Along the Semois between Bouillon and Bertrix

Meet at the Place des 3 Fers (V) in Bertrix. Back to the church and the tourist office on your left, you start. At the end of the square, turn left and cross the rue de Renaumont towards Paliseul and Bouillon. Don't worry about secondary roads until you can choose Auby at a fork on the left. You leave the city and pass the NotreDame de Grâce chapel from 1950. One of the four chapels that were erected around Bertrix as a thank you, as the town was spared bombing during World War II. After the sign at the end of the agglomeration of Bertrix, there is a piece of hollow road and then a beautiful view of the rural surroundings. Don't worry about side roads and pedal further into the forest, passing the Husson Cross stone, which is hidden in the green on the right side of the road. Back from the forest you leave the road to Cugnon and you can enjoy a beautiful panorama. Continue straight, direction Auby. On the right is a covered picnic area. Then you pedal down a ridge, with a beautiful panorama to the left and right. Get off at Auby. Entering the village is the beautiful Maurice Husson chapel on the left. At the first intersection, turn right towards Les Hayons and head straight towards the protected Jean-Baptiste church in Auby. Just before, turn left onto Maka Road. You cycle again in the forest, cross the stream of Aleines and descend to the Semois and the Maka campsite. The stream of Aleines flows here into the Semois. Fairies and panoramas Now you climb the Mont de Zatrou to the Hayons and you will be rewarded with a beautiful panorama 1 with the Semois in the main role. Climb further and pedal along the Fairy Farm 2 to the center of the Tailgates. You pedal in the rue de la Semois, leave the road to Faysles-Veneurs and Paliseul on the right and pass in front of the church. At the junction with the chapel of Notre-Dame de Lourdes (1900) turn right, direction Bellevaux. You leave the village, with a beautiful view from both sides of the road. Then you pedal through the forest, after which you are presented with a beautiful panorama with meadows, fields and forests. At the first fork, with a cross hidden between the trees, follow rue Saint-Joseph on the right. On the T, turn left towards the centre of Bellevaux. With a small nod, you pass the church until you reach the T-junction and turn left. Then take the second street on the right, rue de Tirifontaine, direction Noirefontaine. You leave the village by a hollow road and when it opens you can enjoy a beautiful view again. At the first crossroads, take rue de la Haige on the left. Don't worry about side streets and get off on the N865 from Noirefontaine to Dohan. On the right is the church of Noirefontaine. Cross the road and continue your journey along Rue du Culot. Leave the rue du Couroi on the left, ignore the rue de la Pelle on the right and continue by bike along the rue de la Sentinelle. Leave another unnamed road and take the road diagonally to the left at the fork. On the right a nice panorama. At the crossroads, with a dirt road right in front of you, you have a view of Bouillon on the right. On the left is the chapel of Buhan 3. You are now at the top of the Hazay du Han slope. Left. You go into the forest and go down to the Semois with the ford of the Han of Han. Turn left and cross the stream of Moulin Hideux, which flows into the Semois. At the T-junction, turn left again, cross the valley of the Moulin Hideux stream and next to the charming hotel Auberge du Moulin Hideux (1 Michelin star) to a T-shaped crossroads. For Dohan Castle Choose here, direction Dohan and Les Hayons. Don't worry about side roads until you get out of the forest. Turn right towards Dohan. You go back into the forest, pleasantly surprised along the way by a magnificent view 4 of Dohan and its surroundings. After that, you can go down. Be careful, because according to a sign it is a slope of 11%. On the T, follow Dohan Haut on the left. Leave Rue des Champs Touaux behind and pass the church and the impressive 18th century entrance gate of Dohan 5 Castle. The castle, transformed into a castle farm, is older than the gate and dates from 1619. At that time, there was no bridge here. But the lord of the castle had the ford guarded and paid a toll to be allowed to pass. Here, you could cross the Semois without making a detour to Bouillon. You will arrive on a square with the Auberge Ardennaise, the Auberge de la Vallée and the friterie Chez Laurette. Maybe time for a culinary stop? The meanders of the Semois This circuit continues towards Cugnon. Cross the Semois and continue straight ahead at the fork on the other side. You still have to climb far, but enjoy a magnificent panorama from the Rock of Dampire. You pass in front of the agglomeration sign of Mortehan and leave the road of Cugnon. There is a road to the right and you pass the church of Mortehan and along the Semois, which makes a spectacular meander here. Turn right with the road and cross the Semois. Now follow the road to the left for local traffic, through the valley of the stream of the Munos, until you can turn right into the first paved road in a bend. There is an arrow towards the ruins of the Fairy Castle. These ruins of Roman times are located on the left corner, on the slope. The archaeological fortifications discovered during excavations prove that this place was inhabited from the 3rd-4th centuries to the 11th-12th centuries. You now continue cycling on a narrow, asphalted forest road. According to one sign, the slope here is 16%. On the memorial stone for the resistance fighters of the Second World War, there will be a right road. Continue straight until you can take the first paved road diagonally to the left. You pass in front of the Ardenner de Bertrix campsite and find yourself in the bend of a wider road. Follow Rue des Munos straight ahead and go up to a roundabout. You immediately arrive at a second roundabout and continue to climb straight, passing in front of the municipal sports hall, until you reach the church of Bertrix.