A beautiful tour through the Amblève valley for lovers of breathtaking panoramas and small villages where time seems to stand still. A lot of climbing work, but also beautiful descents.

Text and photo Stan Verelst

The route

Meet at the parking lot of Domaine de Bérinzenne (Bérinzenne 4) in Spa (V). Drive left from the access road towards La Gleize. You travel along a wide asphalt road through the forest, ignoring the path to Andrimont and Ruy on the left. When you leave the forest, you will see a first beautiful view on the left. Pass the agglomeration sign for Cour, navigate through some traffic calming measures and turn right at the T-junction with a dead-end to the left. Leave Cour again and enjoy a magnificent panorama after leaving the agglomeration sign of Cour. ● It is truly a delight as it goes downhill. You pass a warning sign for a curve and a descent of 10% and descend at the remarkable gate of the former Centre Princesse Astrid with the Centre Hospitalier Peltzer – La Tourelle. Here, a sanatorium opened in 1903, which became a medical provincial institute in 1970. It has now been relocated to Verviers. ● You pass the agglomeration sign and the center of Borgoumont, and a half-timbered building with a field cross on it and then get another beautiful view on the left.

Medieval castle from 1919

You pass the agglomeration sign of La Gleize, cross the stream Nabonru, and continue until the mandatory stop signs next to the restaurant Le Vert de Pommier. Turn left towards Coo and then take the diagonal right path to Musée Décembre 44 and Rahier. You pass the museum and the German King Tiger tank (1) and ride through the space between the church and the café l’Echo des Campagnes, then venture into the Amblève valley with a beautiful view on the left. At a small intersection, turn right and choose the fork with the name sign La Vaulx-Renard on the left and shortly thereafter cross the Amblève. ● On the left, you will see a landing stage of Coo Adventure Activities and a beautiful railway viaduct in the background to the right. Where the road goes straight towards Monceau, turn right. Ignore the path to the left next to the OLV statue and continue to the right with a large curve through the open landscape with a magnificent view, with the castle of Froidecour (2) in the center. It looks medieval but actually dates back to 1919. It was built on the site of another castle that stood there in the 16th century. ● Ignore the small road with the church of Cheneux on the left and continue straight ahead. You navigate between some traffic calming measures, ignore the side roads, and enjoy the beautiful view on the right, followed by a stretch through the forest.

Viewpoint of Kongo

Passing the agglomeration sign of Rahier, you will see an old village pump (3) on the left right next to a poem about the “fontaine” on a slate stone. You pass the village school and at the next intersection turn right. After a short climb, turn right towards Meuville, Xhierfomont, and Targnon. Ignore the path to Moulin Rahier on the left. To your right, you have a nice view of the village center of Rahier. After leaving the agglomeration sign of Rahier, ignore the side roads and gently ascend until you can enjoy a 360° panorama. After a curve, you have a beautiful view of the chateau of Xhierfomont. ● After that, you pass the agglomeration sign of Xhierfomont and when you leave the village again, you dive through some hairpin bends onto another road. Right towards Trois-Ponts. Cross the Amblève and then turn into the road for local traffic to the right. Pass the agglomeration sign of Targnon, ignore a path to the right, and proceed to the intersection. ● Turn left to the T-junction with the church of Targnon opposite. Right towards Stoumont. Now follows a stretch of nearly 2.5 km along a busier road without a bike path. Along the way, you will be rewarded with the Point de vue du Congo (4), from where you have a unique view of the Amblève valley and the entrance to the Cheneux railway tunnel. Pass the agglomeration sign of Stoumont and continue left into the road to Spa.

Cemetery with British flag

Now you begin a long ascent. The view on your left compensates for much. Afterward, you enter the forest. Ignore the path to Monthouet on the right and continue to rise quietly. When you leave the forest, you have a large open area on the left and travel over a flat section. You pass the name sign of Theux and ignore the path to Ville-au-Bois on the left. After a sign of Pays des Sources, you begin gently to descend. ● Ignore the path to Bronrome on the right, and as you leave the forest, you descend with a magnificent panorama in front of you. Ignore the Chemin du Bois Maret on the left and then turn left onto Rue Vieux Pasay. At the intersection with a chapel on the left, turn right onto Rue du Pré Boda. You pass the agglomeration sign of Desnié and the church with the cemetery with the British flag, as five British soldiers who fell in World War II are buried here. ● At the intersection with a field cross, turn diagonally right onto Rue de Tolifaz. At the T-junction, turn left and at the end of the street, turn right next to a field cross with Lieve Heer.

Source of Barisart

You descend towards Winamplanche and see the church standing in the distance. You pass the agglomeration sign of Winamplanche and at the intersection when entering the village, turn right. Directly after the church, turn right at the old signpost towards Creppe. You ascend at the end of the agglomeration sign of Winamplanche and turn right before the cemetery and follow Route de l’Ermitry. ● At the fork in a meadow, turn right. Continue ascending now, first through a meadow landscape and then through the forest. When you come out of the forest, you will see Creppe ahead of you. Ascend to the T-junction. Turn right. Ignore the road diagonally to the left and continue through Chemin du Wérihay to the fork with left to Spa. Turn right through Grande Ruelle. ● Ignore the Chemin Lebioles on the right and continue straight ahead between the meadows. At the T-junction where it goes left to Spa, turn right. Follow Avenue André Guillaume initially along the edge of the forest and then through the forest. At the T-junction with a left arrow to Sources de Barisart and de Geronstère, turn right, direction Piste de Ski. At the parking lot of the ski slope, turn left with the road and continue until the parking lot of Domaine de Bérinzenne.