. We then had a short 8-minute connection in Pepinster, but it is a very small station with only 4 platforms. From here, we followed another river, La Hoëgne, towards the town of Spa. 

In Spa, we were met at the station by Gauthier. He owns a small Guinguette (bar) and bike shop attached to the station platform. This is a man who grew up locally, has been a bike guide all over Europe, although staying closer to home now with his own business helping people explore the local area, its flora and fauna, by bike. He also helps local businesses try to lower their carbon footprint by supplying cargo bikes for deliveries and logistics, and has grand plans to turn Spa into a leader of the bike-led industry within Belgium. His energy and passion were contagious, and with top-of-the-range e-mountain bikes to hire and a bunch of different routes to explore, you can either have a self-led adventure or hire Gauthier himself to show you around. If you self-lead, Gauthier will even drop your bags at your hotel for you whilst you are cycling. 

Gauthier led us through town, and we picked up sandwiches before climbing south towards the source of the Berinzenne spring. Spa is the original Spa town in Europe, and has multiple different springs all lending themselves to the town, each with its own unique properties. Berinzenne, for example, is full of iron, great for the skin. You can drink from the open spring just off the road, it tastes a little fizzy with a strong taste of iron. Peter the Great used to swear by this to cure his ailments and used to drink litres of this water to cure his liver and digestive problems. I wouldn’t recommend litres, but a handful is well worth a try. 

The spring is halfway up our climb out of the valley that Spa finds itself in; the rest of the climb includes a couple of switchbacks to reach La Fagne National Park. Heading in, we climb a tower which overlooks the whole park, as well as what feels like all of Belgium. We can see the highest point of Belgium to our east, Spa to our north, and hints of Germany far away over the ridge lines. From La Fagne, we head back into the forest and weave our way down some gravel tracks and trails towards the airfield, where we have a picnic, watching some skydivers perform some silly stunts, flying into the ground at breakneck speed to pull up at the last minute.

After lunch, we dove back into the forest and down the hillside we had climbed back into the town, taking in more trails through the woods and another, different section of the Ravel network, thankfully false flat downhill all the way into town. Once we made it back to the station, we shared a beer with Gauthier and his friend who owned a brewery before heading on to our hotel. A fantastic welcome to the area and to Spa.

After a few days of covering plenty of kilometres on the bike and foot, the afternoon in Spa gave us the chance to take in what it is famous for: relaxation and thermal baths. People have been coming to this area of Belgium since Roman times and before that, the Celts, for the healing powers of both the waters and the air and forests in the surrounding valleys. After a novel funicular ride up into the hilltop spa, we had a look around the various treatment rooms, including some rather intimidating showers, as well as a vacuum-packed mud bath(apparently very good for arthritis). We were introduced to copper baths, which react with the acidity of the iron-rich water to help cure eczema and other skin conditions. 

We tamely opted for the soothing qualities of the pool, lazy river, and hot tubs of the main swimming area, as well as trips into the sauna and steam room. A very welcome recovery from the exercise.

Our bed for the night was a beautiful Renaissance-style hotel - Les Villas des Fleurs in the heart of Spa. A hotel with 12 rooms, with lovely big rooms and spacious bathrooms, a short walk from both stations in Spa, either of which would work well for any hotel in Spa. But en route to dinner, we couldn’t resist a tour of Hotel Les Bains, a freshly renovated 5* hotel opposite the casino in the town centre. The hotel is a work of art, as well as being the location of the original thermal baths of the town. The hotel has been renovated painstakingly and carefully to bring back the grandeur and artworks of the original building, including the former bathrooms on the ground floor and a state-of-the-art thermal spa in the basement. If looking for a grander stay within Spa, this hotel would tick the boxes. 

We ended the day with dinner at Van Der Valk hotel, a third great option within Spa, boasting a private funicular to the thermal baths on the hill - offering guests the opportunity to travel in their bathrobes from their room in the hotel, up the funicular to the baths overlooking the town. As we ate, 2 hot air balloons took off from the car park of the restaurant, which was very special to witness at such close quarters.

Day 4

The final day of our adventure in Wallonia gave us a chance for one final hike through the forest of Spa this morning, before catching our trains back to the UK.

We meet our guide Phillipe Calonne in the hotel lobby after breakfast, a man who knows the area inside out, with a passion and knowledge for nature that I can only one day hope to emulate. He guides us effortlessly through the town, pointing out the various historical buildings and architectural styles throughout the town as we head up the hill towards the forest. As Spa is in the valley floor, whichever way you travel, you will need to climb to some extent. However, it does not take long at all for us to be surrounded by trees and leave the sounds of civilisation behind. We pass past the final houses on a quiet suburban road, cross over a bridge and climb a small rise to be met by a beautiful lake hidden in the forest. As we find out later from our waiter, this is a lake that not even the locals know about; built by the aristocracy from yesteryear for those wanting to escape the town and enjoy nature, this lake is man-made, but you would never know, with varying species of trees which point to a beautiful range of colours through the Autumn. From the lake, we are following the Route des Artistes. All the trails through the forest are available from the tourist office in town, but Phillipe follows the trail like the back of his hand and leads us deeper into the forest. 

We wander through glades of beech and oak trees, surrounded by ferns, wild garlic and blueberry bushes. Some of the trees have mushrooms, some of which are edible, and some Phillipe points out are very much not. As we climb, we have a brief pause and hear a rustle in the undergrowth to our left. We all turn our heads and are met by a large Stag, with huge antlers, glancing back at us as it makes its way through the woods. We find out that others who have walked in these woods for years have never seen the stags, and we have managed to spot one on our first wander through the woods. 

From the top of the climb, we turn and head down one of a choice of streams back down to the town. We chose La Picherotte. This is a river full again of iron and other minerals, as we walk, the river turns orange and at times even red with the ferrous material deposited on the rocks and river bed. The smell of iron is in the air, as Phillipe explains that this is all entirely natural and is not pollution, as many people think. 

As we descended back to town, Philippe explained how Spa was known as the Cafe d’Europe due to lots of aristocracy and influential people coming to the area for its healing powers and refreshing air, and sharing secrets, building up a spy network, which also included Casanova before he was banished, for various misdemeanours. He also explained the story of Saint Remacle, as we approached the Notre Dame cathedral in the centre of town. A Saint, the first to bring Christianity to Spa, who, when travelling from a local town to Spa with his donkey carrying his belongings, was attacked by the devil in the form of a wolf. Saint Remacle then tamed and forced the wolf to carry his belongings and rocks down into the town and is now heralded as the bringer of Christianity to the region. 

We finished our hike over a beer and local Spa water in the town square before catching our trains back to the UK. The trains ran as smoothly as ever back to London. We both come away, rather tired but blown away by the beauty, nature and diversity of Wallonia. For such an easy and fast trip (3 hours by train from London, with one change in Brussels), you can be in the middle of a wooded valley hiking along a path, trodden by Romans and modern climbers alike. The hills are alive with the sounds of animals, both large and small, and the towns are full of history, culture and art. However, Wallonia is a fantastic hub for activity, and you can easily reach nature with minimal effort from Namur and Spa. The food is wonderful, and the range of Belgian beers, and even Belgian wine, is fantastic to reward those who have spent their days exploring the various valleys, rivers and forests of Wallonia.

Guus Seldenthuis

We would like to thank Phillipe Maree at VisitWallonia and the other guides we had the fortune of meeting along the way, for an amazing chance to experience the region and show us the very best active opportunities that Wallonia has to offer.