Chaudfontaine, Bois Les Dames. Spicy. Exceptionally beautiful.

This walk is short, just over 5 kilometers, but can be quite challenging. A significant part involves climbing the steep walls of the Vesder valley. In some places, caution is required. Sturdy shoes are recommended. By the way, it's not coincidental that one of the paths is called 'Chemin des Soupirs' or 'Path of Sighs'. Likewise, there is a path named 'Les Belles Promenade'.

This walk is easily accessible by public transport. The station is about 100 meters from the start.
For those arriving by car, there is ample parking at Source O Rama.

This walk is marked with a yellow rectangle. The directions on the route were very clear to us. It might take some searching to find the start of the walk. It begins at Source O Rama and then you need to follow the foot of the valley slope until you reach an open space where the bottling plant once stood. Here you head upward.

You will see a piece of rare and beautiful nature here. You can admire an unusual phenomenon: the striking change in vegetation due to the deposition of zinc and lead dust on the ground. This results from the processing of these minerals by the former metal industry of Prayon in the valley. Thankfully, these factories are no longer active today.

Your efforts are constantly rewarded: you have a panorama of the factory where mineral water is bottled, and in the distance, you can see the densely populated Vesder valley. You will encounter a real Devil's Bridge with a legend showing that the inhabitants were not so foolish after all. In the forest, you cross the Louveigné several times, a small mountain stream deeply carved into the slope.

About the nature reserve
This extensive heathland is located in the municipality of Chaudfontaine (Ninane), directly opposite the nature reserve 'La Rochette'. The area is registered in Wallonia as a Site of Great Biological Interest (SGIB) and is managed by the Natura 2000 network ...
As we already mentioned, the formation of this heathland dates back to the time when metal companies in the valleys of the Vesdre and the Ourthe emitted heavy metals (zinc and lead) into the atmosphere. The wind carried these metals to the nearby hills, where they settled on the ground. This reserve consists of an expansive grassy area dominated by common bentgrass (Agrostis capillaris) and moor grass (Molinia caerulea), two grass species considered 'pseudometallophytes' or simply belonging to the flora that can withstand high concentrations of heavy metals. In these large grass fields, there are stunted oaks and a few birches and pines. This landscape strongly resembles a savannah.
In some places, you can find the rare zinc violet (Viola calaminaria) and zinc-cress (Thlaspi caerulescens subsp. calaminare).

These lands are owned by the municipality of Chaudfontaine and on November 9, 2020, a cooperation agreement was signed between the municipality and Natagora for the valorization of the area for a period of 30 years.
The aim of this project is to preserve the natural, historical, and landscape heritage of Bois-les-Dames in the long term as a recognized nature reserve and to make it vibrant and accessible to all users.