Condroz country: the great outdoors

Between the valleys of the Meuse and the Ourthe in the lower Ardennes lies the Condroz plateau. Describing the Condroz merely as a plateau fails to do it justice, however. This little known region of Wallonia comprises a succession of beautiful verdant valleys and wooded hills. What’s more, its villages are remarkable for the opulence of their houses, farms, castles and churches. It’s also a wonderful place to go hiking.

You can start from Ciney, the capital of the Condroz, or the neighbouring towns of Hamois, Havelange or Somme-Leuze. Each has a well-stocked tourist office with plenty of walking guidebooks and maps. I was particularly impressed by the full-colour booklet I picked up entitled Balades et vous, which briefly describes 12 walks in the central Condroz region known as the Vallées des Saveurs – the Valleys of Flavours – so called due to its rich variety of delicious regional products.

Although the book stretches to 36 pages, you don’t have to take the complete publication with you. Each walk is presented on a single-page map which is designed to be easily removed. The maps are so good and the routes so well signposted that once you have decided on which one to follow, it’s just a case of finding the start and off you go.

I chose the 8.3km Le berceau du Bocq, which starts from the village of Scy and follows a circular path to Mohiville and back. It’s a lovely walk, and even has a picnic table excellently located exactly halfway along the route, next to the Maya fountain in Mohiville. The route also takes you alongside the imposing Château de Ry, which dates back to 1598.

The 12 walks in Balades et vous will certainly keep you busy in the central part of the Condroz, but don’t forget that the northern Condroz is equally interesting. Spending a day in and around Modave, for example, will definitely give you a day full of variety. You could start off by exploring the village or strolling along the picturesque River Hoyoux, which flows into the Meuse in Huy. Alternatively, you could take a tour of the 17th-century Modave castle, perched on a rock 60 metres above the river. If you want to make a weekend of it, you could even go deep into the surrounding region, where there’s an abbey, an early water filtration tower and two Roman ruins that are definitely worth a visit.

I would also recommend an excellent little walk of 7.5km that starts from Modave Castle. After skirting the grounds of the castle, the route takes you into the wide valley of the River Hoyoux, through the darkest of coniferous forests, up onto open farmland and through the tiny hamlet of Survillers.

The flora and fauna of the Hoyoux river valley are captivating. Reed warblers (above) and whitethroats sing their hearts out; swallows and swifts swoop over the meadows; red kites and buzzards soar on the thermals. On the ground, lime-loving plants are generally found in abundance: crosswort, white campion, salad burnet, tower mustard, the strangely named Nottingham catchfly and the poisonous swallow-wort, to name but a few.

Further along the route, literally in the middle of nowhere, is a reminder of tragedy: a simple stone memorial bearing the names of five members of the RAF’s 77 Squadron, who were shot down here in World War Two.

Back at your starting-point at Modave Castle you can eat in the cellar restaurant, which should rejuvenate you for a tour of the castle and its 20 richly furnished rooms. You can also see a model of a hydraulic water wheel invented by a local carpenter in 1667. If you still have energy, you can stroll around the gardens, or walk into the village where you can enjoy an evening drink outside the Hôtel des Touristes.

www.valleesdessaveurs.be  www.modave-castle.be

This article first appeared in WAB magazine