Upper Meuse Valley

A trip along the Meuse, which is also very pleasant by bicycle as there are few gradients, begins in the double parish of Hastière near the French border. A little further on is the part of the village called Hastière-Lavaux where the grottos of Pont d'Arcole are through which flows a subterranean spring.

On the far side of the bridge over the Meuse from the grottos of Pont dÁrcole lies Hastière-par-Delà where at the beginning of the 11th C. Irish monks founded a monastery. The purely Romanesque parish church with its massive tower remains from that time; the choir, however, was added in 1264. The choirstalls date from the same period and are some of the oldest in Belgium. In the crypt can be found two Merovingian sarcophagi.

A little way downstream from Waulsourt on the other bank rises the ruins of Château-Thierry, picturesquely situated on the Rocher du Chien (dog crag).

Remaining on the left bank looking Downstream we come to Waulsourt on a bend in the river. The fine castle was originally the palace of the abbots of the convent founded in the 10th C.A French garden is found at the Chateau, with a central axis marked by a canal. Jets, pools and a variety of trees make this an elegant and lovely garden.

The Meuse describes a curve at the vertex of which lies Anseremme at the mouth of the Lesse.

In Dinant our route crosses the Meuse and continues along the right bank of the river. High above the village of Houx are the overgrown ruins of the Tour de Géronsart and the Château de Poilvache, built, according to legend, by the Haimon children. Actually it dates from the 10th century and was destroyed in 1430 by the soldiers of the Bishop of Liège. Its name "castle cowhide" refers to another legend, according to which the beleaguered inhabitants dressed themselves in cowhide in order to slip away. They were however discovered and the besiegers of Dinant donned the cowhide and were able to get into the castle which they quickly subdued.

A few kilometers past the Château de Poilvache we reach Yvoir, a popular holiday resort particularly for its island in the Meuse. Just south of the village lies the "Oasis nature" a 10ha/25 acre park. Signposted paths lead through botanical gardens, educational plantations, and past an old castle and a farm where visitors can study the flora and fauna of Belgium.

For the detour through the green valley of the Molignée it is necessary to cross the Meuse between Houx and Yvoir after reaching Anhée. Here the Molignée flows from the west into the Meuse.

By following the Malignée we reach in 9km/5.5miles the ruins of the Château du Montaigle on a crag; built in the 13th C., it was destroyed in 1554 by the French.

Just beyond the Château du Montaigle a narrow road leads off to Falaën. Visitors to the 17th C. castle estate can see a small historical exhibition and try the local specialty bread.

A neo-gothic, Benedictine monastery founded in 1872. It sits in the Molignée valley.

The Benedictines built an abbey in 1893 in Maredret. A little museum in the village shows varieties of timber, woodworking and rural life in the region between the Sambre and the Meuse.

Furnaux is the terminus of the excursion into the valley of the Molignée. Here the local church is worth visiting, for it has an extremely artistic font of black marble. This was created around 1135 and shows the Baptism of Christ on the basin which is borne by four lions.

On the left bank of the Meuse facing downstream lies the castle of Annevoie, the building of which was begun in 1627. In 1775 Charles Alexis de Montpellier had the brick building enlarged with a Roccoco wing.The furnishings and equipment of the castle rooms date from this time; particularly fine are the music room and the chapel with stucco work by the Italian brothers Moretti.

The actual attraction of Annevoie is the gardens which were laid out at the same time as the castle was being extended. The principles of French horticultural layout are here integrated in the most harmonious manner - as can be seen in the geometric form and the many water features such as the cascade called "Buffet d'Eau" - with English and Italian garden layouts, the latter including statues of Carrara marble. The floral displays - in spring daffodils, hyacinths and tulips, in summer roses and begonias - are a first class attraction in the Meuse valley.

Godinne on the right bank of the Meuse is linked to Annevoie by a bridge. It possesses a beautiful priory of the 16-17th C.

Remaining on the right bank looking downstream are the massive formations of the Rochers de Frênes which are pierced by grottos in which Stone Age people have left their traces. From the viewpoint on the top of the rock an extensive view over the Meuse can be enjoyed; on the opposite bank can be seen Profondeville, one of the most important holiday places in the valley.

Leaving the Rocher de Frênes the Meuse is crossed for the last time; in Wépion, the center of a large strawberry growing area, is a very original strawberry museum.