My boyfriend and I decided to enjoy another three days of good weather and a well-deserved vacation at the end of April 2021. I have in OneNote a whole list of places I want to visit, both in Belgium and abroad. Since my list for the province of Namur was the longest, we decided to go there.
Without a concrete plan, but with some highlights in mind, we left for Dinant.
The ancient city of Dinant
After a drive of about 2 hours we arrive in Dinant, we find a parking space almost immediately.
- Just a disclaimer: we left on a Monday after the Easter vacations and during Covid. -
Although both my boyfriend and I have seen quite a bit in Dinant, it is still a nice little village to walk around. As I write this a month later, I still regret not revisiting the places we've already seen. It would have been ideal now that there were fewer people walking around. BUT by not seeing those things again, we had the chance to get a better look at the non-touristy parts as well.
Castles of the Middle Ages: Vêves
Next, we went to the Castle of Vêves. We knew in advance that it would be closed because it was a regular Monday. If you still want to visit it, you have to go on weekends or vacations.
But around the castle is also definitely worth it, and you can even follow a hike that takes you past this castle and the castle of Walzin.
We hesitated about this hike ourselves, but since we had reservations for our next location, we decided not to do the hike at that time.
Furfooz National Park
So we drove on to Park Furfooz, which you have to make reservations for since Covid. If you come on a normal weekday, you shouldn't look so closely at what time you arrive. Or maybe we were lucky. We were an hour early, but could just go in. Even before I stepped into the reception area, the man at the cash register knew who I was. So I suspect there weren't too many people on his list.
We got lucky and so were allowed to start the hike right away.
With a walk of about 4 km, you go from high to low among trees, cliffs and caves. We were one with nature there. Most likely because we were pretty much alone there, we could hear the birds whistling and the river flowing everywhere. It was a wonderful experience that I would do 100 times without a doubt.
After a sunny and warm walk, we arrived back at the car. From there, we left for Anseremme to do some shopping for breakfast and lunch for the next day. Once we were done there, we headed towards our overnight stay. We couldn't wait for the paella we had ordered. And it was worth the wait.
Yet through the valley of the Lesse?
The next morning we decided to go for a walk. In doing so, we planned a hike around the castle of Freyr. When we couldn't find the starting point right away and the route seemed a bit too difficult for our current skills, we decided to do the walk around Walzin castle after all.
So we drove to the station of Gendron, where several hikes intersect.
With a glance at the map of different walks, it quickly became apparent that our chosen walk was a combination of other trails and thus probably difficult to navigate. So after changing the plan once more, we started the hike "through the valley of the Lesse." This hike takes us along the Lesse river, over two railroad bridges, through forests and past Furfooz. A nice 9 km hike. But make no mistake, because this walk climbs a lot. And is therefore certainly in the heat, quite heavy.
I don't think I've ever been so satisfied to see the car again. My feet hurt, and I was sweating my eyes out, but the hike was beautiful. It's about 3 pm at this point. Too late to visit anything unreserved, too early to go home already. We opted for another stop in Anseremme for groceries. There we decided to enjoy the good weather for a while along the waterfront with some fresh snacks. And then it was time to go to our overnight stop and to cook something on our own this time. It was pasta carbonara with pancetta and zucchini. Delicious.
Fondry des Chiens and Grills
On our last day we chose to visit the Grand Canyon of Belgium: Fondry des Chiens. Although you can undoubtedly hike beautifully here, we decided to just take our time at the destination itself. Our feet were still sore from the day before. (I just need more training ;) )
It's fantastic here and I definitely recommend it. If you have a drone, definitely bring one too. It is very quiet and even the birds and squirrels pose for a picture every now and then. I could sit here for hours. We ate our lunch and returned home. For those who love a good grill, can enjoy a nice lunch at Brasserie des Fagnes. This time we didn't go in there, but it's still standing. I enjoyed a delicious burger with a beer there in 2015 when I came here with my whole family to eat after a weekend trip. Highly recommended.
Walloon Brabant: Abbey of Villers
On our way back home, we passed the Abbey of Villers in Walloon Brabant. My boyfriend is a huge history fan, so we had no choice but to go in here. Luckily we didn't need to make a reservation because of the few visitors on a Wednesday afternoon. This was an ideal ending to our lovely three days in Namur.
Do you have any comments or tips on what we can still visit here? Let us know in the comments!
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