Gallo-Roman traces around Ramillies

This walk takes you four kilometers long on an ancient track of Roman heritage. As if that were not enough for the story, you will also pass in front of a tumulus, an ancient tomb, now covered with trees.

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Text and photo François De Troeyer
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On the ridge between the provinces of Walloon Brabant and Namur, as well as the separation between the Scheldt and Meuse basins, is an ancient Roman railway that connected Boulogne to Cologne via Gembloux, Tongeren and Maastricht, among others. Along this ancient Roman road is the tomb of Hottomont, a Gallo-Roman tumulus. This tumulus is protected as a monument and the environment as a landscape. The area belongs to Haspengouw with its characteristic square farmhouses and wide views. On 23 May 1706, this gently sloping terrain was also the scene of the Battle of Ramillies, in which an allied army led by the Duke of Marlborough recaptured the Spanish Netherlands from the French. Go to the church of St-Hubertus of the same Ramillies. There is ample parking.

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The itinerary
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Go with your back to the church (V) on the left and after 75 meters RA go to the rue de la Frête. Turn left, then right until you reach an intersection. Ignore two roads on the right and one on the left and go RD on the asphalt track, not on the narrow concrete track. After one kilometer, leave a side road on the left and continue for 300 meters at the next RA intersection. You are now walking for more than four kilometers on the Roman Causeway, the ancient Roman track heiress. 150 meters after a first secondary road you have the chapel of Saint-Donat (1). Cross two intersections in turn. At the third intersection, you have RAVeL line 142. (RAVeL is the Réseau Autonome des Voies Lentes, the counterpart of the Flemish slow roads, and line 142 is the former railway line between Hoegaarden and Namur). Always RD and on the right along the Roman road you can see the tomb of Hottomont (2). Cross the N91 750 meters after the tumulus and RD. Leave the Roman road for another 600 meters and turn RA. Ignore the exit on the right and go RD. The impressive building on the left is a water tower (3).

In the built-up area of Grand-Rosière-Hottomont, ignore all secondary roads and walk RD, pass the village church of Notre-Dame (4) to the main road, the N243. Go RA and cross the busy N91 again and continue on RD in Rue de Ramillies. Soon you will see two beautiful square clogs (5 and 6) on the right and a little more to the left. At the next intersection you have a fenced nature reserve, an old sandstone quarry (7). Walk straight, turn right and turn 200 meters further into Los Angeles. A little further, you cross line 142 of the RAVeL again. On the left is an observation site for amateur astronomers (8). Here there is little light pollution and a free horizon to watch the stars in good conditions and it is a picnic area-appropriate. Walk RD and also go to the next RD intersection, this time on the paved track. The paved track becomes paved track after a few turns and takes you back to the church of the village of Ramillies.