Le Herou

Le Herou is a spine of quartzite rock running out into the Ourthe where the river makes two tight loops around it, leaving a narrow ridge about a kilometre long with water on both sides some hundred and forty metres below. A path follows the crest to the point, in places narrow with drops on either side and requiring hands in one or two spots, and it is the best-known walk in the Ardennes. Above it, the Belvedere of the Six Ourthes gives a view in which the river appears six times in one panorama as it winds through the valleys. The rock is bare heath and scrub on top with beech woods on the flanks. It is a genuine piece of upland in a country that has very little.

Highlights

• The crest walk - a narrow ridge with the river on both sides.
• A double river loop - the Ourthe bending round the rock twice.
• The Six Ourthes belvedere - the river visible six times in one view.
• Beech woods on the flanks - the valley sides below the bare crest.

When to go

April to October; the crest is dangerous in ice and slippery when wet. Half a day for the walk. Autumn colour is the best time. Weekends bring walkers in numbers to the ridge.

Practical notes

The crest has real exposure with drops on both sides and is not suitable for children or anyone uneasy with heights. It is slippery in the wet. There are no railings. The car park at the belvedere fills at weekends.

Nearby

La Roche-en-Ardenne is north; Houffalize lies south.

Key facts