Varied ride through the Semois valley, along the Route du Tabac, through dense forests and over a beautiful stretch of old tramway. Along the way and at the end of the trip, you will make some surprising discoveries.

The route

Next to the church of Bohan (V) there is an information board about the tobacco route. Take a look at it, as you will pass it in some places. Depart with the church on your right and cycle between the cafes to the bridge over the Semois. Cross and follow the Semois LA on the other side towards Hautes-Rivières. On the corner is the tobacco shop Joseph Martin. Here you can find pipe tobacco and a selection of cigars made with tobacco cultivated in the Semois valley. ● You cycle past Camping La Douane, the end of the Bohan agglomeration sign, and the former customs station. To the left, you see the Semois, and to the right, the football field Stade Robert Pierret. Behind it, tobacco is grown by Tabacs Martin. Further on, you pass Domaine du Printemps, where you can rent chalets. ● You then cycle into France and enter the Champagne-Ardennes region, in the département of Ardennes. The road gently rises, giving you a beautiful view of the Semoy, as the Semois is called in France. Take the first side road slightly to the left. The road is unpaved and has quite a few potholes, which after prolonged rainfall can also cause puddles. If you find that a drawback, you can continue straight on the asphalt road. ● The unpaved road runs alongside the Semoy, through a small copse, and you come across a podium from which people control their model cars over the red-marked circuit. A bit further on, you pass a kennel where stray animals are temporarily housed.

On holiday in a customs house

The road gets paved again and you return to civilization and to the road you left earlier. Turn left. In the village of Sorendal, follow the signs 'Toutes Directions'. You cycle out of the village and ride along the Semoy again. When you see a factory on the other side and further along the bridge over the river, take the road slightly to the right just after the sign for Les Hautes-Rivières, heading towards Zone B. Cross an intersection with a mandatory stop on your right and ignore the road on the left that descends by the church of Les Hautes-Rivières. ● At the next mandatory stop, turn right towards Linchamps and climb via the D13 out of the village, along the end of the agglomeration sign of Les Hautes-Rivières. You cycle for quite some time through the Forêt Communale des Hautes-Rivières and roll past the sign for Linchamps. ● Cross the Ruisseau de Saint-Jean and turn right at the fork, towards Gedinne and Frontière. You cycle past the little church of Linchamps and some old buildings. After the end of the agglomeration sign of Linchamps, the road narrows and you cycle through the forest. You cross the Franco-Belgian border and cycle past the sign for Louette-Saint-Pierre into the province of Namur, along the Chapelle Saint-Jean and further through the forest. ● The road then dips and as you exit the forest, you cycle between the meadows. Opposite the cemetery of Louette-Saint-Pierre stands a former customs house (1), which is now rented as a holiday home. Immediately after that, you turn right and cycle through the open landscape with beautiful views until you reach the four-way junction with an unpaved road straight ahead. Turn left through the forest and along the forest edge.

Goat cheese and natural products

You ride past the sign for Houdremont and further along the cemetery. To the left, you get a beautiful panorama. Just before the agglomeration sign of Houdremont, turn right into a small street. The road is initially sunken, then continues between the meadows until you reach a priority road. Follow that right. You cycle through the forest and between the meadows, and pass the sign for Nafraiture. ● On the left in the meadow, there is a large solar panel, goats, a herboretum, an arboretum, and La Chiquetterie (2), a shop where you can buy goat cheese and natural products, including Elixir de Vresse, made from more than 40 herbs from their own garden. Under the same roof, there is also a tearoom, where you can find a wide selection of regional and other beers. ● Turn left, towards Nafraiture and Orchimont. You cycle through an open landscape. The road dips a bit, you roll past the agglomeration sign of Nafraiture and descend to the T-junction in the village. Turn right and directly after that turn left. Follow the arrow to Vresse. You see the church on the right. ● Descend windingly past a chapel and cross the Ruisseau d'Orchimont. On the other side stands the former waiting house of the Nafraiture tram stop from line 553 of the local railways of the province of Namur. On the side, there is an overview of the route from Gedinne to Alle and Bohan. Inside are beautiful drawings of people who used to travel on the line. Both passengers and goods were transported via this tram line.

Covered picnic area

After the small bridge, cycle right (or from the waiting house turn left) and follow part of the former tram route towards Vresse, over the old railway bed, a gravel road with a grassy strip in the middle, next to the winding Ruisseau d'Orchimont. After you have passed the forest road leading to an idyllic natural stone bridge with arches over the ruisseau on your right, you cross the stream via a less romantic bridge and make a big curve to the tram stop of Orchimont. Here too, you have a waiting house, with the history of the tram line on the outside in four languages. Inside, there are also drawings of the tram users and there is a covered picnic area. In 1950, passenger transport stopped, and in 1954, the transport of goods ceased. The tracks were removed in 1956. ● Here, cycle right, towards Flâchis. Climb along the Chapelle de Flâchis (3), built in 1949 in memory of resistance fighters who died here at the end of WWII, up to the T-junction. Turn left to the priority road. Cross that road on your right, turn with the road to the right, and cycle through the open landscape and past the cemetery of Hérisson to the priority road. Turn left, along the remarkable Notre-Dame de Lourdes chapel of Hérisson (4), where a house is built against it. Cycle past the sign for Bohan and the remarkable pilgrimage site 'Notre-Dame de Bohan' (5). ● Then descend along the cemetery and the Bohan agglomeration sign to the bridge over the Semois. Cross it and turn left on the other side to the starting point. Cycle next to the church to 'La Pierre à Marier' on the banks of the Semois. On a board, you can read all about this 'Marriage Stone'. ● As a bonus, you can follow the Semois 500 m to the right to 'Le Pont Cassé' (6), over which the trams of tram line 553 used to run. Then return to the church. You can savor the experience in one of the numerous cafes in the center of Bohan.