Between Samson, Thon and Bonneville: the sweet beauty of Condroz

This circuit is based on the 'Trou perdu' walk of the city of Andenne. However, we extended them to Samson's castle. It seemed a shame to ignore this beautiful piece of nature.

As is often the case in this region, it is undervalued. However, the agricultural landscape of Condroz is simply beautiful. In addition, Thon is one of the beautiful villages of Wallonia, an authentic site with a homogeneous character. From Thon to the panoramic bench we go up and at one point we have an intimate view of the church and the large farm. But once out of the village, the landscape quickly becomes more open: a typical Confuzian plateau of vast fields with mainly cereals.

Along these walls we often come across country chapels of all shapes and sizes. The first is this "Our Lady of Help", founded by unfortunate brothers who were miraculously saved there. We continue to walk on the open plateau between the fields for a long time.

Bonneville with its large farms, castle and church was originally a castle village with only a few houses. On the Ferraris map of the 18th century, the houses are mainly located rue du Centre and rue Viaux. Only a few houses can be seen in front of the church and the castle square. But later Bonneville certainly became an interesting pole of expansion of the town of Andeneen and we spend some time in front of newer houses with lots of concrete, also at the front of the houses. It was perhaps the least fertile part of the village because on the old maps it is called "Bruyère" (moorland).

But soon we leave the village and walk again through the open plateau and along a forest edge. In the distance we suspect the valley of the Meuse with Namêche. We always see a mysterious mountain with a peculiar crater shape on the horizon.

We leave the standard route of the 'Lost Hole' walks and head to the Samson Rocks. The rocks were once the base of a large castle. You don't see much of it anymore, only large stones cut and overgrown and here and there a piece of wall.

from this height we descend to the valley of the Samson. We don't see the river. Then we follow the tuna valley a bit, but don't see the river here either. You have to climb a little to get to the village of Thon.

Parking spaces are available in Thon and Bonneville. In Thon, this must be along the street, or if you look outside, you'll find the parking lot of the local 1930s party hall.
Catering is practically non-existent, especially on weekdays. One possibility to have a drink is when you meet in Samson.