Ninglinspo Valley

The Ninglinspo is a small stream that drops steeply off the plateau to the Amblève through a narrow rocky valley, and the path that follows it is generally reckoned the finest short walk in the Ardennes: it climbs beside and across the water on stepping stones and small bridges, past a sequence of cascades and clear rock pools worn into the stone, of which the Bain de Diane and the Bain de Venus are the best known, with beech and oak closing overhead. The valley is about two kilometres long and the circuit back over the plateau makes a walk of two to three hours. Water level determines everything: high after rain it is spectacular and the crossings are difficult, low in summer it is a trickle.

What you actually see

• Rock pools worn into the stone - the Bain de Diane and its neighbours.
• Cascades in a narrow valley - the stream dropping through the rock.
• Stepping stone crossings - the path repeatedly changing bank.
• Beech and oak closing overhead - the wooded gorge above the water.

When to go

April to October, and best in spring or after rain when the water is running. Half a day for the valley and the plateau circuit. Weekends are busy and the narrow path queues. Winter ice makes the crossings dangerous.

Honest expectations

The path is rough with rock steps and repeated water crossings, and is genuinely slippery; walking boots are needed. In summer drought the stream nearly dries. Weekends bring crowds to a path that cannot take them. Parking at Nonceveux is very limited.

Nearby

Remouchamps caves are north; Coo waterfalls lie south-east.